Originally Posted by
Tyrell
I probably should have been a little more specific concerning the wheels and tires on the bike but I didn't know they varied so much! Most all of my tube repair work has been on my MTB. The wheels are the stock Matrix ISO C-II's and the tires I was taking off were Conti Grand Prix 4000 (I think...they're gone in the trash). I installed Panaracer Stradius Pros (from Performance) and they were equally difficult to put on the rims.
I may have to check out one of those bead jack things...looks interesting though I'm not quite sure how it works from looking at it. I'll definitely go get a Pedros lever or two. Thanks for the helpful replies, everyone!!
matrix rims are notorious for being rather difficult when it comes to tire installation. they have a really shallow depth from the bead seat to the outer rim wall, so they don't allow you to get enough slack in the tire bead for easy installation. same with campy rims. a tire bead jack will be your best friend for those rims.