Originally Posted by
Looigi
Right. Also, using talc to lubricate the tube and tire bead makes it much easier to mount and unmount tires and helps reduce the chance of catching and pinching the tube. If you don't use a lever, it's very unlikely you'll damage a tube when mounting a tire. Sometimes warming the tire up a bit in direct sunlight or in a clothes drier will help with particularly refractory tires.
I've never understood all of the warnings against using tire levers. In my 44 years, I've never damaged a tube or tire using levers, in spite of having several rim/tire combos that were very, very tough to get on - even with the levers.
Sure, you can pinch the tube if you're not careful. The solution? Be careful. It's not rocket science.