rbrides

Does frequently mounting and removing tires “stretch” them or otherwise damage them?

for my gravel bike I have one set of rims and two sets of tires, one with a much more aggressive tread pattern, that I choose depending on terrain I’m riding.

Does the repeated mounting and dismounting harm the tires? Will they stretch and no longer seat to the wheel?

andrewclaus

I've never experienced that, but am also interested in what others have to say. It may depend on your method. Do you need tools, or can you do with bare hands? Some installers are easier on tires than others.

choddo

I had this dilemma - more around hassle than wear and tear - so bought a cheap set of rims.

I never had an issue with damage though.

2_i 

I would say that an inept mounting and dismounting of the tires might stretch them. Procedures executing out with skills barely challenge the tires, certainly less than regular riding.

smd4

Why not just get a second set of wheels? That's got to be infinitely easier than mounting and dismounting tires and tubes time and again.

rbrides

I use a standard tire lever to initially get the bead over the rim, then remove by hand. I can always get them on by hand.

rbrides

Yes, a second set of wheels would be best. I should add that, the tire change-over happens 3 or 4 times a year. So not REAL frequent. But, are tires manufactured with the expectation of mounting only 1 or 2 times ever? Would two or three years of 3-4 times a year be detrimental to the tire?

Koyote

I don't swap tires on a wheelset that often, so can't comment on this. But I have noticed that some tubeless tires, when run a looong time (many thousands of miles), will eventually develop problems with holding air -- and after removal, the tire may not re-mount onto the same rim. I'm talking about (usually) front tires, which wear relatively slowly, and which might be on my bike for 5k-6k miles.

So, I do suspect that some tires might stretch out a bit, and I would also suspect that regular mounting and unmounting would accelerate that process. With that said, I also suspect that any problems would manifest when mounting; i.e., if you can get the tire to pop onto a rim, and it holds air, it probably won't blow off the rim while riding as long as you're using reasonable psi.

PS: buy a second wheelset and stop blowing your time with tire swaps. You'll not regret it.

smd4

My tires use a Kevlar bead, which I understand doesn't stretch. So I don't worry about it too much.

KerryIrons

I would expand on this to say I wouldn't worry about it AT ALL. Unless the only stress on the tires is mounting and dismounting, they should wear out well before any actual damage manifests. In order for mounting/dismounting to damage tires, you would have to be breaking the fibers in the bead, and this is highly unlikely.

pdlamb

Depends on the rim. It's not too difficult with a tight tire/rim combination to start mucking the bead up as you're sliding a tire iron around a not-quite-loose-enough bead. Repeat near the same spot half a dozen times, and bead damage is possible.

I've got a tire on a spare rim I've used for a few years to proof tube patches, and it's got a couple threads that have come loose from that kind of treatment. Not enough to care for that use, but I'd be antsy to be riding on that tire.

ARider2

For the vast majority of tire and wheel combinations that use tubes there should be no problem with tires stretching due to multiple tire swaps. The only issue might be on some where the tire is extremely tight and difficult to remove and replace. The tire bead should be inspected closely each time it is removed to insure it is sound.

icemilkcoffee 

If it's a tubeless tire then I would definitely leave it on there until it wears out. Tubeless tires are not good for frequent mounting and dismounting unless you enjoy pulling dried sealant goop off the tire bead every time.
If it's not tubeless then you should definitely switch to tubeless.

curbtender

All's I know is that tires that have been inflated and used for a while are definitely easier to remount.

kcjc

Are you denting your rim? I can't imagine how one can deform the steel or Kevlar beads on the tire without damaging the rims. Or are you taking chunks out of the casing?

Iride01 

I've always felt that simply inflating them and using them makes them easier to get on and off. Not sure if the bead actually stretches. Might likely be more that everything just slides into place better as the old rubber isn't as grippy on the rim as you take it off or put it on.

FBinNY 

Short answer is NO, it does not stretch or otherwise damage tires.

Longer answer is that it depends on HOW you mount tires. Poor mounting technique, and/or with very tight tires, each mount and dismount risks abrasion or other damage to the tire plies down near the bead. So, you need to be mindful of the potential damage and factor that into your decisions.

Russ Roth

Very tire dependent. Steel beads have no stretch, kevlar in my experience can to some extent which is why they don't recommend using them on hookless rims without bead seats, because under pressure they can give enough to blow off. Tires designed for hookless rims do come in folding but won't stretch at all, while tires like challenge can require two tire levers, three hands and a lot of unrepeatable words to get seated, but after 50 miles of riding can be removed and installed without any tool of any kind. I really hate that initial install but after 50 miles they're a dream to deal with.

FBinNY 

You're conflating 2 different concepts. Both Kevlar and steel have elastic properties and stretch and rebound according to load and cross section. The difference is in the elastic modulus. However that difference has little to do with the requirement for hook edge rims, since the give of either steel or Kevlar can be managed by simply using more. So, it's not about the choice of bead material, but the desire to save weight that mandates hook edges.

In any case, this has nothing to do with the OP's question, because tire bead material doesn't lose its stretch like underwear waistbands. Mount them as often as you want, as long as you don't fray the tire cords where they wrap under the beads.

grumpus

I acquired (on a bike) some lightly worn Schwalbe Marathons that looked in otherwise perfect condition but the rubber covering the beads is torn, in places cracked and crumbly, and the cords are exposed. The bead is starting to rust, and I don't trust the cords not to tear off the bead. I'm wondering if something inappropriate was used as bead lube in previous fitting that weakened the rubber, or if it was just torn allowing water in to do the damage. Fortunately I'd removed them because I don't like them, but I was going to Freecycle them, instead they went in the bin.

gearbasher

So, on and off a max of 12 times. In my younger, poorer days, I patched tubes more than that using the same tire.

sweeks

I have arthritis in one of my wrists, which makes tire removal and (especially) installation difficult for some tires. I recently saw an ad for the device below, and for some reason decided to try it. I was able to install a 20" (406) tire on a rim and remove it in about 20 seconds, with no wrist pain. There will be some sliding against the bead using this thing, so the wear issue remains to be seen. The acid test will be to try it on some studded tires which have been increasingly hard for my wrist.


This is the tool. It's pretty compact.



Instructions for use...

curbtender

If it is plastic, at some point it will break.

sweeks

Possibly, but it is made of very tough plastic... not unlike the Park Tools blue plastic tire levers I've used for years. If it breaks, I'll report it.

Duragrouch

I can't recall where I recently read this, but they did experiments, based on statistics of people with a flat when going fast, large number (like 50%) digressing rapidly to the tire flopping, locking up the wheel and causing a serious accident. They found that a tight fit of tire on rim, prevents this (and I think this is both a factor of match between the tire and rim bead diameters, but also how deep the tire, when not inflated, can sink into the rim; quite a bit with my cheap single wall rims, would be less with double wall rims with only a "drop center" like on car wheels, which is probably why car wheels are designed that way! They experimented by building up with tape the inside rim diameter.) Makes complete sense. So easy on and off may be bad, but also the rim design may matter. I don't know if frequent changes will cause loosening, or just an original size issue. Be aware of ease on and off, and watch for if it gets easier. And look at whether the inside of your rims is deep due to single wall, or shallow due to double wall or at least higher near the sides.

Also critical is whether you shave rubber off the bead area each time you swap tires.