Originally Posted by
kamtsa
Jur, I have Marathon tires and this wheel (20" version):
http://www.alexrims.com/product_deta...=2&cat=2&id=71
How does the depth of the center of the rim's well compares to yours?
It is pretty flat so moving the tire to the middle does not create much clearance in the other side. Or, my technique may need improvement.
Edit: here is another 20" wheel
http://www.alexrims.com/product_deta...7&cat=6&id=117 and it has a significantly deeper well. This made me to think that some rim/tire combination are easier to remove than others.
Kam
Mine in the demonstration is
http://www.alexrims.com/product_deta...6&cat=5&id=106
Scaling from the two drawings, mine has a 6.4mm well while yours is 7.2mm, so deeper than mine.
But you are correct, some rim and tyre combinations are much more difficult than others. EG, my Sun Ringle Rhynolite rim + Big Apple on the R20 is ridiculously easy. The Velocity Aeroheat + Conti GP is about the same or a little more difficult than the demo (I tried that one later). But it is true that after first reading about the technique in the first link above, and after mastering it, I have not failed in a single case to remove a tyre without a tool. The method I describe by sliding the hands down while squeezing the bead together, I later saw done by an ex pro rider on a road wheel during the Fleche-Opperman trial (see long rides thread).