Pump Pain..........
 

While trying to put new tires on my bike because of flats this week two things
happened. First, tire irons are a great help getting the tire off the rim but really
stink at getting the last bit of bead back onto the tire. Secondly, my very old
and very, very cheap Bell tire pump has pumped its last. Actually it was more
of a wheeze.

Sooooo, are there any tircks to getting the last bit of tire back onto the rim,
and does anybody have any favorite floor pumps?

LastPlace

It depends on the particular tire & rim combination, but in many cases I can mount and dismount tires just using my hands... no irons needed. I prefer to do it that way if possible, because there is much less chance of damaging the tube.

Make sure you get the bead on opposite the valve stem first, and pinch the beads together in that area. That will usually create enough slack that the last part of the tire near the valve stem is pretty easy to do, even without tools.

Once you get both beads on, go completely around the tire, squeezing the beads together to make sure there is no place where the tube is going to get pinched between the tire bead and rim.

It's also a good idea to lightly inflate the tube (with a Presta valve, I just blow into it with my mouth) before inserting it into the tire... a tube with some "shape" is harder to pinch.

Take the spare tube, coat it in baby powder and put it in a baggie with a little extra powder. The next time you have the tire off, sprinkle the extra baby powder in the tire and rotate the tire around to spread the powder.

When putting the tire back together, make sure the side of the tire that is already in the rim is NOT up against the rim but more toward the center. This gives the side you are working with more slack.

If you do it this way you may not need tire irons to put the tire back on. You will probably be able to do it with your fingers.

Any floor pump at your LBS should be fine. It's convenient if it has a gauge.

It's pretty easy to put a folding tire (kevlar bead) on by hand. The tires with a wire bead are much harder, and I usually have to use a lever to get the last bit on.

LastPlace,

I find the Kool-Stop tire bead jack to be very helpful.

http://www.koolstop.com/Accessories/index.html

It's at the very bottom of the page, on the right.

Ron

I am pleased to state that the last time I fixed a flat, I was able to remount a Specialized Armadillo WITHOUT the use of any tire levers, simply by using my hands sort of as described above. The Armadillo is famous for being a tough tire to mount, and is a steel beaded tire.

Grasp the tire and rim with your fingers and push the last bit of tire onto the rim with your thumbs.

Yep, I have mounted Armadillos with steel bead the same way.

Thanks folks for all the advice. Guess it will just take practice to get the bead back on
but hopefully the Specialized tires with 'Flak Jacket' will make it less often.

areles......That tool looks very interesting; do you carry it on rides?

The only store open today had Trek pumps and units by Specialized and I read a bad
review on one Trek unit so I just went with the Specialized 'AirTool Comp', and I was
amazed how much easier it is to use compared to my ancient Bell. Hopefully the guage
is accurate.

One more thing....my equally old Bell helmet is disintegrating more on every ride. Any
favorites amongst you folks?

As always, thanks, and your milage may vary.

LastPlace

One last bit of standard wisdom, once the tire has been thumbed or levered on, put in maybe 10 to 20 lbs. and then check both sides of the rim to make sure the tube was well seated inside the tire. Else you might, after a few more pumps, hear a loud pop as part if your tube has ballooned out between tire & rim. A real pain out on the road unless you carry two tubes.

And always carry a "boot" in case you rip or put a big hole in your tire that will allow a similar escape of inflated tube. A few pieces of inner tube cut into 3-4" long strips will do. Goes between tire rip and inflated tube. 8-) I'm sure some of us have used heavy paper and assorted trash from the road side as a boot to get home on ... I have.

If I can mount a tyre by hand without irons, then I look for a better combination of tyre and rim. If a tyre fits a rim that easily, then I have found that it can come off that easy aswell. Maybe this is because I normally only run 40 lbs pressure in the tyres, but don't like having tyres blow off the rims, especially at speed.
I do have some rims that require as many as 3 irons to get the tyre off the rim, and I also have a set of Continental Slicks (That I do run at 110psi) with Kevlar beads that will not fit on most of my wheels. Some tyres are tight to fit, Some rims are very hard to fit tyres to, and as I say, I have at least one combination of tyre and rim that will not go.

On the tyre Irons (we call them Levers over here) there is also a difference in the quality of them. Most are made of hard plastic, and I have 2 sets of 3 blue ones, that cost a lot more than the ones I do use, that are so flexible, that I cannot demount a tyre with them. Never used to have this problem when I was a youngster, but Mum had a lot of bent spoons in the Kitchen.

Most everything is already covered, but just in case:

1. start the tire mount at the tube stem hole and have final push at far end
2. double check tube is out of the way. you only want a tiny bit of pressure in it, just so it doesn't snag on something when it expands.
3. if you can, mount with hands
4. double check your iron/lever does not pinch the tube before you apply pressure.
5. sometimes you can use the level partway, without sliding around the rim, and then finish by hand.
6. depending on the tire, sometimes it's easier using 2 levers than just one.

That's backwards from the way I have always done it. I start with the area OPPOSITE the valve stem, because that is the area that allows you to get the two beads the deepest into the well (which you need to do in order to make the last part of the mounting easier). The last part of the bead I put on is the part at the valve stem.

If people do it the other way, no wonder they have to use tar arns.

All good suggestions on tire mounting, but sometimes you get a mismatch where the bead JUST WON'T GO over the darned rim! I was trying to put some Specialized Pro Turbo Cippolinis on my Sunrim MZ-14 rims. NO GO! This was despite the fact that I could put the same tires on a set of Alex rims with my bare hands! In order to limit damage, I finally took the wheels to the LBS. After significant cussin', the LBS got them on. Sometimes, brute force and awkwardness is the only answer.

I think if I ran across a combination that was as bad as that, I would switch to a different tire. If you get a flat on the road, you'll never get it off and back on again in the adverse conditions of a roadside repair.

The only other small piece of advice is when I get to the very end of the tire mount, I use the heel of the palm of my hand, not my thumbs. You have much more leverage this way.

Thanks again for all the advice folks and have a happy
holiday.

LastPlace

When I ride those wheels, I'm staying close to home so a cell phone call will provide a rescue!

This is a problem depending on the tyres you're using. There are tyre levers which make that last inch or so easy however. Try "var" tyre levers which use the opposite rim in a levering action to pull the last bit of bead over.http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/graphics/var%20Tool.th.jpg

Out on the Tandem tonight and in trying to prove to a couple of Solos that they are not fast enough, we got a puncture. Typical Puncture of heavy force coming down on a rough track that is covered in Flints. Took the tyre off in quick time, new tube, checked the tyre and we got away just as they caught us up. 1 mile further on and another puncture through the same reason.
The Rim is a Mavic ex729- Heavy duty disc specific downhill rim and the tyre a Continental Premolar 1 with kevlar bead. To take the tyre off on both occasions took two Irons and a bit of effort. First time the tyre went back on- I had to use 1 iron to get the tyre onto the rim. Second time no irons just thumbs to push it back on. Same tyre, same rim and the only reason it went back on easier the second time, was that the bead must have stretched a little.

While we are on the subject of tyres, and punctures,- How many of you have confidence in your pump that you carry on the bike. Pointless carrying the thing if when you go to use it- it doesn't work.

I bought a Topeak Road Morph pump based on excellent reviews. When I got it home, I deflated one of my 700x32s and pumped it back up with the new pump (to 95lbs, the pressure I usually run).

I was pleased that such a small pump was relatively easy to pump that somewhat high volume tire to 95lbs. The fold out foot and handle that allow you to work it like a regular floor pump make it easy. And the built-in guage reads the same as the one on my floor pump and the separate guage I have.

So I'd say "yes, I have confidence in it".

I have the same style of pump, may even be a Topeak, but I have had it so long, the labels are long gone but it is a superb pump. The reason for that question is- You Don't use a pump for months and it is always on the bike. Eventually a bit of water gets in, the seals go hard or something happens and when you go to use it, It does not work. All of my group carry pumps, but Mine is the only one that will inflate the tyres above 30lbs. I now regularly service the pump, and check it out at least once a month so than when I need it, it works.

I agree, checking it periodically and doing some maintenance is a good idea. Checking it at HOME under optimal conditions beats the hell out of checking it on the side of the road when you need it and finding out it doesn't work.