If it makes you feel any better - my battle to mount tires on SL23's (V1) was fierce as well. I actually knocked the rear wheel out of true and had to run it back to the builder. I now have and carry the Kool Stop Tire Jack. Has anyone else mentioned heating them up a little bit? A few minutes in the dryer helped me.
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"The older you do get, the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin', man, L-I-V-I-N." - Wooderson
'14 carbon Synapse - '12 CAAD 10 5 - '99 Gary Fisher Big Sur