Tricks for removing stubborn tubeless tires
06-26-21, 12:15 AM
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Tricks for removing stubborn tubeless tires
I'm into my first sets of tubeless rims and tires (although some I've put tubes in.... another story).
So far, it's been a major hassle getting the tire bead released from the rim. I can't do it with hand strength enough to get a tire lever engaged. I've watched a few Youtube videos and have tried two techniaues:
Remove wheel, place wheel on ground, stand on tire and twist rim. (didn't work for me)
Remove wheel, squeeze tire in bench vice and twist rim (worked for me - but I had to hold the tire pretty darn tight in the vice).
After I got the bead disengaged using the vice technique, it was easy to use a tire lever to completely remove the tire and replacing this particular tire on this particular rim was no more difficult than other tire/rim combos I'm familiar with - not a big deal. The only issue was the initial bead disengagement.
I'm hoping that people will post tricks for getting tubeless tire beads disengaged from tubeless rims. It maybe a newby question but after almost 50 years of riding and caring for bikes, it's a newby issue for me!
So far, it's been a major hassle getting the tire bead released from the rim. I can't do it with hand strength enough to get a tire lever engaged. I've watched a few Youtube videos and have tried two techniaues:
Remove wheel, place wheel on ground, stand on tire and twist rim. (didn't work for me)
Remove wheel, squeeze tire in bench vice and twist rim (worked for me - but I had to hold the tire pretty darn tight in the vice).
After I got the bead disengaged using the vice technique, it was easy to use a tire lever to completely remove the tire and replacing this particular tire on this particular rim was no more difficult than other tire/rim combos I'm familiar with - not a big deal. The only issue was the initial bead disengagement.
I'm hoping that people will post tricks for getting tubeless tire beads disengaged from tubeless rims. It maybe a newby question but after almost 50 years of riding and caring for bikes, it's a newby issue for me!
06-26-21, 12:48 AM
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06-26-21, 02:33 AM
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It's a biatch. I had to put on some heavy work gloves so my hands wouldn't slip and just muscle it off but that was an MTB tire. A road tire can be harder I imagine. I won't ever be finding that out.
06-26-21, 08:42 AM
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I wonder whether nitrile gloves would help to create more friction and get a better grip.
07-06-21, 05:37 PM
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Grip gloves help a lot, but sometimes certain tire/rim combos are just not meant for each other. The problem is easily solved by ditching tubeless rims and tires, going back to tubes and non-tubeless tires. lol. Keep trying different tires to find the gem that works well with your rims.
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07-06-21, 06:43 PM
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While I don't have any tubeless bike tires I broken many car/truck/MC/etc tires by hand with a high lift jack.
On bikes I'd probably reach for an old C clamp and fabricate something for the ends of it.
On bikes I'd probably reach for an old C clamp and fabricate something for the ends of it.
07-06-21, 06:48 PM
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Clamping the tire in a vise and trying to twist the rim would never have occurred to me. Did you try pushing the beads into the center well first?
07-06-21, 06:57 PM
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Are you just having a hard time getting the bead away from the bead seat or just getting the tire removed? Although pushing the tire away has been annoying I've never had that much trouble. Bigger issuing is usually getting the bead over the center well where the tire lever can get under it. I find starting at the bead and using my palm to push the tire towards the center and up while moving around the rim frees up enough space at the bead to get the tire off fairly easily.
07-06-21, 07:23 PM
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Just cut them off with a box cutter and don't look back
07-07-21, 01:43 AM
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Are you just having a hard time getting the bead away from the bead seat or just getting the tire removed? Although pushing the tire away has been annoying I've never had that much trouble. Bigger issuing is usually getting the bead over the center well where the tire lever can get under it. I find starting at the bead and using my palm to push the tire towards the center and up while moving around the rim frees up enough space at the bead to get the tire off fairly easily.
07-07-21, 09:02 PM
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Oh yeah. Just couldn't move it by hand.
I couldn't get the bead unseated from the rim. Once I got that done (with the vise), I had no problem getting the tire off the rim using the normal techniques. I'm wondering if there's a hand tool (ie not a bench vise) that anyone's had luck with for breaking the bead loose.
I couldn't get the bead unseated from the rim. Once I got that done (with the vise), I had no problem getting the tire off the rim using the normal techniques. I'm wondering if there's a hand tool (ie not a bench vise) that anyone's had luck with for breaking the bead loose.
https://www.parktool.com/product/tire-seater-pts-1
It is used to pry partially inflated tires away from the seat so the tire can sit better. Sorta fits within the design parameters.
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