Third day and third set of wheels trying to mount these SOB's. They're the regular folding clincher version. I pride myself on being able to mount almost any tire using only my hands, time, patience, and some baby powder, But I'm ready to throw in the towel with these.
I've laughed at many an Amazon review where someone said a given brand of tires were impossible to mount. I fought probably 5 minutes just getting the opposite side of the tire onto the rim. I can only think of one other set of tires in 50+ years of wrenching on bikes fitting so tightly, and that was because they were the wrong size (anyone remember Schwinn's proprietary tires for 20" rims?)
Sent away for some Kool Stop tire levers, as a last resort. But these tires are just simply too small for any 700c rim that I own. And I know that if and when I do get them to mount, it will be a hollow victory once I get my first flat, and have to go through the same thing a second time, most likely while on the road in rain, mud or cold. And I predict that first flat won't be long, given the laughably thin tread on these. They're just a file tread road tire, as far as I can see. I have no idea why they're marketed as a gravel tire, since the first goathead or piece of glass I even see is gonna cause a flat, I predict. They might work fine in some parts of the US, but not in CA or anyplace with goat heads, or in any sort of urban setting with glass and debris on the roadway.
Thank you Panaracer, I bow humbly to your extreme sadism, and I hate your tires with the passion of a thousand rising suns.
