What is your favorite Park Tool tire lever?
#1
Enock
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What is your favorite Park Tool tire lever?
I just put together this video on all the different Park Tool tire levers and want to know what other people prefer. Please let me know which Park Tool or other brand tire lever works best for you.
The video below covers Park Tools TL-1, TL-1.2, TL-4, TL-4.2, TL-5, TL-6, TL-6.2, and TL-10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imRP...ature=youtu.be
The video below covers Park Tools TL-1, TL-1.2, TL-4, TL-4.2, TL-5, TL-6, TL-6.2, and TL-10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imRP...ature=youtu.be
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#6
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Park makes many fine tools. But often, there are other brands that are better. This is one of those cases. +100 to the Schwalbe, Pedros has one in yellow that is very similar.
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#7
Enock
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I will to have to get my hands on a set of these. Ill post a video of what I think
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https://www.amazon.ca/Hutchinson-Sti.../dp/B001GSSNO0
These are my favourite tire levers. They are very rigid and easy to use. The reservoir in the handle helps make tubeless tire installation much easier
These are my favourite tire levers. They are very rigid and easy to use. The reservoir in the handle helps make tubeless tire installation much easier
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I like the skinny ones that can hook around a spoke
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My experience with TL1 is that the curve flattens out after a few years rendering the tool useless. The metal TL5 works well on really tight
tires but IME grooves the edges of the rim in that scenario requiring some file or chisel work to remove the sharp edges of the groove.
TL6 is nice but same problem as TL1, the hooked end for the bead flattens out after awhile. A bit heavy to carry on the road also.
I haven't tried the 0.2 versions of any of these. I have a TL10 and use it occasionally but only in extremis and generally if you need
that tool to get a tire on/off you shouldn't go out riding on that tire/rim combo (same for TL5). My preference now is Pedro for the past 3 yrs. You
only need one tool in the saddle bag.
tires but IME grooves the edges of the rim in that scenario requiring some file or chisel work to remove the sharp edges of the groove.
TL6 is nice but same problem as TL1, the hooked end for the bead flattens out after awhile. A bit heavy to carry on the road also.
I haven't tried the 0.2 versions of any of these. I have a TL10 and use it occasionally but only in extremis and generally if you need
that tool to get a tire on/off you shouldn't go out riding on that tire/rim combo (same for TL5). My preference now is Pedro for the past 3 yrs. You
only need one tool in the saddle bag.
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You forgot the only one worth a damn https://www.crankbrothers.com/products/speedier-lever I have used a lot of tire levers and the Speedier Lever is the one I keep going back to time and time and time again. Pedro's will do in a pinch but I have seen so many broken ones I have abused some of my Speedier Levers and I have heavy use ones from 8 years ago (a little more bent and scrapped but still going). Park does some fine tools in some categories and some meh tools in others.
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I agree with the video that Park 6.2 stand out in their effectiveness. Schwalbe and Kool Stop are good too but must be used in a more refined, less brute force manner.
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#14
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Every shop I've worked in mostly used Pedros. The Park are also fine but not my favorite. Maybe there are better? Levers tend to walk so the low price of the Pedros is part of their ubiquity. Sometimes an honest to goodness metal DH lever is what you need but is a dangerous tool in the wrong hands and usually a bad idea (that TL5 you're not sure about? It's for real, wire bead, double casing DH tires with a particularly tight fit). None of my bikes have particularly challenging tire fits so I feel pretty whatever about the subject. Good technique is the main thing that makes flat fixes fast--and a good compressor with a pressure gauge head doesn't hurt.
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I now want a Park TL 6-2, which is the steel core model. I broke ever lever I had trying to change a 20 x 4" tire/ Bought a set of no name steel cores from that big bike chain that went bankrupt ..Performance Bike. They worked great.
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Heck, I dunno! I bought a set of tire levers back in 1998 at the shop register $2 special jar that I am still using. I need one lever to pry off the tire at times and as far as putting it back on, I use my hands.
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Some of the cheap NoNamo gadgets work best and last long. I only use hands for bicycle tires, but once used the smooth handle of a butter knife to mount a trigonic motorcycle tire.
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#21
Enock
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Just so you know the video has a whopping 45 views. Pennies are not being made here. I like to make tech videos and yes I would like to reach more people and get more opinions but money has nothing to do with this. In fact It has cost me quite some money because I am the sucker who goes out and buys ever Park Tool tire lever in order to make a video that gets 45 views ;P
Last edited by enock111; 01-29-20 at 05:50 PM.
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The TL-10 is a decent tool. I bought one for the charity shop where I volunteer, and the other mechanics like it. It does have problems lifting the bead on some particularly thick, heavy, tire sidewalls; for that I still use a steel tire lever. And using it to mount a tire can be problematic.
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#24
Enock
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Thanks for the suggestion on this tire lever. I had never heard of it before and now it is part of my collection. In full honesty they are not for me I had a real hard time with the size of the hook end that is suppose to grab the bead but to each their own. I made a video of them if you want to see me struggle LOL.
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Thanks for the suggestion on this tire lever. I had never heard of it before and now it is part of my collection. In full honesty they are not for me I had a real hard time with the size of the hook end that is suppose to grab the bead but to each their own. I made a video of them if you want to see me struggle LOL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy_YTZHz8qE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy_YTZHz8qE
Hint, you will need to use at least two, and possibly all three levers.