roybatythighs

Are there any 700c Wheel and Tire combinations where it is really easy to get the tire off and on again without shredding your thumbs or pinching the inner tubes. I use Specialized Axis sport 700c wheel with 25mm Espoir or Gatorskin tires and have found these almost impossible to off and on again. Would different width rims or tires help?. My rear wheel hit something nasty and twilight last night and I just could not get the tire back on after replacing the inner tube and had to walk home 2 miles. Even with two tire levers. Today I tried again , I did manage to swap the tire to a gatorskin and inner tube but got an immediate flat, so gave in and went to the LBS. It's a bit embarrassing but more to the point I do not want to get stranded again.

DiabloScott

In general:
1. Wider rims... say 23-25mm inside dim.
2. Rims that do not say "tubeless compatible"
3. Tires that do not say "tubeless compatible"
4. Tubeless rim tape vs Velox cloth.

New tires are always going to be tough, but they should be mountable by hand after a couple months at full pressure and a few hundred miles.

davester

In addition to avoiding hard to mount rims and tires, technique matters. You should make sure that the bead that you are trying to mount is not snugged up against the outside edge of the rim. Instead, make sure that the bead around the entire circumference (except at the valve hole) is running in the center of the rim (i.e. where the spokes are), which is depressed slightly relative to the outside edge. That little bit of depression will give you more bead length to play with.

Also, running 25mm and narrower tires is going to make mounting more difficult in general, as well as increasing rolling resistance and decreasing grip. Unless you are an ultralightweight or have a bike with super close clearances you might want to run a wider tire.

roybatythighs

Last year I managed to swap out both old Espoir tires to new Espoir tires without too much problem - since then I've put about 2000 miles on them at 110 psi and it was way harder to try and replace the existing tire yesterday - partly I've gotten more puny in the last 12 months ... ho hum

Iride01 

Make sure you push the bead into the spoke channel and push the other bead out of the spoke channel so they aren't competing for space along with the tube. Sometimes I have to do that multiple times from the start to where ever the bead going over the rim is when it gets tight.

There is a little finesse to it that you need to figure out. I've not used a tire lever to put a tire on or even to take a tire off for quite a while. I'm using GP 5000's on a Mavic Open Elite rim and GP5000's on a DT Swiss R470 rim. Also find it easy on my son's Bontrager rims on his Trek Emonda.

John E

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find that today's road and mountain bike tires tend fit much more tightly over the rim than those of 20-30 years ago. I recently bought a KoolStop Tire Jack, which is a great help.

VicBC_Biker

About rim tape:
I recently got my bikes back on the road after a multi-year layoff, and put new tires on them.
Road bike: Older Mavic Open Pro 700C 15 mm rims got Compass/ReneHerse 28 mm tires (not tubeless compatible)
Hybrid bike: No-Name Shining MT20 17 mm rims got Compass/ReneHerse 44 mm tires (tubeless compatible)
Both using tubes.
I was worried about getting the tires on/off at the roadside if I got a flat.
I'd been doing a lot of reading on tubesless setups, and had some 3/4" Kapton tape in my electronics stuff. (Available online)
I replaced the thicker rim tapes with a double layer of Kapton.
As Iride suggests, I made sure to push the beads to the center of the rim.
I was a bit surprised to find that the new (brand new, unfolded and left overnight) tires went on easily without tools, and I'm confident I could get them off and on at the roadside. (I do carry plastic tire levers on the bike.)
My hand strength 'isn't what it once was' as the saying goes. I'm 73.
My conclusion (without doing any before and after testing) is that even a fraction of a mm difference in rim tape thickness over the circumference of the rim can make a difference.

Wildwood 

Tubular tires can be pre-stretched (without degradation) for easy mounting.
Switch to tubular rims with premium tires and the benefits, beside on/off, become quickly obvious.

For clinchers, generally speaking, I find Vittoria tires mount more easily than others. At least when compared with some Conti, Schwalbe and Michelin tires - in my experience.

canklecat

If you don't mind trading off a little puncture resistance for a much better riding tire that's easier to mount and unmount, try the Conti GP Classic with the reddish brown skinwall.

I've been riding those for a couple of years, no complaints. Much easier to mount and remove. I use ordinary plastic tire levers to remove them and don't need to carry my Kool Stop bead jack to mount them.

Before then I mostly rode Continental Ultra Sport II, which are excellent values in a low price tire, but extremely difficult to mount without a bead jack. I still use them on the indoor trainer because they're very durable.

The GP Classics have a thin puncture shield and very nice ride. I've had two or three punctures in two years but always the sort of thing that would have punctured almost any road bike tire. Same with the Ultra Sport II, which have no puncture shield but still are very durable and puncture resistant.

Otherwise if you need maximum puncture resistance check out the Michelin Protek tires. I've used Protek Cross Max on my hybrid errand bike for about five years, never a single puncture despite plucking staples, brads and shard of glass out of the tread. They are heavy but still ride pretty well despite the thick tread and puncture shield. Michelin uses an Aramid fabric puncture shield, comparable to Kevlar, rather than the thick, rigid rubber used by some Continental and Schwalbe tires. I also have a set of Continental Sport Contact tires on another hybrid and while they're very puncture resistant, durable and reasonably grippy, the ride isn't very good -- harsh and unpleasant on rough pavement. Reducing the air pressure doesn't improve the ride, it just makes it sluggish feeling and the handling becomes splashy and imprecise..

CliffordK

I'm a bit disappointed that several manufacturers have gone almost 100% to tubeless-ready rims, while most riders still use tubes.

I wish they would say offer both styles of rims and let the wheelbuilders choose.

jppe

I have the same issue with the newer carbon tubeless wheels, even if I’m running clincher tires with tubes. I’m experimenting with different tires but I’m not sure it’s going to help. If and when I flat I cannot get the tire bead out of the bead track without a set of pliers. Going with wider tires helps a little as it gives you more material to grab a hold of. But it’s still challenging. I’ve avoided riding that bike unless I have support because the wheels are so onerous. I can remount the tire but it’s almost impossible to change a tube on the road. I thought about running them tubeless but I’d still be stranded if they flatted. The tire Jack doesn’t help as the issue is getting the bead moved out of the track. My buddy can roll it out with his hands but mine just aren’t strong enough to do it. I even tried using a tire lever where I sanded off the end but that didn’t work either.

As far as rims, the H Plus Son is a great rim for me. Not too heavy but durable and easy to maintain. Tires will pop right off changing tubes. That’s what I used riding across the US where I had tons of flats from the metal steel belted wires. I have thousands of miles on a set and they’re still like new.

alo

Not exactly what you are asking, but I can get tires on and off my 4 inch wide fat bike wheels without tire levers. They are probably easier than any other wheels.

gthomson

Gatorskins are known to be difficult to get off at any time, let alone putting them on a tight rim. I had a pair of those on Maddux RS 3.0 wheels which came with my Cannondale and for the life of me, could not get those Gatorskins on or off. Even after throwing in the towel and heading to the LBS, the technicians struggled to change the tires. I've since upgraded the wheels and can change them with minimal effort.