Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Goodbye Thumbs...

Jesus.

Got some new tires and tubes today. My old Armadillos had seen better days (3 years of daily riding). Put on some Gatorskins today. Basically tore all the skin off of my thumbs putting them on. My right thumb is especially gnarly, first layer of skin tore off completely, got a ****load of grease underneath the wound. Am I going to die? Are my thumbs no more? Why is changing tires such a *****? Should I wear gloves next time? Looking for answers here hipsters....

Are you taking them off correctly? are these clincher tires?

Get yourself a tire bead jack.

Took them off with a bike tire tool (little plastic thing). Putting them on is how i ****ed up my thumbs.

My understanding is that it is best done by hand, working the tire into the rim. The last little bit is the pain.

Anyway, got a whole ****************load of grease under my thumb wound.

Will I live another day?

Get yourself a tire bead jack.

Whats that?

I had to remount my Gatorskin after getting a flat today. They're a more difficult tire to mount, especially the Duraskins, but it wasn't too bad. Make sure when you roll the tire on that you slide the bead ALONG the rim, not into the rim. It helps to not hold the wheel vertically in front of you but hold it horizontally so that you're pushing "up" the rim. Try putting it on your lap or holding it against your chest if it helps. I find pushing directly along the surface of the rim ('up' the rim) especially helps with the last bit of bead that needs to be mounted.

And don't tell me you're serious about getting grease under your skin. You haven't rubbed all of the dermis yet, only the squamous epithelial keratinocytes on the surface of your skin, which are dead, by the way. Just clean it, dress it and bandage it if it hurts. People have lived through worse. I once accidentally tore all the skin off of my wrist on chainring teeth. And I mean all of it. Required a few stitches and you could see cartilage underneath. I'm lucky my hand still works.

I've had worse biking injuries, too. I'm missing my two front teeth at the moment. Bike accident when I was 8. Need a block bone graft now.

Thanks for the tips cleanupinaisle3. Also thanks to Fungazi. I googled tire bead jack and it seems like a good tool to have.

I was all good putting the tires on, especially the first one, half way through the second one though I looked and my thumbs were ****ing bleeding. Eventually a bunch of grease (which burned) got in the open wound. I could not help but to think there is an easier way. Lots of washing and neosporin and I think I will survive.

New tires are great....took a short ride today, way quick. Looking forward to doing a nice long one tomorrow.

haha yeah it's pretty tough putting on gatorskins. thumbs heal though.

Gatorskins are turds to put on. I've lost the skin layers on the side of the road after a flat changing those turds. Not a fun way to ride home.

The folding Gatorskins is not as hard to get on IMO.
I thought the OP lost his thumbs in some horrific drive-chain incident.

so... why am i not seeing any PICTURES?

I thought someone lost there thumb :innocent:

http://tfe.me/image/480_345/TL4022.jpg

These things seriously don't get enough press. Kool Stop tire bead jack. Works like a miracle with sh*tty tire/rim combos.

These things seriously don't get enough press. Kool Stop tire bead jack. Works like a miracle with sh*tty tire/rim combos.
gasp! just what I needed!! thanks!

I put on a Gatorskin recently and it wasn't that difficult... You can buy a bead jack or you can learn to use multiple tire levers, as if you were changing a motorcycle tire.

Maybe next time wipe the rim with some soapy water to make it easier

Eventually you get better at this sort of thing. I have definitely done my share of breaking levers, swearing, crying, double checking to make sure i didn't have the wrong size tire, etc, but at this point I haven't met a bead-rim combo that i can't install by hand, without ripping my thumbs open. I know its obvious but you really need to get every tenth of a mm of slack you can around to the last bit of bead. Pull the bead tight in both directions as you go around the tire, and make sure that it is right up against the rim, all the way around, before attempting the last bit.

What rims do you use? My wire bead GSs didn't seem overly difficult to install on open pros.

raw thumbs mean nothing. multiple broken levers are mildly of note.

Tire levers. It's not hard.

http://tfe.me/image/480_345/TL4022.jpg

These things seriously don't get enough press. Kool Stop tire bead jack. Works like a miracle with sh*tty tire/rim combos.

+3000 on these Tire Jacks.
They are about, 8.5" long very light weight and super sturdy.
Used it changing a friends flat in the field last weekend. Say byebye to blisters!

http://tfe.me/image/480_345/TL4022.jpg

These things seriously don't get enough press. Kool Stop tire bead jack. Works like a miracle with sh*tty tire/rim combos.

How do you use one of these?; I'm having a hard time figuring out only from the picture.... and there's nothing online about how to use them.

Fast forward to 4:30
http://bicycletutor.com/fix-flat-tire/

@happypills - You straddle the tire with the jack, place the round part on the top of the rim on the opposite side of the tire where you are trying to install it, place the hook side under the tire bead and push the lever handle towards the other side of the rim. It will just pop in place like magic.

Ah got it. Just ordered one from jenson aswell.

BTW random but I just realized that bicycle tutor guy is canadian.... from his accent....

BTW random but I just realized that bicycle tutor guy is canadian.... from his accent....

Eh?

Eh?

Well at least he can restrain himself from saying "eh?" Your parents must be prood of yeeh... :lol:..

I've always just put the last little bit of my tires on with the tire lever.
Am I screwing up my rim/tire by doing that?

as people said before, tire bead jacks are thumbsavers. these are great too, if you can find them: crank bro's speed lever. same principle as tire bead jacks. clip one end on to the axle and run the lever across the rim. double sided tool so that it both mounts and removes tires very quickly.

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/img/product/full/c/crksrzxh.jpg

Hey! TT is back!

ya folding gatorskins are a *****, esp when theyre all freshly folded and ur tryna put them on a rim; i always get frustrated and end up using tire levers to slip the last part of the bead on

ha wow, didnt know b-iatch was censored..

changing 700-28 randonneur..............http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff76/KennyPeK/RageGuy.jpg

I got the Crank Bros. Speed Lever and still had trouble with a pair of Michelin Pro 3's. I think I'll order the Kool Stop Tire Jack. It's cheap enough and could come in handy.

I'd paypal anyone $6 with video proof on how to get the last bit of the tire on with no tools, levers, jacks...

Folded gatorskins 700x23 :)

I got my first set of wheels built up a few months back, was all full of grins, then tried to install my Kenda Kalientes on them. I lost exactly 40 layers of skin, and most of the bones in both of my thumbs. I'm pretty sure a few more hairs stopped growing on my head, too. Worst tire-rim experience of my life!

Since them, I bought some Maxxis Re-fuse tires, and they go on a lot easier. I emailed Sun-Ringle about their rims to ask why the tires were so damn hard to install, and the guy who wrote back said he's had lots of issues with Kendas and a few other brands (in my email, I had never mentioned I was installing Kendas, so he wasn't just b.s.ing me).

I have a Crank Bros. Speedlever and I love it. I highly recommend buying a couple, so you have one in your home shop and another to take along on rides.

I have a Crank Bros. Speedlever and I love it. I highly recommend buying a couple, so you have one in your home shop and another to take along on rides.

I use the Speed Lever at home, but I feel it's too flimsy to take along on a ride. If the thing breaks, you're up the creek. On rides, I take along only regular tire levers. I've been riding with Specialized Pro Mondos and they are easy to get on and off my Shimano wheels.

I use the Speed Lever at home, but I feel it's too flimsy to take along on a ride. If the thing breaks, you're up the creek. On rides, I take along only regular tire levers. I've been riding with Specialized Pro Mondos and they are easy to get on and off my Shimano wheels.

I agree, it can feel flimsy. I've never had one break on me, but my multi-tool has end-caps that double as tire levers if I ever need them.

I'd paypal anyone $6 with video proof on how to get the last bit of the tire on with no tools, levers, jacks...

Folded gatorskins 700x23 :)


a little lube around the rim and tire bead seems to help a bit. give that a shot... does lube count as a tool?

otherwise, just muscle it...

I'd paypal anyone $6 with video proof on how to get the last bit of the tire on with no tools, levers, jacks...

Folded gatorskins 700x23 :)

Only for a folding gatorskin? What about a wire bead one? :) I want six bucks!

Only for a folding gatorskin? What about a wire bead one? :) I want six bucks!
I also want my six bucks too...
No soap or lube either, just use your palm and roll it up.
Although easier said than done, but it's really not that hard.

I've never used my palms, only my thumbs. Never had too much trouble. Folding tires aren't hard because they hurt my thumbs, but because they're just too floppy/have too little shape when they're new out of the box.

Also I really need that six bucks... I took my girlfriend out for a fancy dinner tonight at The Boiler House. Total damage, nearly $200. D'oh! And that was just for dinner. :(

prostitution...

I don't use tire jacks anymore, I found some cool tutorials on youtube showing how to change tires by hand, it involves pulling the tires around the rims so that they will just slip over.

Although some tires are a tighter fit than others, Maxxis Hookworms are pretty damned tough to get on, but still with good technique you won't need any other tools than your fingers

I don't know if I just suck at changing tires, but conti ultra race is super difficult every time I change tires.

I don't use tire jacks anymore, I found some cool tutorials on youtube showing how to change tires by hand, it involves pulling the tires around the rims so that they will just slip over.

Although some tires are a tighter fit than others, Maxxis Hookworms are pretty damned tough to get on, but still with good technique you won't need any other tools than your fingers

links of said youtube tutorials please :thumb: I like skin on my thumbs!

I've always just put the last little bit of my tires on with the tire lever.
Am I screwing up my rim/tire by doing that?
I don't think it hurts the rim or the tire in any way. You just risk pinching or tearing the tube with the lever when you do it, but as long as you're careful, you should be alright. This is what I do when installing my tires, and so far it's worked fine.

One tip:

This also seems obvious, but...

With Beaded tires, make sure you do one bead at a time and don't let it cross the rim (some done on one side, some done on the other).

Makes it much easier.

I can put my 700x23's on with just my thumbs pretty easy.

I can take them off with my hands, but I usually use a tire lever, it's quicker.