Velocivixen

I decided to try some 700c x 28 Pasela PT tires. I've used their 700c x 32 Tourguards for past few years and know that they can be tough to mount. I've watched every video and read every technique about how to mount tight tires. Today I got a crash course on tube patching b cause I kept pinching the tube.

Those 28's go on fine until about the last 8" or so. They're so tight I almost could not get the tire iron under the edge. When I finally have the tire on, I find that there is a leak. So I patch and try again. I tried talc powder which helped the tube slide up into the tire better. I did not try liquid soap on the bead which I understand can help.

Would using a tube meant for 700c x 23-25 help? There wouldn't be so much tube material in the way.

Reynolds 

I suppose you know already how to deal with tight tires, but just in case:
Use a thin rim tape.
Use a thin wall tube.
Put a little air in the tube to start mounting the tire, but deflate it almost to zero as you approach the last part.
Start opposite the valve, finish at the valve.
Keep squeezing the tire beads together each time you put a section over the rim edge.
Work by small sections, not more than 1cm at a time.
Use a little liquid soap if needed.
If you follow this, most tires can be mounted with your hands only. Sometimes you need to squeeze the beads together with one hand and mount the opposite bead over the rim with the other.

hueyhoolihan

if you have to use a tire iron to get the last few inches on, then care must be taken. there is a technique to it, that comes at the price of a few tube punctures, IME.

i avoid it at all costs. who doesn't? but there comes a time when it must be done and i've found that by using an iron at either end of the unmounted portion, and a simultaneous lift with said irons (you may need a third hand here, until you get the hang of it) and gently inserting a finger under the bead and pushing the tube away from the rim (the tube must be fully deflated) can help.

that's all i got. good luck.

oh... wider tires help.

CafeVelo

Crank brothers speed levers go a long way. We use them at work. Second best IME is Pedro's levers. The way they're shaped it's easy to slide them in and out without tearing anything

1nterceptor

If the tubes are getting pinched/damaged where you are using the levers;
you may want to try another pair. I usually use cheap plastic ones that I got
for free when I volunteer for events. Just remember to keep on pushing the
beads towards the middle of the rims. I made a video with some tips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8szh...aIoDLA&index=1

Al1943

I've found that the right amount of air in the tube to make mounting easier is about what I can blow into the tube with my mouth. For me it means that the tube won't be completely rounded out, but will have one slight fold.
I use 2 wraps of 15 mm kapton tape, as rim tape, to cover the spoke holes. This is thinner than Velox and will relieve slightly the amount of stretch needed to mount the tire.

Bill Kapaun

As Reynolds said-
"Start opposite the valve, finish at the valve"
The overlap of the rim tape adds a bit of thickness, so finish up there. Every little bit helps.

jyl

Having the tube partly inflated is the main thing for me. And not using over-large tubes for the tire width.

Velocivixen

Thanks everyone for the help. I used Pedro's but ideally would have liked a tire iron with much thinner ends. I think I will get slightly smaller tubes - like 700c x 23-25. There just seemed to be a lot of extra material in the way. I tried mounting with the tube with enough air for "shape" as well as almost empty. The rim tape is Neubaum's cloth tape, and the rim is H Plus Son TB 14 (nice vintage inspired rim). I finally mounted both tires and air is holding. I seriously had to patch a total of 4 holes in 3 different tubes.

As an aside the ride on these 28's is great. My first time on 28's.

dsbrantjr

I find that Continental Easy tape, being thinner and slicker than cloth, helps a lot with tight tire/rim combos. I won't run a combination I cannot mount by hand, but I don't run narrow rims/tires either. If you need a tool to install a tire you had better have it with you when you get a flat or you will be out of luck.

Retro Grouch 

There is a trick that sometimes makes the difference. The rim has a low place down it's middle. If you can get both tire beads to drop down into that little dip, it'll give you a bit more slack to force the bead over the rim on the opposite side. That's also the trick to removing a tire without having to use tire levers.

I think that brand new tires are harder to install because the sidewalls are stiffer so it's harder keep both beads together in the center of the rim. I bought one of those tire bead jack things to carry on our Kett trikes because I had such a fight with the Schwalbe Marathon tires at home in my shop. When I had my first flat out on the road, however, I found it easy to pop off the tire bead without needing any tools.

And yes, a slightly undersized inner tube will be easier to install without pinching. The trick here is to use the smallest amount of air that will give the tube shape so it will completely hide in the tire cavity.

easyupbug 

I use a Kool-Stop Tire Jack at home and find it fast and much less prone to pinch a tube than levers. One of my bikes with 28s and difficult rims has one that I cut an inch off the handle and it fits in my bag. When I get a new set of tires I know can be difficult I will carry one in my jersey for a while as the tire "softens up".

JohnDThompson 

With arthritis in my hands, most tires are difficult for me to mount. The Kool Stop bead jack lives in my shop, and the portable VAR bead jack in my seat pack:



VAR compact tire bead jack | Retrogression

Henry III

If you think those Paselas are hard to mount VV...save those Advils for open tubulars Challenge tires. those will really test your patiences. At least with the Paselas there's someplace to put the tube.

Just fill up a spray bottle with soapy water or spritz some degreaser on the bead while installing the tire and it should help out.

Velocivixen

@Henry III - that rim you show looks like the H Plus Son Archetype, yes? I have those in the polished laced to Suzue Road Classica (freewheel) hubs. They're light and they're HOT!

Thanks everyone for the added suggestions. I do try to ensure the tire in in the central "trough" of the rim, and may try some thinner rim tape too. That tool looks interesting and I'm trying to visualize how it works. I'll search online to see if I can find a photo or video tutorial. As I said these 28's are new to me.

jyl

I carry some of these



They work well as tire levers, being metal and thin, and I suppose would be passable wrenches too. And of course tres retro. Usually available on eBay for not much.

mconlonx

Amen, brother:

spdracr39

Don't use tires you know are difficult to mount ?

Bill Kapaun

How well do they work getting a tire OFF a rim?

fietsbob

I have had 2 of those VAR shown in JDT's .. 13th reply .. since the 80's . the tire lever molded in ,
invariably, breaks off* , so I pack them with a extra lever to bring 3 into play to get tight tires Off..

* and file the stump where the molded in one was, smoothing the plastic ..

Dave Cutter

I found when mounting tires in the garage (here at home) that 2 or 3 hand-clamps help a lot with tight or hard to mount wire bead tires. But... clamps aren't available when sitting along the road. Then I saw an old video where a guy used the straps from his toe cages as clamps (and mentioned that shoe strings could be used as well). Interesting.

But with clipless I have nether straps or strings. So I added 3 little Velcro straps in my tire-kit.

davidad

I have the VAR, but will not buy tires that need the Kool Stop.

mconlonx

Not at all. That's what this is for (shop):



Or these (home) :

easyupbug 

Hand arthritis is how I found the tire jack, I looked at the VAR and it did not seem much of an improvement but maybe I should give them a try.

JohnDThompson 

The VAR is not as nice as the Kool Stop, but it fits in my saddle bag so I can use it on the road.