I know any pronouncement is subject to argument here, but here is the situation as I know it: the whole notion of tires being difficult to wrestle on and off a rim has its genesis with the introduction of FOLDING tires. When the folding tires were first introduced, that is when people started complaining about the lack of hand strength to do the job. That is when jacking type tools such as the Var Tyre Tool (see below) were invented to help out. Before then, fingers and/or standard tire levers were sufficient for both on and off. New folding tires are much more difficult to get both on and off the rim than wire beaded tires.

Here is what Sheldon Brown says about it:

"Kevlar beads are used on some high performance tires. Replacing the normal wire bead with Kevlar saves about 50 grams per tire. Kevlar-bead tires have the additional advantage of being foldable, making them popular as emergency spare tires with touring cyclists. Kevlar-bead tires are somewhat harder to mount on a rim, and are more likely to blow off than wire-bead tires. They work best on "hook edge" rims."

The "more likely to blow off" part is why the tires start off so tight and so hard to mount; an attempt to prevent that problem.



Does anyone still think foldable tires are easier to mount?