Bicycle Mechanics - Tire Mounting Advice Needed....see Pic...(m)

Guys,
I scored a 2006 Campy Scirocco Wheelset on e-bay along with Vittoria Rubino Pro Tires with Kevlar bead...see below. I mount all my own tires and these tires came on the rims I bought but man...I can't get the last part of the bead to fit over the rim for the life of me...removed the tire to install the tube I prefer. The book on this combination is they are tight...no doubt about that :o but I need some suggestions if any of you guys have a silver bullet. I tried putting the tire in the dryer to expand the bead a bit and didn't help. The bead is so low that I can't even get my tire levers to pull up. I have been thinking about building a tire stretcher out of wood to work with my vice. Anybody have any ideas? Any of you guys have success stretching a Kevlar bead on a Vittoria tire. Would it help to stand on the inside of the tire and pull up to stretch the bead out? I want to ride these but can't if I can't build 'em.
Thanks guys,
George
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/Scirocco.jpg

Start opposite where it doesn't want to go over, and pinch the tire so that the beads touch each other. Keep doing this, and keep tension on it all the way around. I'm not describing this well, but the goal here is to get the beads down into the center of the rim, which has a smaller diamerter than out on the edge where the beads will sit once the tire is inflated. It's a bit of a trick to do this right, but it usually buys you a few more mm to get the tire over.

My second piece of advice is to not put up with tight tires. Write the manufacturer; they may be stubborn, but this is a quality control issue. If you read a bunch of tire reviews on roadbikereview.com, you'll see very few brands/models that everybody has problems with, but tons of tires where one guy will say "mine were impossible to get on" and then the next 5 reviewers will say "hmm, mine went on totally normal." Manufacturers can claim they're supposed to be tight for safety, but they can't explain away the variations within one model.

An insightful post Landgolier, thank you. You described it well, I know about the pinching together the beads technique to maximize effective size of the tire I.D. I will have to have another go at it as my fingers are a bit sore now and I put my original wheelset back on my bike so I can ride :-) You are quite right about the sizing issue...there is variation of course and there is nominal size for not only the tire but the wheel as well. Believe both err on the side of caution...biggish wheel O.D....Campy known for this...and smallish tire I.D....Vittoria known for this as well. I was kind of sniffing around to see if the bead of the tire could be stretched fractionally to gain just a bit more freedom. Looks like this set up is gonna fight me a bit so if anybody has a good obscure technique they would like to share I am all ears. Thanks again...the beads together deep in the root of the rim does in many cases does help. Any of you guys for example try to always burp the last section of rubber up along the valve stem for that reason?...as this is the one section of the tire that can't go deep with the beads together.
Thanks,
George

Any of you guys for example try to always burb the last section of rubber up along the valve stem for that reason for example?...as this is the one section of the tire that can't go deep with the beads together.
Thanks,
George
Yes. This is the method I always use, for exactly the reason you stated.

If you must use that tire with that rim - then mount the tire on an smaller rim first. Inflate it "max pres" and wait a few days. I do the same thing to folding tires to make sure I don't have surprises if I pull out a new one the road.

--- Try evacuating every last bit of air from the tube by removing the valve, rolling the tube up like a toothpaste tube so it is flat and then reinstall the valve. This will minimize any residual resistance you're getting from the tube.
By the way, when you submit a picture in the future, use a -plain- background so the object of your photo will stand out clearer.

Thanks guys...will have another go at it.
George

Do you have talcum powder on it? That reduces friction between rubber and rim and makes a difficult job just a little easier.

Do you have talcum powder on it? That reduces friction between rubber and rim and makes a difficult job just a little easier.
It has been my experience that talcum powder is a slippery slope...forgive the pun. Reason being that the last part of tire bead tends to chase around the rim a bit more when friction is reduced with talcum. Perhaps others can share if they believe powder actually helps the mounting process when dealing with a stuborn wheel/tire combination.
Thanks jur,
George

Are you using a tire lever? This one doesn't look all that bad if you use a lever.

get one of these...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c362/jojisan/koolstop-bead-jack.gif

Are you using a tire lever? This one doesn't look all that bad if you use a lever.
Hi Fred,
Yeah...three of them...the modest Park blue ones which typically work fine. Doesn't look that bad? I will have another go.
George

get one of these...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c362/jojisan/koolstop-bead-jack.gif
Fixer,
It that thing for real?..or a joke? Haven't seen that before. If legit, where did you get it?
Thanks,
George

Fixer,
It that thing for real?..or a joke? Haven't seen that before. If legit, where did you get it?
Thanks,
George

I've seen them around at my LBS's. My riding buddy carries one on him as he has a heck of a time with his Conti/Eurus wheel combo. The thing really works....

I've seen them around at my LBS's. My riding buddy carries one on him as he has a heck of a time with his Conti/Eurus wheel combo. The thing really works....
Thanks Fixer...maybe I need something like that :-)
Anybody know where that thing can be purchased on-line?
Thanks again,
George

All good suggestions. I like holding the wheel with both hands, one ad the 11 and one at the 1 position. Use your thumbs to work the bead on. As mentioned before get all the air out of the tire and use talc or mild soapy water to 'lube' the bead. Avoid using tire levers if at all possible.

Hi Fred,
Yeah...three of them...the modest Park blue ones which typically work fine. Doesn't look that bad? I will have another go.
George

I've found that those Park levers really suck, actually. I refuse to use them now. They are too thick and their angle is all wrong. Try something like Soma's steel cores or even better the Dutch ones which are imported by Kool-Stop.

All good suggestions. I like holding the wheel with both hands, one ad the 11 and one at the 1 position. Use your thumbs to work the bead on. As mentioned before get all the air out of the tire and use talc or mild soapy water to 'lube' the bead. Avoid using tire levers if at all possible.
Yup all good advice. I have only had successs without tire levers when the tire had a few miles on it and the bead had stretched a bit. Issue as most know with levers is risk of pinching the tube causing puncture during tire mounting. I am sure most of us have had to remove a tire and start over after this...including a few choice words :-)
George

The big tool in the Fixer's post is called a Tire Jack. I can't remember who makes it, but I know I have seen them before.

George, be sure to use the tire lever from the edges, not the center, of the unmounted section of tire. Put one in a couple of inches from the edge, check to see that you aren't pinching the tube, and then lever it onto the rim. You can hook that one to a spoke to hold things in place and then repeat the process with another lever. Just take it a couple of inches at a time and it will stretch and mount. I've always found the Vittorias fairly easy to mount and I've mounted Rubino Pro many times - even on Campy wheels. For me the toughest one was the Kenda Kaliente which has a bead that doesn't stretch. I ruined one once.

Enjoy the new wheels. They look like they're going to be a great addition to your Bianchi.

BikeToolsEtc.com They sell the Tire Jack, and it's a very effective tool!

Regards,
Bob P.

George, be sure to use the tire lever from the edges, not the center, of the unmounted section of tire. Put one in a couple of inches from the edge, check to see that you aren't pinching the tube, and then lever it onto the rim. You can hook that one to a spoke to hold things in place and then repeat the process with another lever. Just take it a couple of inches at a time and it will stretch and mount. I've always found the Vittorias fairly easy to mount and I've mounted Rubino Pro many times - even on Campy wheels. For me the toughest one was the Kenda Kaliente which has a bead that doesn't stretch. I ruined one once.

Enjoy the new wheels. They look like they're going to be a great addition to your Bianchi.
Thank you Fred. You really capture the spirit of the cycling hobby. I always enjoy seeing what your next build will be. You have a beautiful bike collection.
I appreciate you sharing your experience.
George

BikeToolsEtc.com They sell the Tire Jack, and it's a very effective tool!

Regards,
Bob P.
Thanks Bob...I may just pick one up. Looks like it might be another useful bicycle tool.
Cheers,
George

The big tool in the Fixer's post is called a Tire Jack. I can't remember who makes it, but I know I have seen them before.
Actually, I think the picture is of the Bead Jack by Koolstop. I found this out by right clicking on the image and looking at it's properties. Never used one, so no useful input on that end, but you can find tons of links to them if you enter "kool stop bead jack" into google.

There are lots of good hints. One other one that you may try. Just work on one bead at a time.

Thank you Fred. You really capture the spirit of the cycling hobby. I always enjoy seeing what your next build will be. You have a beautiful bike collection.
I appreciate you sharing your experience.
George

The latest is a brand new but early '70's Garlatti road bike. It is still unridden. I got some new wheels so as not to fuss up the originals and I'm just waiting for a new seat post and I'll give it the first ride. I wasn't kidding about brand new. It even came in the original carton from the factory. Take care.

Fred