Anybody do it themself? I want to be able to do it on my own but obviously i dont have a machine....so anybody do it themself and how hard is it?

 

it not to bad, just use some spoons and a big vise.
first deflat tire
then set the tire in a vise crank it down til the bead pops
then just pry the bead off w/ the spoons (use soapy water too)
reverse steps and youre good to go
also put some towels on the vise so you dont scratch your rim
and inflat the new one with the valve stem core out so the bead will seal

 

Cut & Pasted from a prior post of mine:

Tire changer from Harbor Freight is on sale right now for $49.99. Motorcycle Adapter is $49.99. You can get coupons to save even more.

I bought a wheel balancer for $100. I bought some tire spoons for $30. I buy valve stems for $3 each. Wheel weights were like $15 for enough that will last me for years.

Total investment less than $300

The cheapest I could find someone to mount tires and balance was $25 each plus $5 each for valve stems, and I still had to take it off the bike, take it to the shop, leave it, go back to the shop and pick it up, take it home and put it back on the bike. $60 plus a lot of running around.

5 sets of me changing my own and I'm saving money, plus I get to know my bikes better and I know the job was done right. I know I spent the time and care to clean the inside edge of the rim before mounting the new tire. I know I take extra care not to scratch my wheels. I know I spend the time to get the wheel balanced as perfectly as I can. I know the valve stem was replaced, not just that they told me they replaced it. All I know about a shop doing it is what they tell me.

I have 3 bikes - it won't take long for the tire changer to pay for itself. Plus I can change some tires for my riding buddies too.

I did have a problem with the first Harbor Freight tire changer, but they replaced it for me, so I'm ready to roll again. Plus I can do it when I want - not on a shop's schedule. If it's Friday night at 10pm and I discover a problem, I can work on it right then if I need to and still make my ride the next morning.

 

ya very good point...where do you get the spoons at?

 

dennis kirk, chapparal, local shops, or ebay. prolly gonna run around 20-30 bucks for a set(2)