zandoval 

Last time I was mounting a tire I simply did not have the strength to squeeze and lever the tire into place because of arthritic pain. This geezer status I have can be quite embarrassing. I 3D printed a modified device to assist with that last part of tie mounting that I used to be able to do.

I know there are many new tires that are very difficulty to mount and this tool is not made for them. I needed a tool to just assist with mounting tires I normally could have just squeezed into place. After allot of searching I found the "TireKey" tool to have the best possibilities. For my 3D print I changed the angel and width of closure and also the rim contact seat area to accommodate the tires I usually use. That is 700c 28-34 or 27 1-1/4.

I center my initial tire beads in the rim and work the bead around the tire normally till I get to that final 10-15 CM of closure. I then hold the tire with one hand and use the tool to lift and pull the bead into place. This device is printed out of PLA which is a weak plastic. For more strength it most likely needs to be printed out of ABS or Nylon. I am fine with it as is. If I did not have this dam arthritis I would not need it at all...


https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5487663

The brand name TyreKey of course would offer the best construction for more difficult tires. It is made of nylon and is more compact with angels appropriate for thinner tires and beads. https://www.tyrekey.com/

smontanaro 

Interesting. Also search for "bicycle tire bead jack." There are plenty out there, all with basically the same geometry.

easyupbug 

I know what you are going through as I have to switch to a recumbent trike on bad arthritis days. I can see that if you are sure the tires have enough miles on them you would no longer need a Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack that would work out nice on a specific rim. For me after cutting a bit of handle off the Kool Stop to fit my bags the tiny weight difference would not be worth the risk. I also very much appreciate on the Kool Stop and others like it you only need palm downward pressure to mount the tire, no thumbs or fingers.

terrymorse 

Curios why you went through the time and effort to 3d print an almost exact replica of the commercially available TyreKey.

skidder

Suggestion: Take your wheel into a LBS and see if you can find a brand/model of tire that'll more easily go onto the rim than your current tires. You might have to get a larger tire to find one that works (go from 25 to 28 or even 32); hopefully your fork & rear stays clearances will allow something larger if needed. I've done this as I like to make flat tire repairs on the road as easy as possible.

gringomojado

Biodegradable PLA?

gm

easyupbug 

Terry, may not be Zandoval's position but his work product is the kind of thing I do every day, tinker around and build/make something for the pleasure/accomplishment in it. At 72 I have time, shop and resources and I come from a long line of tinkerers, all of us jacks of all trades and master of none. Just before we came up N for the summer I finished my homebuilt, recumbent trike workstand with lift mechanism.

John E

I have been spared the ravages of arthritis, but I have had a lot of hand strength, and I find that today's tires seem to fit more tightly on the rims than their predecessors. I have started carrying a KoolStop TireJack with me on every ride, and I heartily endorse the product. It works very well on road tires and on the 26 x 1.95" tires I use on my mountain bike. Its intended use is installation, but I sometimes use it with tire levers for removal, as well.

zandoval 

I get ya Terry... Well, its not exact. I changed a few things for my kind of tires. The real TireKey surely must be far superior. I don't play video games but playing around with Freecad, Ideamaker, and my little Ender3 for a few hours is quite entertaining. Geezer time and effort is relative... Ha

zandoval 

Ha... No... Just ChiCom Cheap Generic PLA...

I don't want to deprive that reptilian humanoid the opportunity of diging up the remains of my prints 20 thousand years from now...

big john

The tubeless and "tubeless ready" thing is causing at least some of the problems mounting and dismounting tires. Some rims now don't have a low channel in the center so you have to stretch the tire more to get it on.
My friend sold me some GP5000 tires because he hated fighting them onto his Dura Ace wheels. They go onto my old school Open Pro rims easily without tools.

Some of the tubeless ready tires fit tightly on the bead, making them hard to get on and off. My mountain bike tires are tight on the bead even after deflating. They're almost like a car tire. I have to break the bead with a large screwdriver. I did put a tube in one on the road and I still don't know how I got it off the rim.

2 weeks ago a friend and his wife both flatted riding through some goat head thorns. I fixed hers while he fixed his. I got to try the bead jack and it worked great.

_ForceD_

So here’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask for while regarding bicycle tire bead mounting tools (and the OP’s fabrication is outstanding BTW). I have one of those pivoting plier-style tire mounting tools that I’ve really only used a few times. But here’s the thing. Once you get that extremely though-to-mount tire ON…and then you get a flat mid-ride, and the tool is back at the house…how do you get that very tight tire OFF…and then back ON when you’re roadside? I just went through this drill in the garage with new tires (Panaracer Stratus Sport 700x23 folding) that are so tight that getting the first bead on the rim was difficult. I got the second bead mostly on. But there was just no way that last six inches was/is going over the edge of that rim. (I’ll be getting different tires.) And if I did get it on…that’s when I thought there’s no way I’d get it off, nor back on, roadside.

Dan

JohnDThompson 

I have both the Kool Stop and the VAR bead jacks. The Kool Stop has good leverage, but isn't really portable, so I use it when I change tires at home. The VAR is portable, and a little tougher with stubborn tires, but it gets the job dine. The VAR also incorporates tire levers for removing the tire.

Crank Brothers also has a portable bead jack, but I haven't tried that one. Looks like one end can serve as a tire lever, but you may want to carry a second lever as well.

Garfield Cat

The Kool Stop will fit a "fanny pack" also branded as a "lumbar bag". Mountainsmith brand has a variety.

Some think lumbar bags are not fashionable for a rider. But it will carry lots more than the standard saddle bag and the back pockets of a jersey.

delbiker1 

I use a strap like the kind used for frame and mini pumps to attach the KoolStop bead jack to the frame. Many types and brands available.

nomadmax 

I keep cut down beak jacks in my seat bags. They work perfectly, even with the cut down handle.

John E

When cycling, I always wear a small yellow CamelBak Mule NV backpack -- or a larger one -- anyway, so I simply keep a KoolStop jack in each. No big deal.

Garfield Cat

The newer bike wheels with the rims that are designed for tubeless tires:

These rims pose a problem for getting tires off the rim - like when a flat tire and you still use inner tubes. Mounting tools did not address this situation, at least, not very well.

Consider a rider, maybe 5 feet, 3 inches, at 115 pounds. Do I really expect a small rider with small hands and arms to take the darn tire off without any assistance?

John E

Point well taken, but I have found I can use my KoolStop tire jack, in conjunction with tire levers, to aid with removal, as well as installation.

When I buy folding road bike tires, I have to pre-stretch them a bit, as we used to with tubular tires.