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Rims too tight -- sandpaper them down?

Old 05-06-21, 09:21 AM
  #101  
pdlamb
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For the record, this sounds like a bad idea to me. But this is even more concerning:

Originally Posted by jesnow
I'm thinking that I'll remove so little material it won't even be detectable on a truing stand. Maybe one with a gauge. If I even make it to 0.2 mm material removed without solving the problem I'll stop and declare failure and reap all the "I told you so"'s in this group.

I'm also thinking I don't need to remove material all the way around. Just the critical part where the bead is when you're squeezing it on the last bit on one side. If that's more than 15cm of circumference I'd be really surprised. I tried out measuring thickness of the whole rim, carbon fairing and all, and it's surprisingly consistent, 60.04+/-2mm everywhere I measured. So if I measure at several points in the area I'm sanding, and go slowly, I can control the amount sanded pretty carefully, and keep material removed to a minimum.

That means of course there will only be one place on the rim I can put the tire on, and only on one side, but I can live with that. I'll put a sticker of some kind on it so I can find it.
When I get down to less than 1 mm of tire bead overhanging the rim, I'm done. One more push and it's on. It's when I've got 3-5 mm of overhang that I have problems.

And you're planning to create a local dip in one part of the rim, instead of a uniform reduction in the rim's diameter? Capt. Murphy of Murphy's Law is waiting to be called into action.

If, despite all the warnings you'll have to ignore, you decide to do this, please do report back after a few weeks' rides to let us know how it works. And if serious injury resulted.
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Old 05-06-21, 09:31 AM
  #102  
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Originally Posted by AlmostTrick
Carbon with aluminum brake track. As I understand it, sanding will only be done on the aluminum.



OP already admitted to learning stuff in this thread. You can stop it with the 'Know It All' pile on any time now.

jesnow I applaud you for sticking with the thread and agreeing to show us your results win or lose. You are stronger than many of us.
There is no such thing. It's an aluminum rim w/ a carbon aero section or fairing bonded to the rim.
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Old 05-06-21, 09:35 AM
  #103  
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
There is no such thing. It's an aluminum rim w/ a carbon aero section or fairing bonded to the rim.
Ah, got it! Thanks for the correction.
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Old 05-06-21, 11:17 AM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by sweeks
Hahaha... I can't tell if this is a parody of "As the World Turns" or "As the Stomach Turns"!
Either way...


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Old 05-06-21, 11:39 AM
  #105  
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i just wanna say if the wheel blows up and you crack your skull or get killed....pics or didn't happen
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Old 05-06-21, 03:43 PM
  #106  
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Originally Posted by AlmostTrick
I don't have experience doing this but done carefully and cleanly I don't see how your proposal would cause any safety issues. And you certainly don't deserve any scorn for thinking outside the box or asking for answers to a specific question.

Let us know how it goes.
The only scorn has been based on the fact the OP asked a question, then got upset when he got answers that didn't fit his predetermined answer.
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Old 05-07-21, 08:14 PM
  #107  
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Tire

Posting this for OP and anyone else who has trouble mounting tires. Specialized Turbo Cotton- the easiest tire to get on and off a rim I have ever encountered. Fixed a flat for a friend and I probably could have pulled the bead off w/o a lever. Was able to mount the tire with only the slightest thumb pressure. So easy I might have been concerned but these were OE on a new S works, I guess Specialized knows what they are doing. Just a bit of info for anyone with a problem combo.


https://www.specialized.com/us/en/tu...ext=00015-1503

Last edited by shelbyfv; 05-08-21 at 05:47 AM.
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Old 05-07-21, 09:38 PM
  #108  
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Look at the risks. Look at the benefits. If something went wrong it could go very wrong, with a tire off the rim at speed. Probability of that happening is unknown but people have laid out reasons why it might, The benefit is less time and aggravation in tire changes. Doesn't justify the potential risk.

I'd get new rims.

I'd like to see a thread with all the tips and tricks. I still use baby powder and a tire jack.
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Old 05-08-21, 05:09 AM
  #109  
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Originally Posted by sweeks
Hahaha... I can't tell if this is a parody of "As the World Turns" or "As the Stomach Turns"!
Either way...
more like “As the Rim Turns” lol.

op not sure how much you would gain by removing such a small amount of the diameter. Also how would you do it evenly?
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Old 05-08-21, 09:43 AM
  #110  
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Originally Posted by superdex
Don't sand.

Get out your spoke wrench and tighten everything 2 turns. Poof, you've shrunk your radius. You're welcome.
To do this by spoke tension only one has to compress the rim to a smaller circumference. The materials that rims are made of are VERY reluctant to compress without serious forces, think the efforts to forge crank arms as example. Spokes and nipples will fail long before this lever of force can be applied. What will happen is that the spokes will stretch, localized deformation will happen at the spoke holes in the rims (and pull through or crack in time) and maybe the hub flange will fracture.

Of course since I am sometimes clueless about forum posting indications of sarcasm superdex might be trying to make a "joke". Too bad it's advise can lead to more damage then benefit. But if the OP did follow this bad advise and did ruin their rim/wheel and had to replace them/it the new wheel/rim might turn out to be easier to mount a tire to Andy
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Old 05-09-21, 11:32 AM
  #111  
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Not surprised, I have a set of Dura Ace WH-7850-C24-CL, carbon clincher/ tubeless wheels which have aluminum tracks formerly with gatorskins and with the arthritis in my hands found them impossible w/o at least one metal lever to remove and to install a Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack. I now swap out easier mounting tires that have lots of miles on them from other wheelsets and life is good. Don't like sanding, even if well executed you might find out what could go wrong when they were easier to mount.

Last edited by easyupbug; 05-09-21 at 11:36 AM.
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Old 05-10-21, 09:44 AM
  #112  
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Okay, it's Monday. I feel like I'm waiting on election results.... How'd it go?
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Old 05-10-21, 12:14 PM
  #113  
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No.

Replace the wheels or rims.
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Old 05-10-21, 12:21 PM
  #114  
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Originally Posted by superdex
Okay, it's Monday. I feel like I'm waiting on election results.... How'd it go?
No news is ..... bad news?
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Old 05-10-21, 12:43 PM
  #115  
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Kevlar (folding bead) tires are always tighter, at least the first few times, than wire bead. So maybe go to a wire bead tire. Or a different brand. I know some older rims were notorious (matrix titan on the old Treks!) for being larger diameter than average.
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Old 05-10-21, 01:09 PM
  #116  
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Jon, being imperious and condescending will deservedly get you snarky replies. Here's another: If you know all the tricks you would not ask the question, the answer to which is obvious. Pray, tell, what is it?

Perhaps you might rephrase your question.
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Old 05-10-21, 01:10 PM
  #117  
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Since you don’t want the trick I’ll just say no.
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Old 05-10-21, 03:20 PM
  #118  
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Originally Posted by jesnow
I'm thinking that I'll remove so little material it won't even be detectable on a truing stand. Maybe one with a gauge. If I even make it to 0.2 mm material removed without solving the problem I'll stop and declare failure and reap all the "I told you so"'s in this group.

If that's more than 15cm of circumference I'd be really surprised. I tried out measuring thickness of the whole rim, carbon fairing and all, and it's surprisingly consistent, 60.04+/-2mm everywhere I measured. So if I measure at several points in the area I'm sanding, and go slowly, I can control the amount sanded pretty carefully, and keep material removed to a minimum.

That means of course there will only be one place on the rim I can put the tire on, and only on one side, but I can live with that. I'll put a sticker of some kind on it so I can find it.
This gets weirder every time I read it. I thought it a bad idea but figured I'd be entertained reading the "why it's a bad idea" posts. Then I learned about the KoolStop Jack and learned something valuable... a thumbs up for Bike Forums. But now back here in the sturm und drang of this bizarre thread I learn that you actually want to sand your rim out of round... but only on one side and just where it "gets tight."

Crom help us.
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Old 05-11-21, 07:52 AM
  #119  
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Originally Posted by jesnow
I have some new rims that are super tight with my preferred tires. I'm very experienced, and still broke two tire levers getting them on there (which I ultimately did). The tires aren't tight on any of my other wheels. I think it's the tubeless-ready idea biting me in the ass. Manufacturers are deliberately making them tight by adding a tiny amount to the circumference of the rim. But I'll *never* get those things on out on a ride! It doesn't matter what tricks there are in the shop to mount a tire if you're screwed from the get go on a ride in the middle of nowhere. I have to be able to get the thing mounted in seconds not hours.

My question: Has anybody ever sanded down the outside of the rim? Wet/dry sandpaper, 100 grit will take them right down, then 600 grit to smooth them. Aluminum is soft, WC wet/dry sandpaper is hard, this will work very quickly. People regularly sand out ding marks and such. But I've never heard of anybody sanding down a rim to improve tubeful tire fit in "tubeless-ready" rims.

Has anybody ever tried it?

Please do *not* reply to this thread with other advice for getting tires onto the rim, I'm asking a very specific question. I know *all* the tricks already thank you. This is maybe a new one.

Cheers,

Jon.
nope. Never heard of it.

i have several carbon and alloy road rims that are made in china. They are all tubeless ready, but i haven’t gone tubeless on any of my road wheels. i use tubeless rim tape on all of my road wheels. These wheels are all exceptionally difficult to mount with new tires. So, i know your pain, but my bag of tricks has always gotten the tires on/off eventually—in the garage or on the road. So, you must be dealing with a whole different beast. Even so, I’ve never considered sanding or milling the rims and i’m certain that i never will. If it came to considering sanding down an otherwise perfect set of rims, i’d buy a different set of rims and have the new ones built up.

Just my 2 cents.
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Old 05-12-21, 04:31 AM
  #120  
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Steel Core Tire Levers and soapy water.

They make tire levers with a steel core and they are the best solution for putting on tight tires at home along with a little soapy water on the bead. The levers alleviate the worry of getting the tire off in the event of a road flat. A bead tool works when you are at home.
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Old 05-12-21, 05:45 AM
  #121  
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If you must marry that particular tire to that rim.....sitting down? Put the rim in a freezer put the tire in hot sun wait a couple hours and 'git it done'
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Old 05-12-21, 06:17 AM
  #122  
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Originally Posted by Dsprok
If you must marry that particular tire to that rim.....sitting down? Put the rim in a freezer put the tire in hot sun wait a couple hours and 'git it done'
You must have a pretty large freezer.

John
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Old 05-12-21, 06:29 AM
  #123  
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Originally Posted by 70sSanO
You must have a pretty large freezer.

John
I can fit a couple deer in mine. Chest freezers are "a thing" for many.
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Old 05-12-21, 02:27 PM
  #124  
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Originally Posted by Dsprok
If you must marry that particular tire to that rim.....sitting down? Put the rim in a freezer put the tire in hot sun wait a couple hours and 'git it done'
Carbon doesn't have the rate of thermal expansion/contraction you think it does. Not even close. It's one of the lowest of any material in the world.
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Old 05-12-21, 02:49 PM
  #125  
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I think that somewhere in this thread the OP states that he is able to mount the tire, although it is very difficult.

His concern is not mounting it at home, but have to fix a flat on the road and struggling with it in that environment.

John
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