Originally Posted by
shortshorts
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.