Bicycle Mechanics - Mounting the dreaded Specialized Armadillos

So I bought a pair of Specialized All Condition 700x25c Armadillos... and it took me nearly 1 hr to mount the first tire 7/8 of the way, and I have blisters to show for it!

As always, this last few inches is the most difficult to mount... I don't seem to be making any progress, even with my tire levers.

Any tips?

Take them back and get Schwalbe Marathons instead.

Use the thinnest rim tape you can get away with - being able to get the bead down as low as possible in the rim helps you get that last bit of the bead up and over.
Also put some soapy water on the rim edge where you're trying to get the last part of the bead over - helps lubricate it and lets it slip over more easily.

lift weights?... for your thumbs?

var levers or kool stop tire jack

When I mounted mine I thought I was going to pull the rim out of true! I did it using brute force and a tyre lever. Not sure what will happen if I ever get a puncture! Soapy water sounds like a good idea.

I usually just hold the wheel in front of me using my left fingers and right palm to horse those suckers on there. Spraying a tiny bit of windex sometimes helps too.

Don't use downhill levers or anything crazy like that...you can damage your rims.

var levers or kool stop tire jack

+1 get both, var is pouch size, kool stop beefier for home use.
http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=186914718824&d=single&c=Tools&sc=Tire-and-Tube&tc=Tire-Levers&item_id=KS-TJ

Once again I'll share this and, no doubt, I'll be soundly ignored. But I'll tell you this: For any tight, mega-tight, knuckle-busting beast of a clincher (such as Armadillos), the VAR Tire-Tool will make it easy. Light-weight. Fits in a pack or pocket. Affordable. Uses the principles of leverage put forth by Archimedes in way-gone days - still true now as then (the 'lever'). Really! I own 2 sets. Need a third for my latest machine's tool-bag.

Here:

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=180244260661&d=single&c=Tools&sc=Tire-and-Tube&tc=Tire-Levers&item_id=VR-425

If the guy who came into the last thread I suggested this and said; "They are no good. They are from France!" - shows up, just figure he's choking on his Freedom-Fries and drinking wine from Vinnie's Basement Chateau du Petroleum.

Once again I'll share this and, no doubt, I'll be soundly ignored. But I'll tell you this: For any tight, mega-tight, knuckle-busting beast of a clincher (such as Armadillos), the VAR Tire-Tool will make it easy. Light-weight. Fits in a pack or pocket. Affordable. Uses the principles of leverage put forth by Archimedes in way-gone days - still true now as then (the 'lever'). Really!

Here:

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=180244260661&d=single&c=Tools&sc=Tire-and-Tube&tc=Tire-Levers&item_id=VR-425

Thanks for the tip - will probably pick one of these up :) I take it it is similar to the Kool Stop Bead Jack?

edit: found it at sjs - will add it to my next order :)

Use RU Glide to lubricate the bead area. Its what the auto tire dealers use. You can find R U Glide at any NAPA autoparts store.

Thanks for the tip - will probably pick one of these up :) I take it it is similar to the Kool Stop Bead Jack?

edit: found it at sjs - will add it to my next order :)

yes - same principle in physics as the Kool Stop one. Just lighter and easier to toss in your bike-bag - or shirt pocket. You'll love it!


(No - I don't own stock in VAR)

I have the Armadillos on three bikes. They are a true pain to install UNLESS you have these (as said above).

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=180244260661&d=single&c=Tools&sc=Tire-and-Tube&tc=Tire-Levers&item_id=VR-425

These will save your thumbs!

Get them you will love them!

I have a set of 700 by 23mm on my Open Pro rims and had no real trouble. For what it's worth, on the few combinations of rim/tire that I have had trouble with the Koolstop Tire bead jack has been great. http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=TL4022

Thanks guys... i will definitely pick up one of those tire jacks. For now I'll use the soap-lubing thing

chill the wheel out in the cold air or with cold water and heat the tire with hot water. be sure to get the tire down into the channel by squeezing both sides of the tire. then keep it down in that channel all the way around. be sure the tube is not too inflated.

Animal sacrifices under a full moon...

This subject seems so odd to me. I have the above mentioned tires, albeit 27"ers, but they go on by hand.
In fact, I've never had to install a BICYCLE tire with anything but my hands!

Maybe y'all doing somethin wrong.....

I have them on 27s and 700c wheels. they are more difficult on the 700c wheels. must have something to do with something I am ignorant of

hahahaha LOL

I must have gotten one of the rare oversized Armadillos. In my case I can darn near stand back 20 feet and toss the tire horseshoe like onto the rim. OK so I jest. But I had no issue at all with thumbing on. In fact my biggest issue was that it was so loose that the tube kept trying to sneak out from under the bead and pinch until I got about 5 psi into it. Reading the accounts here in light of my own experience I had to wonder if you weren't all fitting a 700 onto a 27! ! ! :D

In any case the biggest "secret" to mounting the tight tires is to keep pushing the bead of the portion already seated into the center of the channel for as much of the tire as you can. The tighter the tire the more frequently I re-center it. It's by far the most important part of mounting a tough tire. You may use jacks or overlength irons as well but first and foremost keep on recentering the bead while you're applying pressure at one or both of the crossover points.

Also take smaller bites with the levers at the cross over. Trying to pop too much tire over the edge at one time is a major factor in failing. If it's really tight lever over well less than an inch at a time.

You guys think you have it tough with the Armadillos? Try mounting a dirt motorcycle front tire some time. It'll teach you why you fear the dark and make doing bicycle tires look like child's play.... :D

Way back when in one of my rare (?) moments of stupidity I managed to mount a 700c onto a 27 inch rim. Guess I should have checked the tire that came off the rim a little more closely. I swore a little doing it but by dang I got it on with what sounds like no more issue than what you guys are having with the Armadillo. Once I realized that the tire didn't really look right, it looked like a deflated cactus, I double checked and found my error. I could NOT get the irons under the bead and if I had they would have snapped. I had to cut the tire off. But the moral of this parable is that I got it on using the two rules; 1- keep the bead in the middle of the rim channel and 2- take small bites with the lever.

My Spec All Condition 700x28 Armadillos went on easy. Rims are WTB DX23. So no tips from me (sorry).

+1 on the bead jack. Life saver for sure.

Proper technique first and only then a bead jack. Why stress the bead of the tire any more than it needs to be stressed? If I can put a 700c onto a 27 (see story above) using only the little plastic Zefal levers and proper technique then surely the Armadillos can be fitted to the correct size rim just by using the proper technique.

I see that jack as too easy an option to ignore the use of proper technique and needlessly stress the tires and possibly the rim.

In any case the biggest "secret" to mounting the tight tires is to keep pushing the bead of the portion already seated into the center of the channel for as much of the tire as you can.

That's what I think too.

1. Pinch the beads on the part of the tire that's already installed in toward the center of the rim.
2. Hold the wheel vertically in front of you with the unmounted portion on the bottom.
3. Grasp the tire at the 3 and 9 0'clock positions and push it straight down. What you are trying to do is to concentrate all of the slack between the tire and the rim at the portion of the tire that's not yet installed.

I use rubbing alcohol (instead of soapy water) for real tough tire installs. It evaporates within a few minutes. It's the tire/rim combo that affects how hard it will be, which is why some people have an easier time than others with the same tire.

Way back when in one of my rare (?) moments of stupidity I managed to mount a 700c onto a 27 inch rim. Guess I should have checked the tire that came off the rim a little more closely. I swore a little doing it but by dang I got it on with what sounds like no more issue than what you guys are having with the Armadillo. Once I realized that the tire didn't really look right, it looked like a deflated cactus, I double checked and found my error. I could NOT get the irons under the bead and if I had they would have snapped. I had to cut the tire off. But the moral of this parable is that I got it on using the two rules; 1- keep the bead in the middle of the rim channel and 2- take small bites with the lever.

I did the same thing. Had to cut the tire off and everything. :lol:

Luckily it was an old tire...

steel core levers FTW

I see that jack as too easy an option to ignore the use of proper technique and needlessly stress the tires and possibly the rim.

Get off my lawn!

I was searching the Internet for info about the Amidillos and saw a video about it on youtube. Then I clicked on other videos and this is what I saw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a_Z-ywTc4w&feature=related

ROFLMAO! This guy is the best! :)

GOOD GREIF! SIGN THAT GUY UP FOR THE AMERICAN TdF TEAM PRONTO! ! ! ! :D

I did the same thing. Had to cut the tire off and everything. :lol:

Luckily it was an old tire...


I'ts nice to see that my talent for not checking things as closely as I should has company... :D

In my defense it was back when I first started woring on my own bicycles. I had no idea that there were so many closely related tire sizes. I just assumed (and we know what that means don't we :D) that 700c and 27 inch were the same thing. Lesson learned in quick time.

Use the largest screwdriver you can find.

That film killed me!! Ahahahahahahahahaha!!

GOOD GREIF! SIGN THAT GUY UP FOR THE AMERICAN TdF TEAM PRONTO! ! ! ! :D

I know a messenger service that would hire that guy...

I think some of you are being a little harsh . Many of us have had years of experience of fitting and removing tyres, and do actually know the correct procedure. The fact remains that sometimes you can experience real difficulty, perhaps quality control of the tyre size was on holiday when the problem tyres were made ;-( I'd never had problems fitting (road) tyres to wheels, but on a recent bike with narrow rims I have never struggled so much. I had to resort to tyre levers and managed to nip the tube even being ultra careful. I struggled to get it back off, repaired tube - then nipped the damn thing again. After that I found I was avoiding anything on the road that stood a miniscule chance of causing a puncture. The bike didn't last for long!
My latest three bikes I've swapped the tyres about with no problems at all, all by hand - 700 x 23.
So, just because you may never have had any problems please don't dismiss others who do.
No offence intended

I still think that replacing them with Marathons is the best idea... which can also be a pita to install.

Okay so using the soapy water really helped, and I got the rest of the 1st tire on easily.


For the 2nd tire, I have the opposite problem: it doesn't want to seat in the rim!!

I'ts nice to see that my talent for not checking things as closely as I should has company... :D

In my defense it was back when I first started woring on my own bicycles. I had no idea that there were so many closely related tire sizes. I just assumed (and we know what that means don't we :D) that 700c and 27 inch were the same thing. Lesson learned in quick time.

Yup me too. That's how we learn, right? ;)

about not seating in the rim. I've had that too. just keep at it. pump up the tube a little

Okay so using the soapy water really helped, and I got the rest of the 1st tire on easily.


For the 2nd tire, I have the opposite problem: it doesn't want to seat in the rim!!

That's what mine is like. It's really sloppy and won't stay centered while inflating. Stories like this make me wonder just what the quality control is like in the factory that makes the Armadillos.

I finally got mine to stay put by slightly inflating the tube but so that it was still squishy. I then had to hand center the tire's bead on the rim, put in a little more air, recenter and finally was able to blow it up to spec air pressure. If I hadn't done this the tire would have blown over the rim seat at the loosest point.

Those Specialized are awesome but brand new can be a ***** to install. Make sure tube is slightly inflated and placed inside of tire. Mount the tire using the valave stem in the hole first. Then work your way around from there. make sure your using a tire lever and wear a pair of gloves to make pinching the tire in all the way around A LOT easier. Most of all, good luck.

Just get a VAR tire-lever. It's plastic - strong - and won't scratch of bend the rim. Makes mounting any tire easier - or just have it on hand for the monsters prowling. Waiting for you after 100 miles and numb thumbs. :bike2:

chill the wheel out in the cold air or with cold water and heat the tire with hot water. be sure to get the tire down into the channel by squeezing both sides of the tire. then keep it down in that channel all the way around. be sure the tube is not too inflated.

What he said - but I always throw the new tire on the driveway, in the sun, before I even start to remove anything.

I have never, ever, had a problem, mounting any tire, with this proceedure.

Sure, you might have to go back more than once, recentering the tire, as it gets tension on it; but, it always works, even without levers.