Torelli4

Built up a set of H Plus Son polished wheels and struggled (really struggled) to mount a brand new set of 700x25 Specialized Armadillos on them. Been working on my bikes and changing tires since the early eighties. Never had tires this hard to mount. Tried to dismount them and liked to never got them off. They're so hard to dismount that I don't want to take the bike on the road for fear of not being able to get them off if I flat. I tried squeezing the tire bead to go in the deepest part of the rims but it didn't make a whole lot of difference. Doused with talcum powder too. No joy. Don't have another set of tires to try either. I'll take any advice. Thanks.

Mike

veganbikes

Many of the more puncture protectant tires can be harder to get on and off. In some cases they do stretch out a little but not by much that is typically reserved for the open tubular tires (non-vulcanized clinchers basically but made more like a tubular tire) those can be a real pain to get on but once on they will be real easy to get off after time but my old Challenge tires took about an hour to get on, no matter what I tried and even using my tire jack it was still tough.

I would keep them inflated at a high PSI (within the limits don't exceed maximum) and ride them a bit and hopefully they will become easier to get on and off. I know some tubeless rims and non-tubeless tires can be a bit of a hard combo sometimes but there is really nothing to change there.

Jeff Wills

You have a very narrow, very stiff tire and a rim with a shallow well between the flanges. This combination is always hard to mount. You can mitigate this by using a thinner rim strip such as the Rox brand.

grumpus

When that happened to me I bought some steel tyre levers similar to the Park Tool TL-5. I know there are people who can fit and remove any tyre with their bare hands, and using levers is cheating, and using steel levers is more cheating and will ruin my rims, but when I experience a deflation event on a deserted road one rainy night there's nobody there to be impressed with my skilz, but I have my trusty tyre levers.

Polaris OBark

I put Vittoria tires on those rims, and it was a struggle I will never forget. If I ever get a flat in the middle of nowhere, I will have a huge problem.

Torelli4

Thanks for all your replies. Good to know it's not just me. I had considered trying some different rim strips. Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a shot.

Mike

MudPie

Seems like some tire/rim combinations are tough to mount. For me, it's Continental Gatorskins on Bontrager rims. Consistently, one rim is easier to mount than the other, so there is a slight variation in the rim diameter. I'd get to the last unmounted two inches of tire and I would swear physically it won't fit. I don't use any tools but do wear leather work gloves to get that last inch mounted or risk rubbing the skin off my thumbs. Good that you ensured the tire sat in the rim trough during installation, that's the sign of a seasoned wrench.

The other trick that worked for me was to warm the tire in the sun or in the trunk of a hot car. Some do put the tire in a clothes dryer. Also, I've never tried this, but a bead wax or a bit of soapy water may help reduce friction for that last inch.

Like you, I always worried about roadside tire removal/installation. However, tires do seem to stretch with use and the warmth from the road helps with making a more pliable tire.

BTW, now I use Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elites which are easy to mount on my rims.

3alarmer

...tight tires will eventually stretch the bead, if you ride them for a while. I guess my question is why you'd go to all the trouble of building wheels with those polished H+Sons rims, and then turn around and use Spec Armadillo tires. I haven't experienced them in a while, so maybe they are better now, but they used to be right up there with Conti Gatorskins as the worst riding tires of all time. I get that people want some flat protection, but you can do better with Vittoria, even if they are not quite as beefy.

Also, since most tires are getting tighter in the beads, buy yourself one of these.

3alarmer

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...oh yeah, by far the thinnest rim strip is a couple of layers of Kapton tape, in the correct width for your rims.

soyabean

I just wanted to point out that the Kool-Stop is an amazing tool, as long as you don't use it outside for that it was designed to do.

It is made of resin (otherwise it would be a steel tool with a Snap-On price), and I have seen LBS novice wrenches break them.

I believe there are videos to show how it is to be used.

Torelli4

Truth is other than Paselas on my fixed gear all I've ever used were Gatorskins, GP4000s, and Armadillo's. I'm not a high mileage guy so a set of tires lasts me a while. I'm all ears for something with a better ride. Which Vittoria tire do you recommend? (BTW, I've got one of those tools and the Armadillos are even tough mounting with it) Thanks for your input

Mike

3alarmer

...Vittoria, like all the various tire companies, makes and sells a range of bike tires. I don't buy the cheapest ones, and I certainly don't need the fastest, lightest ones.
I have had good luck with the Vittoria Rubino Pro level in their lineup, and they regularly go on sale (in pairs deals )at places like Ribble and Wiggle. Or at least they used to, back before the big pandemic shakeup.

Like you, I haven't bought tires in a while. I had a stock of these that I'm still working through.

himespau 

I know that it makes me look like a Fred to have a giant saddlebag on a cool vintage racing bike, but I won't ride a bike on the road without a KoolStop bead jack in the bag. Fortunately, the old Cannondale Tubular Tire Bags are just the right size for a bead jack and all the other stuff I feel I need.

Torelli4

Update: Installed ROX rim stirps and was able to install the Armadillo's with my thumbs. Thanks to all who chimed in with a response.