Dun, Dun, Dun, Dunnn, It Finally Happened
 

At Christmas, I treated myself to some Reynolds R4 carbon wheels. I also got some new Continental 5000 clinchers. It took me over an hour to mount the new tires. I got blisters on both thumbs. I dreaded the day I got a flat on the road....Today was that day.

I got a rear flat going 30mph. Getting the rear tire off was quite a challenge. I had to really squeeze the tire to get it off the rim. I finally got it off, replaced it with my spare tube, and I could not get the tire back on. It was 45 degrees, my hands were beat from removing the tire. My hands could not get the tire on the rim. I tried squeezing the tire into the middle of the rim, I tried pushing the tire into the area that wasn't on the rim. I finally resorted to prying the tires on with my levers. Pumped up the tire with my CO2 kit and my tire stayed pumped up for about 20 seconds before it went flat. I have a patch kit, but I couldn't find the hole in the tube. I had to make the call of shame.

I put some Stans in the rear tire. Is there anything I can bring or do so I don't end up stranded with my next flat?

I used to have a a very stubborn wheelset. It took 45 minutes and several layers of skin the first time installed tires . Then I got one of these:

Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AYML7K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Z4XHCbKD4DK9Q

Best $12 I ever spent. Takes about 90 seconds to mount tires on same rims now.

Seconded

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7806/...07a01a77_o.jpg

:innocent:

Good technique is hard to explain in writing, but it has been discussed here in length.

This thread has some helpful information in it, as long as you ignore Bdop. https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...enti-sl23.html

Some tire/wheel combos just aren't friendly. Try different tires.

Carry a bead jack with you:

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Ok4AA...bT/s-l1600.jpg
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-VAR-Tir...-/291321736608

Tubulars.

GP 5000 TLs and some Orange Seal?

I'd switch tires.

Vittoria Rubino G+ Speed are so supple. Talk lovingly to them and they slip right on.


-Tim-

... candlelight, a little wine, some soft music ...

Just beware using a jack. Some (carbon) rims in the past have outright said not to use them, IIRC.

I think it's the wheels more than the tires, I've read that a lot of people have trouble getting tires on Reynolds wheels. I had no issues getting GP5000s on my wheels, didn't even need a lever.

One of my friends has Reynolds 60mm hoops on her bike, and if she flats when we ride together, I always do the repair. She can do it, but it's much easier/faster if I do it.

They are a pain in the ass to get tires on them, but neither of us need to a tire jack to do so.

As others have said, carrying a tire bead jack might help, although it is quite a bulky item to carry in your jersey pocket.

I also found that Continental tires are VERY tight to fit onto "tubeless ready" rims. Tubeless ready rims are typically taller to get a good seal when using tubeless. I found my GP 4000's to be VERY hard to mount onto my DT Swiss RR440 rims, nearly impossible by hand (there are some tricks when using talc powder, etc., but still, incredibly difficult, I have been that guy by the side of the road, had to make a call as well if I remember correctly).

Probably not what you want to hear, but: switch to different tires would be my suggestion, unless you want to carry a tire bead jack around at all times...

I think Michelin tires are a bit easier / more forgiving to mount than Continental. Other brands might be better still.

I have Assaults. The first two or three times that I mounted (tubeless) tires, it was a bear. Now they pop on with little drama, and I've never used a lever to get them on. I used to think that I had decent mounting technique before buying my Assaults, but it clearly needed some refining.

Decide what you're most attached to: the wheels or the tires. They don't get along, so you're going to have to continue your relationship with one and bid adieu to the other. I quite like my rims, and am also quite fortunate that they in turn like the tires I've chosen. If a tire won't mount with bare hands, I don't run that tire. Because unless you're being followed by a support car, the truth is that serviceability is an important aspect of a rim/tire combo as is rolling resistance, aerodynamics, or anything else.

Too general. I have a set of Reynold's assault wheels and I can change my Michelin Pro4 endurance tires completely by hand... a factoid I discovered one day when I flatted about 4 miles from home and couldn't find a tire jack.

You just have to figure out what works.

I've used Michelin Pro4 Enduarnce and Pro4 SC tires for years and never found them to be difficult on any wheelset, but others have a different story.

Tubeless tires seem to be a little harder to mount in general, but I have yet to need a tire jack to mount a road/gravel tire. DH tires are a completely different thing.

These come in handy when trying to seat the bead.

https://www.parktool.com/product/tire-seater-pts-1

". Is there anything I can bring or do so I don't end up stranded with my next flat?"

Yes. One more tube. I suggest the light versions. They pack smaller and work just fine. Patching at the roadside is a PITA. Do that at home. Other than that, ditch the fear of levers. No need to destroy your hands messing with a tight tyre. Im sure you can find some that wont scratch your rims. Of course, Im on alloy rims, but any sign of trouble and I break out the levers. I have BBB 81 levers, that I like because they dont pinch the tube prying on a stubborn tyre. Im sure the suggested tyre jack is fine too, if you can fit it in your pocket. Make sure the tube is not getting pinched between the tyre and rim before pumping. Very important.

This or test you luck with tubeless and sealant.

ah the ole' roadside flat repair ...

speedier lever (plus a cpl regular levers) the speedier lever provides some additional features & benefits, toe clip strap

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a67bf55b80.jpg

it's one thing to push the tire down into the channel, it's another thing to keep it down in there

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...68b3049d4b.jpg

tire jack to help muscle the tire bead over the edge of the rim

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0ae35b553c.jpg

rim tape

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9309c4b783.jpg

nitrile gloves

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e255c78674.jpg

2 tubes, 2 dif. patch kits, Co2 inflator, 3 or 4 cartridges, small hand pump, quarters just in case I have to use a gas station pump (also why I use schrader valves)

:eek: :eek: :eek:

You like to live dangerously, my friend. :lol:

Velox rim tape will definitely make tire changes more difficult.