SuperRecord

I have a Giant ARX2 [ [url]https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/arx-2-2018 ] with 27.5 x 1.95 tires and i'm getting ready to replace them with a narrow tire (1.5"). Assuming I use this new narrow size, can I expect them to be more or less challenging to remove for tube repair?

Thanks in advance

Art

rhenning

Depends who made the tire and how tight they made them. No way to know without having your bike, wheels and tires in my hand so I can try them. Could/should be easy but it also could be near impossible. Roger

TimothyH

Definitely maybe.

Six of one, half dozen of another.

Define "Challenging."


-Tim-

Gresp15C

I have some tires that are a doozy to get on and off the rim, and it seems almost unpredictable from one type of tire to another. I doubt tire width plays much of a role. Before you buy tires... what kind of cycling are you doing, and how frequently do you have to repair a flat? I've had virtually no flats in several years of pavement riding on bikes that have puncture resistant tires.

Some rims are easier to install tires on than others.

For me, "challenging" is when I have to use a bead jack. Some folks have suggested squirting some soapy water on the tire before installing, and I'll give that a try next time.

hokiefyd 

Fun bike -- I had one for a short time. I traded it for a Giant Roam 2, both of which use Giant's basic GX28 rims. I say that because I've had a number of sets of tires on and off my Roam's GX28 wheels with no issues. I've owned wheels that seemed to make tire swaps a real test of patience, but my GX28 wheels haven't been that way so far.

In addition to the specific rim, it does depend on the tire as well. Tires with a rigid bead tend to be more difficult to mount than tires with a folding bead. And tires designed to be run tubeless tend to be more difficult to mount than tires that are not intended to be run tubeless, because tubeless tires tend to fit tighter to the bead (by design), sometimes making them harder to stretch up over the bead lip.

Do you know what tires (brand/model) you intend to use?

SuperRecord

That's great to hear, I was beginning to think that I was the only one to have purchased this bike.

I thought I would be doing more off pavement riding than I currently am; hence the desire for changing over to narrower tires. i like the bike, though I don't care much for the crankset, as I almost never get into the top ring with these legs. Maybe with the narrower tires and a steep paved decent ill find myself in that range more.

The main reason for the following is that they are local purchases; but I"m open to other suggestions:

Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tire 27.5 x 1.5" $63.87
or possibly
Panaracer Gravel King 27.5 x 1.5" $50

Jeff Wills

Schwalbe Marathon tires will be heavier, stiffer, and harder to install/remove. They will be more durable and flat-resistant so you won't have to remove them as often.
Panaracer Gravel King tires will be lighter, more compliant, and easier to install/remove. They will be more fragile, so you will be fixing flats more often.

Makes your choices and takes your chances.

Gresp15C

Are the old tires still functional? My rule is, never replace a good tire. Ride the tread off first.

SuperRecord

The originals still have more life; and that sounds like advice I will follow. @Gresp15C. Thanks

Thanks Jeff. i thought that might be one of the differences between the two. I'd still probably try the Marathons since i will be doing more riding where I seem to find the most punctures.

Good day here (60f), we had many locals out and about. I just took in a mix of some beach air and auto exhaust along one of my routine rides.

CliffordK

That is what we need... a new bike repair challenge. See how long it takes people to go from flat beside the road to repaired and back on the road (must hold air for 5 miles & 24 hours).

As @Jeff Wills mentions, the Marathon Plus tires are stiff, but I've found one can get used to mounting them.

Make sure you have the right tube size. I usually choose the biggest that will fit, but not oversized.

A lot will depend on the rim. Do you have "tubeless" rims? They can be more challenging to work with, especially with tubes.

rumrunn6

ThermionicScott 

Remember that there's more (a lot more) to how well a tire rolls than its width. Just going narrower might not make the bike ride easier if you get heavy, thick tires in the new size.

My vote would be for a wide tire with file tread, the GravelKing in 1.75" or 1.9" would be a good start.

SuperRecord

As a outsider you make a compelling case that I both could and would not argue with. I have some experience changing motorcycle tubeless types on my old airhead that required lots of sun and lots of patience to make them fit. I was glad to have not been doing that on the side of the road... Yes, challenging is highly subjective.

The only information so far, and I'm not sure it relates to the specific width tire, is attached to this message. Are the max pressures the same between the two? I'm doing paved hill climbing, so I'm forced into the scud from time to time. It would NEED to be a great deal lighter, or not that much less protection from the gravel king; or vice versa for the other.

Great day from Fort Montgomery NY up and back to Perkins Memorial tower. Lots of autos and motorcycles. I got there in the afternoon so I assume most of the other cyclist wrapped it up by then.

Thanks for the suggestions

SuperRecord

Thanks. This is new to me. I'll keep it filed if it comes to that.

SuperRecord

No. Thanks I'll remember this too.

ThermionicScott 

35-50 watts of rolling resistance is a LOT, and I would not want to ride any of the tires in that chart! It may be hard to gauge the rolling resistance of different tires on a motorcycle with an engine doing the work, but you'll feel it on a bicycle, especially if you're trying to climb hills in traffic.

With lighter higher-performance tires, there is much less need to pump them to their max, too. I ride 38-42mm tires pretty much all the time, and the only thing that max pressure does is to fatigue me faster on bumpy pavement.

SuperRecord

I'm loving technology!

hokiefyd 

One of the primary reasons I traded it was due to comfort on the bike -- I just couldn't find any. I really wanted a 27.5" bike (for comfort) and thought that was it. I ended up trading it for a Roam, and have just recently converted the Roam from 700c to 27.5", and I remembered the ARX I had. I'm so much more comfortable on the Roam, even with the fork locked out, and I think it's because of the tires. I think the stock ARX tires just really suck. I've got Vittoria Mezcal G+ TNT tires on my Roam (in 27.5x2.1" size) and there's really no comparison in the ride. I couldn't air the ARX's tires down enough to get a nice ride out of it.

I was sort of at the crossroads of spending money on the bike in an attempt to make it better (and not knowing if I'd be happy with it) or trading it for a different bike. So I traded it, but $50's worth of tires might have made that ARX a lot better.

fietsbob

falls in the gap on trolley tracks in the street ..

le mans

Changing 27" tyres of various widths i've never had an issue with, even 1. 1/4", the only time it's a bit subborn is if it was fitted with those heavy duty puncture resistant tubes

hokiefyd 

These are 27.5" / 650B / 584mm bead seat diameter. I think you're referring to the old 27" rims / 630mm bead seat diameter -- a different spec.

le mans

oh 'scusy. i thought those 650 wheels or tyres were closer to 26"

djb

For difficult rim tire combos , it helps immensely to know and use the technique of squishing the tire into the middle of the rim as far as you can, and using old toe straps to hold it in place.
there is a good YouTube video by a British guy who shows this for putting on marathon plus tires, I've posted the link for years but can't recall the name of the shop he works for.

Re tire levers, Pedro's levers, yellow ones, are super strong plastic, and help with real problem tires and rims.
The soapy water trick does help for that last bit. I'm fairly certain I once put a bit of lipsil on the last bit of rim once to help the last bit get over.

Ps, found the video
https://youtu.be/-XUFVrl0UT4

JohnDThompson 

People need to use the standardized ETRTO size designations rather than the arbitrary nominal sizes.

SuperRecord