I was beginning to think something was wrong with me. 25 years of cycling and I never had any problems mounting tires, yet someone here has trouble every day.

I got a spare set of wheels and tires for the gravel bike at a co-op, to keep kid trailer miles off the good tires. Up front I ended up with a narrow Matrix rim from the 90s (with a Dura Ace hub, $20). I used a 23mm Gatorskin with a steel bead. It took me a good 20 minutes, some thumb pain, soapy water, and finally a switch to a narrower tire lever got it done.

The tube uber thankfully has a removable core, so I can use sealant, good thing cause I’d never get that off and back on while wrangling a toddler on a bike trail.

Not looking for advice, I just wanted to acknowledge that sometimes, occasionally, hard to mount tires are not just user error.