Bicycle Mechanics - New tires are a PITA!

I just bought some new Mavic rims and got a good deal on a cheap set of Michelin tires and tubes from PBK. The tires came in and being that I've never put new tires on wheels before I thought it'd be a piece of cake. Boy was I wrong! Getting the lip over that last area was tough. My fingers and thumbs were chewed up and tired! But I finally got them on. Although it was a bit easier to get them on the second rim.

Is there any simple trick to getting new tires on easily without tearing up your fingers in the process? I tried using the tire lever but I was afraid I'd wreck my tubes or something.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Use the tire lever.* If you wreck the tube, you can always patch it (and they're relatively cheap for a replacement compared to a tire). It'll be easier in the future when you have to mount/dismount the tire.


* - Better yet, use 2 or even 3 tire levers if avaliable.

PITA > taco

Heh, yeah, skinny tires suck in that regard, and some rims are worse than others depending on sidewall design.

Tire levers are made for a reason, and as long as you're reasonably careful not to pinch the tube on the tire bead, you prolly won't puncture the tube with it.

Yeah, I've resorted to using a carabiner as a tire lever before as well as a big flathead screwdriver. (hey I wanted to ride my beater and my toolkit was 20 miles away).

I don't recommend either, go get some tire levers, even a $2 Wally World patch kit should have 3 of them.

You all have yet to have a hard time until you try to mount a 26x2.7 and a 26x2.35 intense DH Fro tires. Mounting the tires themselves is a work out in itself.

I find that patience works the best.

I find that patience works the best.

no grunting and swearing at it always works best. :D

Is there any simple trick to getting new tires on easily without tearing up your fingers in the process? I tried using the tire lever but I was afraid I'd wreck my tubes or something.



Like you, I prefer to use my fingers to mount tires and like you, I usually end up with sore finger tips for the next day or two. I've used leather work gloves and that helps. Also, make sure you are not pinching the tube between the tire bead and rim. The tube has a high coefficient of friction and impedes progress. Finally, I sometimes use Tioga brand of "bead wax". A tub of it costs about $5 and will last a lifetime (literally). The wax reduces the friction between the bead and rim.

As Mr. Smashy said, patience is your best tool.

And as a last resort, I'll use tire levers.

Dish soap on the offending part of the rim and bead.

I was told by a bike mecahnic, who is VERY knowlegable about wheels, that there are tools that work well for taking tires off bikes, and tools that work well for putting tires on bikes. Unfortunatley, there does not seem to be a tool that does both well.

- Mavic has a tool that supposedly works quite well for putting tires onto rims. I've never used it, but I saw it used. It is plastic, has a wide end that you use to jack the tire onto the rim, and it comes with Ksyrium
(not sure about other Mavics, but you might be able to get one from a bike store).

- There is a nifty tool that I saw demo'd. It is called a tire bead jack. (Here is a link to a Web page that has a picture of it: http://www.koolstop.com/Accessories/index.php .) It makes putting tires on a rim 'the piece of cake' you are looking for. It might not be the size tool you would want ot carry on the road, but it sure would be nice to have at home.

:) Hope this helps.

FK

I was told by a bike mecahnic, who is VERY knowlegable about wheels, that there are tools that work well for taking tires off bikes, and tools that work well for putting tires on bikes. Unfortunatley, there does not seem to be a tool that does both well. I have the Speedlever from Crankbrothers (http://www.crankbrothers.com/speedlever.php). It is great for taking off tires and very helpful for putting tires on the rim.

One of the reasons I switched to Michelin Krylion Carbons was that they were so much easier to get on my rims than Conti Ultra Gatorskins. Ride quality and puncture resistance on the Contis was fine, but man, getting that last bit of bead over the rim was tough even for a big healthy feller like myself, especially out on the road. Dunno which Michelins you've got, but Krylions can be had for $53.04/pair shipped from these guys:
http://www.seasonaloutfitters.com/New%20Products/template/michellin/tires.htm
Not the cheapest tire you can buy, but very reasonable for high thread count/puncture resistance/decent performance.

Cool, thanks for the suggestions and info!

At one point I had to just put it down and walk away for a few minutes to keep me from tearing up the tire/tube (or rather tearing up my fingers further!). so that patience thing does come in handy at times! haha!

Thanks!

no grunting and swearing at it always works best.

+1000 :mad: :rolleyes:

You know it's bad when your wife pokes her head in the garage and says, "You're scaring the dog." :D