Irishred

I changed a tube in my Conti Gatorskin 700x25 tire for the first time today and almost broke the tire levers. I've looked for threads that discuss this but cannot find one. I found that water helps, but still! What brands are easier and I'm going to go to 28's instead of 25's - tubular.

Thanks

datlas 

Tubular? That’s a different can of worms. I am assuming you are using clinchers.

Lots of YouTube videos, but best tip is to be sure the bead is in the center “well” that buys you a few mm, and consider the Kool Stop Bead Jack tool. I have found it incredibly useful for mounting stubborn tires.

Joe Bikerider

The last Gatorskin tire I put on was pretty easy. I laid it out on the driveway for the afternoon on a pretty hot day and used talcum powder on the tube. Next day it went on fine. Having worked in a bike shop some 50 years ago, I knew to never use any levers to mount a tire. That’s a sure way to get snakebite holes in your tube. Garden gloves and patience can help man handle the tire onto the rim. Just keep after it.

bblair

It is very tempting when changing a tube to only release one side of the tire. But, don't do that. As many others have said, push the tire into the center channel and it gets much easier.

I was on a ride last year when a rider had multiple flats (Conti tires). Number one, two guys struggled with one of those tire jack things. Took both of them. The second was my turn, I guess. I did as above and in a few minutes we were on our way.

It's technique, not tools.

Iride01 

The first side of that tire went on pretty easy didn't it? The second side should be almost if not as easy too. You just have to realize you aren't doing it right. Then you have to learn the secrets. Push the first side of the tire and the tube out of the spoke channel so the second side of the tire has room to get in there. If you inflated the tube some, let all the air out. As many times as it takes go back to the point you started and make sure it's in the spoke channel and work back to where the bead needs to be slipped over the rim.

Be careful not to get the tube pinched. Easy to do when it has no air. But if your rim is narrow enough, air in the tube is your enemy.

JohnDThompson 

Assuming clincher tires, have you tried a bead jack? Kool-Stop, VAR, Crank Brothers and probably others sell them.



If tubular tires (aka "sew-ups," "sprints," "tubs"), best practice is to stretch them on rims for a while before actually gluing them. I've used zip-ties to prevent the tire from sliding off the rim while wrestling it on. Pump to ~40psi or so once on the rim and let them sit a few days or longer. Gluing will be much easier once they've stretched.

JohnDThompson 

Enjoy it while you can. Back when I worked in a shop, I prided myself on being able to mount any tire using only my hands. Now, at age 68 and with significant arthritis in both hands, I can no longer do so and must rely on assistive devices. Bead jacks, properly used, will not pinch the tube while mounting the tire.

SpedFast

One further thing, start with the tire in the center of the rim directly across from the valve. This lets the tire sink deeper into the rim all the way around as you push it on with your fingers. Easy Peazy

rsbob 

I always pushed the valve in a bit when seating a tire just to give another mm of room. When seated, pull back out.

zandoval 

Thanks for the reminder Joe. I must have filed that tidbit of information too deep in my "Useless Ship File" at the back of my brain. Yep, heating up a tire before mounting is an excellent trick.

Not using tire levers is admirable for sure. Due to my arthritis I no longer have the strength to squeeze my tire on and have been using a facsimile of the TyreKey successfully.

https://www.tyrekey.com/

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5487663

msu2001la

Another vote for Kool Stop bead jack. I've used this tool to mount some very stubborn tubeless tires that seemed impossible with tire levers. The design of the tire jack works well to get more leverage.

Just be careful to not pinch the tube.

rm -rf

What works for me:

28mm GP5000 standard tires.
19-25mm lightweight tubes. This smaller size tucks up into the tire, far away from the bead. That's much easier. Lately, I've been trying latex tubes, but it's quite difficult to keep these larger, very flexible tubes out of the way of the bead -- but at least, they are pink, so I can see them easily.

I posted a detailed version of this method in 2010! It's still relevant. Here's the thread. How to: Tight fitting tire - easy mounting

Installing:
The smaller tube, inflated enough to hold it's shape.
Pedro levers. I tried Park Tool levers years ago, they just didn't work at all for me.
Only one lever to mount the tire. I have about 6-8 inches of final bead to get over the edge of the rim:

From an old thread. These rims were even harder to use, with very shallow center wells -- even with just a single bead in the center, and no tube installed yet, the tire wouldn't slide around to line up the label with the valve hole.
These were Continental levers, similar in profile to Pedro.

The key is lifting less than an inch of bead, sliding the lever over a bit, and repeating. It's easy and effective. The Pedro levers avoid damaging the tube, but the tube must not be pinched under the bead at all.



Removing: I need two levers to get the initial bead over the rim. Lately, I've had to use a hair dryer to warm the tire if I'm changing at home -- otherwise I can't push the bead out of the tubeless ready channel. (This used to be quite easy on older GP4000 and GP5000 tires.)

~~~
This style Park Tool lever won't work at all with this method.



The Pedro lever profile and blunt end is much better:

bblair

Yes, the smaller tubes are easier and less likely to get pinched. I like the Continentals.

Also, given that older or used tires are easier to mount, I buy new ones on sale in the winter and stretch them onto old rims. They sit there in the basement until ready to go in the spring.

50PlusCycling

For tubular tires, I stretch them a lot before mounting them. I step inside the tire, hold it down with my foot, and pull the other side with my hands. After stretching them all around for a minute or two, they are easier to slip on.

rekmeyata

If you run into a very difficult tire to install, and you keep the opposite of the bead from coming out of the rim as you work on the other side, the solution is pretty easy.

Simply take two wide reuseable zip ties, zip tie the end of the tire that keeps coming out, by placing the tie around the rim and tire and pull very tightly, you might need a pair of pliers to really make it tight; do the same thing with the second one about 1/8th of an inch from the first one. Those ties will hold the bead onto the rim as you work the other side.

Also don't forget soap and water will make the bead slick.

The Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack is the best tool, it's very strong, this tool is designed to slide the tire up alongside the rim and into the rim instead of prying the tire out and over the rim. The best tire levers are the Lezyne Power XL levers, these are impossible to break. Those levers combined with the Jack will put on any tire.

SpedFast

Until reading this thread, I never realized that changing a bike tire could be so difficult and I've changed my share. What gives?

rekmeyata

Tubeless tires is what gives. Non tubeless tires, or regular tires, do not have such severe mounting issues.

Pop N Wood

They changed the shape of the rims to have ledges out near the sealing surfaces. Like bblair said you need to get the majority of the tire centered in the deeper part of the rim to give enough room to pull the far end over the outer lip.

Those kool jack tools simply don't work very well.

Turns out we don't need tire levers at all to install tires. Learned a new technique two weeks ago when I had to put a fat tire on a scooter. I positioned the tire on as far as I could, then put the side of the rim flat on a work bench and pushed the tire on using the wooden end of a hammer and body weight. Super painless. Need to try that with a bike tire.

smd4

I know. I’ve never needed to use tools of any kind to mount tires. But I run inner tubes on 20 year old rims. As mentioned, apparently tubeless tires and rims are much more difficult to work with.