GhostRider62

I duck tape mine to the kickstand.

GhostRider62

GP5000 TR S impossible to mount to Farsports Ventoux or FLo60 rims without heating them in the oven AND using the tire jack. It is a multihour ordeal to change a set of tires and get them sealed.

Michelin Power Cup could be mounted by hands or one lever to the same rims. Same with GP5000 clinchers.

Sy Reene

Similar idea but more rear-pocket friendly is the VAR tool. Easy to slide in along the side of a pocket:

himespau 

I've tried that VAR tool a couple of times (bought one in hopes that I could stop carrying the Koolstop tool and use a smaller saddlebag), but, on tires where I needed it, I quickly turned to the Koolstop for its increased leverage (only tried it at home when I had the Koolstop available as well). I should probably have forced myself to try the VAR more to get better with it so I'd feel comfortable taking it with me as my main tool and leave the Koolstop at home, but, it was just easier to go with the bigger tool because it was available.

eduskator

Wow. I was considering trying a pair of GP5K S TR next year, but I'll reconsider. An oven and tire jacks to mount tires on rims? Screw this!

2nd consecutive year using Schwalbe Pro Ones and they always mounted by hands. Levers needed only to unmount them.

Branko D

Modern Mavic SLR45 wheels (they pride themselves on being compliant to standards, though), the GP5000 S TR in 25mm width went on easily, helped myself with a lever for the final bit which I always tend to do.

Had to replace one due to a stupid sharp rock at night tearing the sidewall (held just enough pressure to get me home) and that was a breeze, too.

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WhyFi

The Pro Ones and the GP5KS TR are both built to the same hookless compatible tubeless spec so I would expect the experience to be similar on modern rims; while I haven't tried the Conti yet, I can only use hookless compatible tires and all that I've tried have been pretty damn easy.

GhostRider62

I have mounted them 4 times on both wheelsets. I know how to mount tires.

Like I said, the Michelins and clincher GP5000 could go on by hand or just a little help at the very end using a lever but I could do it by hand with some effort.

N = 1 experience.

Branko D

N=1 does it's thing, yeah.

Funny, I remember the old GP5000 clinchers were a pain to mount on one alloy (Fulcrum) wheelset. I actually broke one of the rims trying to mount some tubeless tires (Challenge brand ones) - I was trying to lever the damn thing on with a heavy duty steel core lever and the rim gave way.

Kind of suspect the wheel wasn't exactly to spec.

eduskator

It's actually not the first time I hear that GP5K tires are a PITA to mount. As WhyFi said, it may be easier to mount on hookless rims, though.

N = more than 1.

WhyFi

My point wasn't really about hookless rims, specifically... it's that the two tires mentioned were both built to the same standard - which happens to be hookless compliant but, more importantly, is the most well-defined set of specifications in the (admittedly short) history of road tubeless - and should offer a similar experience when it comes to installation. The handful of ETRTO TSS compliant tires, that I've used, have been among the easiest to mount tires in my tubeless journey, whether I put them on hooked or hookless rims.

IOW, unless there's a significant difference, like tire size or sidewall rigidity, I don't see why my 6th set of ETRTO TSS tires would be meaningfully more difficult to handle than the first 5.

robbyville

i would tend to agree with this logic, except I wonder if the hookless rim aspect does play a part. Only because we know the many difficulties I e had with the GP5000’s (and yet I keep going back to that well), yet I e had the exact opposite experience with the Schwalbe’s. First couple of sets went on super easy but were harder to seat, the one I just put on the front was freaking incredible. On in seconds, pumped up with my canister pump no soapy water, mounted complete with sealant in maybe 5 minutes

bblair

I think it is very specific to the rim/tire combo.

Currently have American Classic alloy rims and Conti 5000's are super easy to mount with hands only. In the past I have used various Michelin tires and even the bike shop struggled like crazy to get them on. So once you find one that works, stick with that one.

Note, not tubeless, regular, old 25mm tire with butyl tube.

WhyFi

I've used some, but not all, of these TSS compliant tires on non-hookless wheels as well - all similar and all easy peasy.

One of the difficulties with discussing Conti is that many are confused by their nomenclature - the GP5000 TL, their first tubeless tire, is the source for the vast majority of complaints/experiences of horribly tight fits. The GP5000 TL is *not* up to the current ETRTO TSS spec and they have, by all reports, undersized bead diameters.

Conti recently released the GP5000S TR; not nearly as many people have used them yet, but they correct the problem with the TL - the S TR *is* ETRTO TSS compliant, so they should have the same bead diameter, which is a key component of the spec, as the aforementioned Schwalbe, Michelin, Pirelli, etc. All accounts that I've seen on the S TR indicate that their far more manageable than the TL version.

robbyville

yup done both. I think I posted my most recent experience with the new TR variety. Sadly, on my Lightbicycle rims they were just as arduous to get on as the previous TL version. Maybe a titch easier but not by much. Thankfully it’s a one time gig, they ride beautifully and stretch enough that if a remount is required later it’s not too bad. But with the recent small cut that I got worried about during a series of short races I decided to pre-emotive my replace it with a Schwalbe Pro One bought from a shop in St George Utah. I had forgotten how easy a tire could go on!

OUGrad05

Yes I'm bumping an old thread in case others have experienced this. I recently got my hands on the new Pirelli P Zero Race TLR with their new "Speedcore" and "SmartEVO" compound. It reviewed very well on Bicycle Rolling Resistance.
Today I sat down during the F1 race to put them on and could not get them on the wheels. I own a couple of the tools mentioned in this thread after my last experience with the GP5k (the tools helped but still tough with the TL version). No amount of trying could get the Pirelli tires on the wheel. So I called a buddy, while I've changed dozens of tires, he's changed hundreds. He came over and also couldn't get them on the wheels. 26x700 size, pretty infuriating that these new tires are damn near impossible to mount. I can't imagine having to change these on the side of the road. I'm going by a local shop tomorrow to have them mount them, I'd like to compare how they ride but being this hard to mount, I won't be running them long-term. At least not on these wheels. Major disappointment.
Still can't find the Michelin's state side, may order them from Amazon and try them. I did just order a new GP5k Clincher to see if it's easier to mount,.

chaadster

I did open the ‘23 season with a new pair of Michelin Power Cup 26, and they went on 21mm IW Hyper wheels without problem. I used a Pedros lever for the last bit of bead.

They’ve been great tires, too; our first camp was in hilly Bloomington, IN, and it was cold and rainy, but the tires were confidence-inspiring when braking and cornering. They’re supple and comfy, too, even at the 90/94psi I was running. I’ve backed those pressures down a bit since, and the tire has been fine and stable.

My crit days are (probably) over, so can’t comment on the tire in conditions like that, but for fast group rides, Power Cup has been an ace, rolling fast and transmitting a sensation of security over rough road and when hitting unseen cracks and divots.

It’s much better than the previous Power Road model, which was vague and dull feeling, and is more like Schwalbe Pro One in that regard.

Spring roads are full of debris, but Power Cup survived without puncture or signs of damage, so though that’s mostly down to luck, it’s looking like these tires are winners for me and might even be a new favorite!

OUGrad05

Where did you find them? No one locally has them. I've check bike shops in other states too and can't find them officially in the US. I can find them on Amazon from Germany though?

Noahma

I was going to ask the same question. I can only find them on Amazon to be shipped from Germany at 76 bucks a pop!

chaadster

I don’t recall where I got them from, but yeah, R2 or Bike24 in Germany are likely as I’ve bought from them often over the years, and the $75 apiece price sounds right to my memory, too. I’ll try to dig back in emails and see.

EDIT: OUGrad05 Noahma Well I found the receipt, and I actually got them from Northwest Bicycle in Washington, $159/pr shipped, and it looks like they still have them: https://northwestbicycle.com/pages/s...%20power%20cup

daviddavieboy

I bought a set of these TL tires and can attest how difficult they were to mount to a set of Bora wheels. I was about to give up but ended up using a little sealant as a lube and was able to mount them with just two tire levers. I am running them tubeless and have no fear of them falling off the rim which DID happen to me on another tubeless bike I have.

Symox

it could be variations in the diameter of the tire and you got unlucky

I never had problems with GP5000 28s as well btw

eduskator

4th season with Schwalbe Pro Ones and still no complaint about them aside from having a short lifespan. They mount on my rims only using fingers and can be seated tubeless on rims with no compressor.

Changed a tube on my girlfriend's bike (it has older gatorskin tires) and I almost lost a thumb trying to re-mount the rear tires on the rim. Contis are a big no no for me.

MinnMan

Last night I put GP5000s on my Light Bicycle (Falcon R55 disc) wheels. When I first got these, mounting new tires on them was a bear and could take an hour, a whole lot of cursing, and blisters on my hands. (These days I wear work gloves for the job). Commonly I would finally succeed but discover that I had punctured the inner tube in the process, so...repeat.

Rear wheel was a new 25 mm tire and front wheel was a slightly used 23 mm tire. The first took 5 minutes, the second took 10.

I don't have any secret tools or strategy. I need a tire lever for that critical step near the end. All I can surmise is that experience helps.

But if there is a more enjoyable tire out on the road with reasonable flat protection, I'd like to hear about it, 'cause when riding, I haven't ridden anything close to the GP5000s

popeye

+1