DIVA

Hey pep's. Hope all had a splendid holiday.


I've been trying to put on Ritchey (race slick) on my back rim. To no avail, it won't budge beyond this point. (see pic). Why are new tires so darn tight? We know LBS can do it in sixty seconds or less, but I rather do it myself. I've already broken three lever's so I thought I post seeking advice/suggestions.


Tks.

Deanster04

Put both feet on the tire. Grab it firmly with both hands and pull up to stretch the tire a little and in the process loosen the material up a little. Give it a try or if you are not too strong then find a friend who is a gorilla and have them do it. That is how I work with stubborn tires. Don't really know if it is the pulling that stretches the tire or if it is just a warm up exercise to prepare me for the battle.

DIVA

Thanks Deanster. I'll give it a shot. :-)

Retro Grouch 

1. Hold the rim vertically in front of you with the uninstalled part of the tire on bottom. Go back to the tire at a point exactly opposite of the last bit that you are trying to get on.
2. Pinch the beads together to center them between the flanges of the rim.
3. Working with one hand in each direction, try to work all of the slack in the tire toward the bottom.
4. Now the last bead will go on more easily.

AnthonyG

When I'm putting on new, tight fitting tires I advance very slowly with the tire levers. Up to the tight point that you got to I pretty much use my hands but when it gets hard I use two tire levers. I use one to anchor an end and don't move it then I use the other lever to gradualy move along in increments of mm.

OK anchor one end and then place the other lever as close to the other end as possible and lever it on. Now release the tension but don't remove it from the rim. It will still be held pretty firmly between the rim and the bead so just slide it a few mm further and lever it on. Repeat.

Not removing it does help. If you remove it and then try to squeeze it in again you will be moving in quite large increments and this does place a large load on the levers.

Regards, Anthony

MattP.

If getting it on w/ just your hands doesnt work, try using a blow dryer to loosen it up a little. When you get it to just a little more bead that needs to go on, put a little triflow or soapy water on the rim, that should help it slide more smoothly on.

Good luck
Matt

brokenrobot

And when you're tired of breaking levers, get a pair of the yellow Pedros ones - they're awesome. I used to go through a lot of levers before I found these.

DIVA

Hi all,
Thanks for the heads up but I think this particular one is very unforgiving for some reason. My friend and I had a hard time getting it on as well as getting it off. My other tires are tight, but nothing like this one. Well, after a great workout, Deanster, I had a light bulb moment. I think this just may work. LOL (see pic). Brokenroot, I will pick some up the next time I visit my LBS.

idoxlr8

put them in the dryer for about 10 min. They'll go on easily.

Mentor58

That looks like the shimano 550 rim, and if it's anything like my experences with the one on the Motobecane, it seems to be just a 'tich' oversized. Stretching the tire seemed to help, and I noticed that after I took them on and off a few times, they got easier. I had Kenda Calantes, and they are a tight fit

Just keep at it.

Steve W.

supcom

A pair of Park heavy duty steel tire levers (8-inch long) will have that tire on the rim in no time.

spinbackle

I had a friend that had a real time mounting any kind of tire on a set of factory Dura Ace wheels. They just had to be muscled on. Also make sure to let out as much air as possible out of the tube (but you already knew that ).

Deanster04

Sounds like you might have an out of spec tire. If it is new try and exchange it where you bought it and see if anything changes. Most tires I can manage without the use of irons that way I avoid the occasional pinch flat. One trick that I have used once is to apply a soapy water solution to the rims. I used that for Armadillos for winter tires once and they are a real bugger to get on. Maybe a spray with isopropyl alcohol might do the trick. What ever you use don't lose sight of the fact that what goes on at some point must come off...usually at an inopportune time like on a deserted road in the middle of hell and gone in the form of a flat. You might not want to use that particular tire.

Starclimber

Or...try this. Stand the wheel on the floor with the troublesome tire area down and facing you. Place your foot on the edge of the rim and tire bead. Push the top of the rim away from you while applying pressure with your foot. A lugged sole shoe works best for this. You'll have plenty of leverage and essentially zero opportunity to pinch the tube. I figured this out YEARS ago, then forgot it, and remembered it only when I had the same problem with an evil tire/rim combo a few months ago.