Winter Cycling - Getting tires off of large marge rims - any advice?

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moose8
03-20-10, 07:28 AM
I have 24" large marge rims that I am having an incredibly hard time getting the tires off - I can't seem to get the bead out of the rim channel (if that's the right term). I've read the surly info on it, but pushing towards the center doesn't seem to help much. Is it just a matter of brute force, or does anyone have a suggested technique? I got one bead out, which is what makes it even more frustrating - with my road rims once you do that you're golden, but I just can't get the second bead out. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

AEO
03-20-10, 08:20 AM
step down on the wheel while tugging on the tire at the other side.
stepping on the wheel should cause most of the slack in the tire to end up where you're trying to pry it off.
electrik
03-20-10, 11:19 AM
This is pretty good if you can get it under the bead (http://www.bicycling.com/gear/detail/0,7989,s1-21-141-1906-0,00.html)

AEO
03-20-10, 01:55 PM
one key to using tire levers correctly is to get the bead as close as possible to the hook when trying to pry the tire off.
if you try and pry off the tire when the bead is sitting too far in, you can bend or break the lever.
moose8
03-20-10, 04:56 PM
stepping on the wheel while pulling the tire I had gotten loose did the trick. It wasn't easy, though, but once I really held and put weight on my foot, it loosened and then I was able to slide the tire lever along the rim to loosen the rest. Thanks for the good advice.
moose8
03-28-10, 12:32 PM
lay the wheel on a hard surface/surface you don't mind marring (like a work bench). Put all your weight on the tires - this should get the bead to go towards the center of the rim. It takes a lot of brute force, but this seems to be the only semi-reliable method for getting tires off of my large marge rims. Once you pop the first part of the bead off, the rest should follow without it being too bad.