The wheel makes as much difference as the tire. I have found that sometimes mounting a tire the first time is rather difficult but becomes easier as the tire wears and stretches. I have a pair of Nokian studded tires for my mountain bike. The front took me 45 minutes to get on, and that was not without bloody palms from the studs. Decided that the rear would just stay off for the winter. The tire just didn't want to go on the Stan's wheel. My buddy had very little issue getting them on his stock Specialized wheelset. Tiny variances in the tire and wheel is a huge frustration factor. And my well used Gatorskins will come off without a tire lever once the tube is deflated.