rm -rf

I need some new ideas!

I've had my aluminum HED Ardennes+ wheels for 10 years now. These are "tubeless ready", with the channel that the bead fits in. I'm using tubes.
I use 28mm tires and the rims are 20.5mm internal width, fairly wide.

I was using standard Continental GP4000S, then GP5000S with no problems. It was quite easy to remove a worn tire and mount the new tire. When pumping up the new tire, there's a startling "Pop!" when the bead snaps into the channel. (Now I'm used to the sound.) I do like that the tire stays on the rim if I get a flat. When I removed the old or flat tire, two thumbs with moderate pressure was enough to get the first portion of the bead out of the channel. Then I could use a single Pedro lever to do the rest of the bead.

Unmounting the bead?
But, in the last few years, it seems that even the non-tubeless GP5000S tires have a modified bead. It's still fairly easy to mount. But when removing the tire, getting the first portion of the bead out of the channel is very difficult. Luckily, I rarely get flats, so most of these swaps are at home. I've had other riders with stronger fingers help me with removing the tire.

What I've tried:
Pushing with thumbs.
Pulling with fingers from over the top of the tire.
Other, younger cyclists can get it started with thumbs or fingers, depending on their technique.

Carefully trying various tools to get under the bead: No -- there's just no room to fit any tool in there, even a tiny flat screwdriver blade. And I don't want to damage the rim or mangle the tire.
Warming the tire and rim with a hair drier -- this sometimes helps, but not the last time I tried it. Related to this, I think it might be a little easier to remove a tire that I've been riding for an hour already?

I saw a method of using wood blocks and foot pressure to mash the tire and start the bead off the rim. This didn't work at all for me, the tire just flexes.

Are some tire brands easier?
It appears that most all good road tires are difficult now? Any tires that are less trouble than the GP5000S?


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Mounting a tire isn't difficult.
I use my standard technique of using rounded Pedro levers, lifting less than an inch of bead over the rim, then sliding the lever over slightly and repeating. It's fast, effective, and needs only minor hand strength.
I posted my method in detail in 2010! How to: Tight fitting tire - easy mounting With pictures too.
This still works great for me.

Spoonrobot 

There are bead breaker-type tools available for home use. Haven't found anything that is small enough and works well enough that can be carried for use the road, however.

Iride01 

It's been a long time since I've had the issue you describe. And it wasn't with a tubeless tire on a tubeless rim. I the one time I needed to do this, I used a big pair of channel locks that easily spanned the width of the tire and were deep enough to clinch on the bead near the rim. I split some short piece of rubber hose to slip over the jaws to pad them. That seemed to work well to get the bead broke. But I've only had to do this once.

Are some tire brands easier? I wouldn't know. But like a lot of things, I bet it depends on a combination of rim models, tire models and their various versions that constantly are changing slightly. And whether or not the person with the issue was on their game that day or not. As well as what shade of blue the sky was when you tried to do this.

rm -rf

That tool shown above is an exhaust hanger tool, not a bike tool. (google image search actually worked to find it.)


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So that explains why my search for "bicycle tire bead removal tool" didn't work. It found bike tire jacks for installing tires, and automobile or motorcycle bead tools:
Heh, maybe this auto tire tool would work...

Zaskar

Only other advice I can suggest is to make sure the tire is in center of the rim all the way around.

• Sit on a stool, hold the wheel vertically like you're driving an old ship, with the bottom on the floor - and the valve stem at 6:00
• Start at 12:00; pinch (four fingers on one side and palm on the other - the tire together into the center of the rim while pulling down toward the bottom/6:00
• Separating your hands - left toward 9:00, right toward 3:00 - keep pinching the tire into the center, pulling toward 6:00, working your way around and down
• When you get to 5:00 and 7:00, hold the tire firmly with one hand - DON'T let it go slack - and rotate to somewhere near 12:00 - so you can work both hands up 'til they meet.

Now, if you kept pressure the whole time, both beads are touching the center-most section of the rim - the smallest diameter - and the tire is the loosest it can be. Time to work it with the tire irons.

Spoonrobot 

Don't let it's status as an automotive tool dissuade you. It would be hard to purposefully design a bead breaking tool for bicycle tires that is much better than this tool:

Troul 

at the cost of trashing the tube, using pliers to pinch & rolling it at the bead while slipping the tire lever into the created void should be doable. Pry the lever over the rim once it's up under the bead.

rsbob 

Place your tire in a vice, being careful the rim does not touch it. Tighten the vice to the point where the tire separates from the rim and then bend the wheel toward you - again without touching the vice. Rinse and repeat. The tire should come off the rim. Similar to this:

jaxgtr

Continental and tubeless ready are usually no bueno, but with the older wheel and new tire models, there could be some incompatibility. I've had some issues with some Pirelli TLR based tires being tough to get out of the channel, and I also use the Pedro levers, and they can be a little challenging to get that initial part of the bead to come off as I think the Pedro levers are a little thick in my opinion. You might need to try some different levers, something a bit thinner maybe. I also have the Crank Bros Speedier Lever and it works a little better where the bead is giving me some resistance.

Darth Lefty 

Kool Stop makes this. I don't know if you'd want to carry it everywhere, but it's plastic and about 2 tire levers long, not a big steel thingy.

I have had a hell of a time trying to do emergency tube things with tubeless tires, and I have decided the remedy for most things is add sealant and a plug, not "throw in a tube"

choddo

No bueno doesn’t mean no problem

or did you mean no good and that the incompatibility would make it even worse?

I find a couple of thumbs in just the right spot, opposite the valve, on the 5000s works but it’s not always easy.

But I don’t use tubes so that might make it worse

Polaris OBark

Have you tried using super-user privileges, i.e.,

If not, maybe a different tire? (since you asked). I've had good luck with my two wheelsets that have HED Belgium Plus rims and Rene Herse tires. Also, the wider a tire you can use, the easier this process becomes, so yet another reason to cram in the widest tired you can. 28 mm isn't really all that wide by today's standards.

eduskator

Pry it off. I'm usually able to push the bead in the centre of the rim with my thumbs. If not, a pair of dishwashing gloves should help to add some grip.

PeteHski

Maybe my thumbs are stronger than I thought? Never had this issue ever, with any tyre/rim combo in nearly 50 years. But I've read about it several times here on BF, so I guess it's a thing.

rm -rf

Thanks, everyone, so far. My comments:

1. It's just getting the first few inches of bead out of the rim's channel. I don't have any difficulties after that. There's no room to fit any tool under the bead there, even something like a table knife blade end.

2. Installing a tire is no problem. I don't need a tire jack tool for lifting the bead over the rim on an install. I already make sure the beads are down in the channel correctly.

3. rubber gloves for grip: I just now tried Ace Hardware work gloves that were fairly grippy. They still slid up on the tire surface, about the same as my finger grip.

At home success!
Pinching/squeezing the tire to pop the bead loose:
I have a pair of 4-inch C-clamps. This worked.

My spare HED wheel had one side of the bead out of the channel. But I just couldn't get the other side started out of the bead channel with my fingers. Laying the wheel on the ground, with a wood block support, I tried standing on the tire to pop the bead loose -- no luck.

I put a thin wood shim on the stuck bead side, and a large block on the other side, over the rim.
Two C-clamps worked. I needed to squeeze the tire side-to-side between the wood pieces, and use two clamps. I could see the bead coming out of the rim!

This will work for home tire swaps.

My approximately 100 year old C-clamps. labeled "Unbreakable" and "Malleable Iron" "Made in USA"



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A wood block overlapping the aluminum rim on the left side, and a thin shim on just the tire where I wanted the bead to pop loose.

Holding two clamps on the wood blocks was a bit tricky, since they don't stay parallel on the squishy tire.
I only needed to squeeze the tire this much, and there's no tube damage with this moderate squeeze.
I circled where the bead channel is showing. Arrows at the squeezed tire.
A single C-clamp didn't quite work. I needed two of them.

jaxgtr

No Bueno meaning "Not Good"

jaxgtr

Is there any kind of residue or something that might be sort of "gluing" for lack of a better word, the bead to that part of the rim? Maybe use something to clean it and then wipe it with a furniture wax or something that will allow the tire to slide a bit easier since you are using tubes.

Spoonrobot 

The mechanism is constriction of the bead. I'm unsure of the cause, a combination of production stresses, mounting the tire, or just time and wear cause the fibers to tighten. Sealant has essentially no adhesion power in this scenario.

In these scenarios, often if you cut off the tire carcass and are able to cut the bead in one clean cut it will "explode" as the fiber bundles burst apart from the tension.

Polaris OBark

Differential geometry for the win!

rm -rf

A new home shop method.

Popping the stubborn tire bead loose from my tubeless ready rim.
This is easy and effective.

A 1x4 block of wood extending over the aluminum rim, on the opposite side where I want to pop the bead loose.
I used my largest Irwin clamp. I'm guessing the small ones would work okay.
Just the clamp didn't work, the bead didn't move. I needed the thin wood shim to spread the load wider.
An easy ratcheting tightening worked great. I could see the bead moving as it worked it's way out of the groove with each pull of the ratchet lever.

Clamping process is done. The arrow points to the bead channel in the rim.


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Top view.

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Side view.

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Ratcheting wood clamps.

rm -rf

That might help! I'll try rubbing candle wax into the channel.

The channel doesn't have any adhesive from the rim strip or other contamination. It's a problem with the newer tires that have a tighter fitting bead.

jaxgtr

I've done that on the bead of some tubeless tires that were really grumpy about popping into place and it just helped it slide a little easier to get over the hump.

Troul 

https://www.amazon.com/Channellock-4...=A10VKYP8CN7R2

when i mentioned pliers, I was referring to the channellock pliers. Usually adjust the pliers to the smallest setting possible that'll allow for the handles to squeeze close together.
the Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS (wire bead) is where i needed to leverage this process. After those tires were retired, I was happy to slam dunk those PITA tires into the trash.

DaveSSS 

It's not the channel that's the problem, it's the shelf on both sides that seals between the rim and tubeless tires. I'd never use a tube with a tubeless tire. I bought a new bike setup this way and finally cut the brand new tires off. If the tire had been installed tubeless with sealant, the bead would stretch a little and he slippery sealant would help the tire to slide off.

If you run tubes, buy tires that are not tubeless.

I use hookless rims with tubeless tires and orange seal. I've never had any difficulty removing a tire. Early model Michelin tubeless tires had so much bead stretch that they'd come off the shelf as soon as the air was let out.