Rim vs. Tire, that is one tight fit
I have a older front wheel with a Matrix MTB Aero rim, and I put a Michelin Wild Run'r 26x1.4 slick on it. This tire is almost impossible to get on or off. I've already bent a tire iron, broke another plastic one, and have punctured 2 tubes trying to mount it. I'm back to using my 30 year old steel irons that I'd long ago put away. My hands were bloody by the time I was done. I don't remember the rear being so difficult, but it is another rim. The flat itself was caused by the rim tape blowing out of all things, while the bike was sitting there. The bike is a 1990 Trek 7000 that I picked up on eBay for $125. It needed a little work but I haven't spent any money other than the tires.
Can anybody recommend a slick that won't be so tight? I'm worried that I won't be able to handle this out on the road if I get a flat. I've been changing tires for a lot of years and I've never had this kind of issue. I brought my road bike up this morning and it also had a flat from a broken stem, and I did that with my hands as I usually do.
(and I'll challenge the tire gods here and say I don't get flats from the usual things, like glass punctures.)