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Tight tire install... tips?

Old 01-03-08, 10:30 PM
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Tight tire install... tips?

Stupid search function... i tried going back like 15 pages but couldn't find the recent thread..

new tubes,tires and wheels.. both front and back same amount of tire left to be folded in
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Old 01-03-08, 10:46 PM
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1) Tire levers
2) Check that your rimtape isn't too wide
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Old 01-03-08, 10:49 PM
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Remove a little air from tube so you can push the tire bead into the center of the rim (area in red) were the deepest part is you only need to do this to the side your trying to get on not both sides this will give you the needed room to get it in. Pushing in any part will do give it a try.
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Old 01-03-08, 10:51 PM
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'TIRE BEAD JACK'..............Check out the bottom of the page.


https://www.koolstop.com/Accessories/index.php


Never met a tire too tough to tame with a 'Tire Bead Jack'.
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Old 01-04-08, 05:51 AM
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I just installed some tight as buggery tyres on my bike so I feel your pain. Here's what worked for me:

Use some talcom powder all over so it doesn't stick to the rim and get too tight
Warm up the tyre somehow as suggested
Get the bead right in (towards the hub) as this gives you more room
Use levers
When it's nearly on (like your picture), sit it up with the bit to be done at the top and facing away from you, grab the top and try to roll it back towards you.

If all else fails, do what I did and make some little string clamps to hold the bead in so you have enough to work with (yes I actually did this).

That's my newbie contribution. I hope it helps. I also hope the tyres stretch once they're on because I don't want all that pain out on the road!
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Old 01-04-08, 06:10 AM
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These are the answer to not only your problem but anyone having this difficulty. One of the levers is placed on the top of the rim and then hooked over the tyre in order to pull it up and over into position.


https://shrunk.net/8ae3a5db
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Old 01-04-08, 09:01 AM
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Warm the tires up in the clothes dryer.

In spite of 'standards', there are variations in tire & rim dimensions. If you use a tire that is on the small end of the standard & a rim on the large end, you wind up with a very tight fit. On the other end of the spectrum, you could wind up with combo that could slip right off the rim.

Ask a well seasoned bike mechanic about different combos.
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Old 01-04-08, 09:20 AM
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I would use tire levers, but make sure the tube is fully inside the rim and that you do not catch it with the levers and pinch it. Some tires and rims are simply just that way and are tough to mount. My 27 x 1 1/4 tires are impossible to mount without tire levers.
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Old 01-04-08, 09:43 AM
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I have had the best luck by keeping the bead of the tire at the rim center of the wheel. That provides the most length when pulling the bead over the rim. Keeping the sidewall beads compressed and in the center of the wheel rim can sometimes eliminate the need for tire levers. You need hair on your fingers for that to work.
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Old 01-04-08, 11:05 AM
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since you got a lot of good suggestions for dealing with the tight tire, I will give you one for dealing with the search function.

Use Google. Like this. In the Google search window type "tight tire site:www.bikeforums.net" with out the quotes and it with search this sight for those key words (change key word(s) as needed). I have found this to be very helpful for me.
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Old 01-04-08, 11:25 AM
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One more insight on tire levers. Last month I installed a new set of tubes and tires on my Neuvation wheels and within 10 mins on the trainer I got a flat. I patched the tube and the next day on the road, another flat (same tire and same tube, but in a different location). I replaced the entire tube this time. Next day another flat with the new tube. Now I was getting pissed. I replaced the rim tape, and installed yet another tube and yet another flat within 20 miles. What the heck? I was starting to think I was crazy. I then realized these were tough tires to install I had switched to some new tire levers with steel cores (I had broked the 2 plastic ones I had lying around). During the instal the steel cored tire levers were damaging the inside of the rim where the last bit of tire was getting put on- putting little sharp edges on the inside of the rims. I ended up gently sanding down the inside of the rim and switching back to plastic tire levers and no more flats.
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Old 01-04-08, 11:57 AM
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Thanks for all the great info.. I left them 90% on the wheel last night in a warm room and this morning they went on with only a bit of elbow grease and the pull the bead inward trick.. didn't even need the tire irons today.

success
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Old 01-04-08, 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Bolo Grubb
Use Google. Like this. In the Google search window type "tight tire site:www.bikeforums.net" with out the quotes and it with search this sight for those key words (change key word(s) as needed). I have found this to be very helpful for me.
Thanks much for the tip. It works better than the regular BF search function and works well on other sites, too.
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Old 01-04-08, 05:38 PM
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Yes, thanks Bolo Grubb for the tip. I always search that way, since it seems to beat all the forum search functions I've ever come across.

Google is our friend.
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Old 01-04-08, 10:25 PM
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FYI -- DON'T use tire levers to install tire - you'll probably pinch and puncture the tube. There is a way of gripping and twisting the tire to get it mounted when they fit so tightly -- I can't describe it on the 'net, but any decent mechanic can show you the move in 5 seconds. Just ask at your LBS.
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Old 01-04-08, 10:56 PM
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Hah! It's because they're Michelins. I use Continentals on two of my bikes and they're a breeze to install. The Celeste Michelin Axials on my Bianchi on the other hand...
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Old 01-05-08, 12:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Coyote2
FYI -- DON'T use tire levers to install tire - you'll probably pinch and puncture the tube. There is a way of gripping and twisting the tire to get it mounted when they fit so tightly -- I can't describe it on the 'net, but any decent mechanic can show you the move in 5 seconds. Just ask at your LBS.
In winter I always have to use the tire levers to get my Conti Force/Attacks on to the rims, GP 4000s are OK, but the F/A are just to tight once it gets down below 8C.

Never pinched a tube yet, but I agree that it is a big risk though.
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Old 01-05-08, 10:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Toyman991
Hah! It's because they're Michelins. I use Continentals on two of my bikes and they're a breeze to install. The Celeste Michelin Axials on my Bianchi on the other hand...
Yeh I had great trouble trying to get Michelins on and off a previous bike, I now use Continental GP4000 and they are super easy. I was told by a bike mechanic to use talcum powder too.
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Old 01-05-08, 11:19 PM
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Start at the valve, don't end at the valve.
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Old 01-05-08, 11:48 PM
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Originally Posted by SweetLou
Start at the valve, don't end at the valve.
Ya, and wipe some spit on the tight part of the bead - before the tight moment!
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Old 01-06-08, 12:34 AM
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Originally Posted by SweetLou
Start at the valve, don't end at the valve.
Sounds like bad advice…

…I always start opposite the valve, and work around from both sides to finish at the valve.

Just think about it for a moment; if you start at the valve, the bead of the tyre won't sit as low in the rim because the valve will be in the way; starting from opposite the valve, will make it easier to get the bead as low in the rim as possible, thus making it easier to get the bead over the rest of the rim.

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Old 01-06-08, 01:17 AM
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No, you should start at the stem. You can get the bead down far enough to get the tire on. But ending at the stem complicates things. The stem will only be partially through the hole, making it harder to get the tire on and the possibility of damaging the stem. Unless you have the stem all the way down, then the tube won't be fully in the tire giving a better chance of catching the tube underneath the tire, again, a bad thing.

Start at the stem and end at the opposite side.
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Old 01-06-08, 08:22 AM
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With the greatest of respect, SweetLou, what you're saying makes very little sense…

- Wil
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Old 01-06-08, 09:40 AM
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I always start at the valve. I have never failed to complete any tire install.
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Old 01-06-08, 09:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Moose
I always start at the valve. I have never failed to complete any tire install.
Me 2
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