FreshBrew

I am having a difficult time removing the tires on my ambrosio's and have been at it for bout 20min. Anyone have tips? Thanks

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

got Tire levers?

FreshBrew

using two of them and still no luck

FreshBrew

anyone else experience similar problem with this brand? Tires still won't budge. Argh!!!

Bianchigirll 

yes I had them years ago and removing some brands of tires can be a pain. try going around the whole wheel and make sure the bead is loose.

FreshBrew

I have tried going around but it seems to get stuck and I quickly lose momentum. I've tried prying three levers into it and now one is giving out. I almost feel like cutting it but then that would just be a waste of a perfectly reusable tire.

FreshBrew

i'm taking a break. need of a beer. Just busted my finger. $%^*!!!!

Chombi

It should come off with some effort....it did get on in there sometime in the past and I never heard of tire beads shrinking some way or another. Just make sure the beads are all off from the sidewalls of the rim and make sure that the inner tube is fully deflated. Also try to use at least three levers on stubborn tires like you have.

Chombi

clubman 

They are the worst rims to change tires on ever. Man I think I had to use irons once to get one brand of tire on those rims. Serious!

Great rims though...pretty bombproof.

auchencrow

Funny you should mention that - I had a hard time getting mine off, but as that sometimes happens with old tires that have been installed for a long long time, I never hesitate to CUT THEM OFF.

Perhaps it was no coincidence though that it was also exceedingly difficult to install the new ones - in this case a pair of Vittoria Zaffiros. I did get them on, but not without some difficulty, despite following the best practices for installation.

FreshBrew

Just took the scissors to them and they still won't slide off. Wow! What a pain in the rear. Funny thing though, the previous owner left the washer for the tube on the inside. Could that of been part of the culprit? Auchencrow, I am installing Vittoria Rubino's. Ahh Hope it goes smoothly

Torchy McFlux

Yeah, those Ambrosio Elites have double-wall eyelets and a very shallow inner wall, if I recall correctly. They are a serious pain to get tires on and off of.
Make sure you push the tube valve up into the tire - that can help the tire bead move toward the center of the rim's inner wall and loosen it up a small bit. Some very low profile tire levers can help too - like Pedro's Milk Levers.

auchencrow

I sometimes have to use bolt cutters on the steel rim cords after I open up the tire. (I hope your finger is not really broken)

FreshBrew

Intermission: One wheel down, one more to go... What a battle. I'm just dreading the day I get a flat on the road. Instaflat?
Torchy, will keep the Pedro's in mind. Thanks

FreshBrew

Not broken but was pretty bloody. A pic to show what can happen if we are not careful. My finger against a tooth from the freewheels cog

auchencrow

Ow ow ow!

USAZorro

Two words...

Speed lever.



Cheap, light, indispensable.

It turns tight into easy, and impossible into a small test of patience.

FreshBrew

Speed lever, Pedro's? Am I able to take my wheel in at a bike shop and give them a test run? That would be a headache saver and a house with less swearing. Bout to handle the front wheel now (taking deep breath) let's do this

Pars 

That brings back memories of a wheelset I still have but don't ride. I used to run Specialized Turbos on them with no problems. I changed tires on them 3-4 years ago, and then started having problems with pinch flats everytime I rode. Don't mean to thread hijack, but related issue with these rims.

USAZorro

Yes. Pedro's.

Couldn't hurt to try that. If they're nice, they might let you - if they carry them in stock.

a couple notes about them - they are very lightweight, and if you use them like a gorilla without a bit of technique, I imagine it wouldn't be difficult to snap one. That said, I've used mine for almost a year now, and have mounted/dismounted some tires that took me 25 minutes of thumb-killing without them, in less than 2 minutes. The trick to the technique is to keep the force you apply as close to where the tire and rim touch as possible.

The other note - I keep my old heavy duty tire levers for the purpose of digging under a tire that's on tight, just to get it away from the rim and get the process started. Once I can slide the speed lever between tire bead and rim, I insert it, and away I go.

devinfan

Just so you don't feel bad - it's not you, or the tire, it's the rims. They are the absolute biggest pain to change, special levers or no. I love them in that they never seem to go out of true, but last time I tried to change mine I came very close to throwing the entire wheel across the room. The last time I flatted on those rims I swallowed my pride (it went down pretty easy) walked the bike into a bike shop and watched them swear over it for 20 minutes, but hey, at least it wasn't me. I also suffered wounds on my first, (and only) attempt with these rims. To tell you the truth they are one of the main reason I switched to tubulas, which now seem impossibly easy by comparison!

FreshBrew

Relieved to hear that I am not the only one struggling with the removal of tires with these wheels. In spite of all my hard work, the much dreaded happened, I got a flat on my commute to school. Some idiots decided to litter the bike trail with broken bottles and was caught w/o my levers. Good thing the GF was readily available to give me a lift. The fix was not as bad as last time though. Pedro's ROCK!!! Thanks Zorro

Devinfan, after my first experience with these wheels, tubulars crossed my mind but I have never given them a try. They seem complicated but have heard many good things about them. One day I will make the leap into tubulars, for now clinchers it is.

miamijim

Cut them.

marley mission

ugh - these rims are brutal - i feel i have inherited some kind of curse - i would gladly switch to another set - but i dont have any other 700s (just a bunch of 27s) - they stand in between my first ride w my new bianchi and its starting to tick me off big time

i too dread getting a flat w these on the road

Wotan

You need three tire levers, imo. Two won't cut it. I like the Michelin ones but plenty of folk favor the Pedros.

And, as Lotek mentioned, an even better solution is to get a tyre bead jack. I've got the Kool Stop version but the one he pictured looks just as good. They work great for getting tires on, too!