Murphy's Law
 

Happens every day. Little things. Happens with bike monkeys, too.

I look for deals when I can, they are rare around here. I've pretty much given up.
My friend finds a Cannondale R800 in the landfill, missing a saddle and post, no rust, Shimano 105 STI group.

I lend him my extra tire levers and sell him some tubes/tires, a saddle and post. Off he goes. I have some tires to change.

I break both of my remaining levers trying to install some folding Michelins.
I switch to a metal motorcycle lever, putting holes in two tubes.

Murphy's Law.

just goes to show, Cannondales and nice guys always finish last.

Been there and done that. I broke three out of my four levers trying to install some low-end 27" Michelins and got the other one stuck so bad I just said WTF and snapped it off for good measure, got a new set of some heavier Pedro's levers and proceeded to pinch flat the tube. Murphy's Law is the prime mover of the universe, well ahead of whatever comes in second.

I broke down and bought a park tools tire mounter (it was on sale)...for those times when nothing else will work.

this is why I dont' use tire levers. Although I understand that certain tire/rim combinations will not work without

That Murphy ------ he is a bad dude. Lp

Corollary to Murphy's Law:
No good deed goes unpunished.

Al, I know full well you've had a Murphy moment. Don't let me and 23skidoo be the only ham-handed monkeys out there.

And 23skidoo, I can relate. I'm gong to Walmart and buy a gross of those things.

Funny, when I was a kid, I used screwdrivers. Didn't seem to have a problem.

K.I.S.S.

Never do anything and you'll never make a mistake.

It matters not what the,...


but I digress.

Hey Robbie, I suppose you may already know that a little talc helps
a lot. Better yet, I keep a old Windex bottle with a solution of dish
detergent mixed with water to spray on the tire and rim if need be.
Works well :thumb:

When I can't thumb them on, and have to use a spoon, I make sure that
I keep the spoon tight up against the rim as I go over the edge of the rim
to spoon the tire on. I've never popped a tube this way. I use the good
(curved) Trek levers BTW. After placing the tube in the tire, and once it's
beaded on, I then take both thumbs, lift and snap the tire and tube
together all the way around the rim to seat the tube in the tire.

Some rims are just a little oversize, and fold-ups are still easier to get on then a
wire bead.. The good thing is that once beaded up on the rim, there is less
chance of blow-off. Back in the day (60's-80's) when I raced, there was always
the worry that I would roll-off a tubular during a wide open sprint. Or, in the middle
of a corner. Todays clinchers, have come a long way. The good thing is they are
a whole lot easier to change out. :)

I'm sure you use the same technique, but some other Members may not. Just trying
to help.



JohnnyBee. PS- My Campy wheels still give me a fit. :p

VAR has put out a new tire-lever. And it's NOT a gimmick. I thought it would end up in my stupid-gimmicks box. But no - it really, really works. Puts the toughest clincher on the meanest rim with total ease. Honest! I was jaw-dropped amazed.

VAR Super Tyre Tool:

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/p...nog/ea56_1.jpg

Look around, Google, call LBS...get one.They really are that good. And I have a big collection of tire-tools. Including the giant Park Tools TL5's.

EDIT: Sometimes they come without instructions, which are simple. Feel free to pm me if you need a copy.

What's the first rule of bike club: Never get beaten to the landfill! What's the second rule of bike club: Never get beaten to the landfill!
Might want to try these:
http://www.velo-orange.com/lealtile.html

I now have about 12 different sets of tire-levers that resemble, in terms of how they work, the Lezyne levers above. The new VAR leaves them in the dust. You put the tire on the rim with the tube partly inflated. Do your best to get it on by hand. Where it's not budging, put the upside-down 'U' on the rim-wall that the tire is all the way on opposite of the tough spot(s - you may need to do this a couple times depending), and then, straddling the rim, hook the other side of the tool over & under the bead of the tire. Pull it back towards you. The tire is on.

Hmm.

I think I need one of these.

East Hill

Me too. This advice is much appreciated.

A trick I've used for really tough tires is use two plastic tire levers in this safe way:

Put on leather gloves for good grip (the gloves I was wearing when I just gave up trying to thumb the tire on are fine. They are tight-fitting neoprene gloves with leather volar surfaces intended for riding in the rain but they didn't work well for that. The do work well for mouting tires and stress-relieving spokes.)
Address the wheel edge-on so that you are looking into the bed of the rim (not facing it broadside the way you usually are when mounting a tire.)
Grasp the far side of the rim (about 2 o'clock) firmly in your left hand bracing it against your body, the wall, and a chair seat or a low bench.
Insert a plastic tire lever vertically into the space between the tire bead and the rim just on the far side of the un-mounted section. Make sure the end of the tire lever beds down into the rim against the rim tape.
DO NOT INSERT THE TIRE LEVER UNDER THE BEAD where it can pinch the tube. You want it always between the bead and the rim. If you keep the tire lever vertical you will be OK.
Get a good grip on the tire lever and pull it hard toward you, keeping it vertical in the vertical plane of the wheel. As the lever bears against the unmounted bead it will lift it ever so slightly. It will be difficult because you aren't applying any leverage against a fulcrum; rather it's direct force.
Insert a second lever the same way on the near side of the un-mounted bead and push it firmly away from you.
Alternate pushing on the near lever with pulling on the far one to encroach on and shorten the unmounted section. Eventually the bead will either hop up over the edge of the rim, or it will climb just enough that your thumbs or the heel of your hand will be strong enough to lift it the rest of the way and snap it on.
Wiggle the tire levers out and you're done.

Before you start, be sure you have excluded mounting errors as the cause of the tire being difficult. Ensure that the tire bead is seated deep into the rim all the way around and that there is no place where the tube is protruding out from under the tire bead. Not only will this blow the tube upon inflation if you ever do get the tire on, but it will prevent the tire bead from seating far enough to give slack for mounting at the last tough bit.

Sorry Robbie, No Murphy moments here. Just cause I put MTB axle with 133mm spacing when I rebuilt a rear Matrix road wheel instead of 126mm (that was laying next to it) for a 7 speed, 1990s frame with 126 mm spacing, is not a Murphy moment. Just cause I got three pinch flats in a row trying to mount a new tire on my C-dale rim, is not a Murphy moment. Just cause I bought a new stem at a great price on ebay, then when it arrived I realized I bought a stem for 26mm bars instead of the 31.8 I need is not a Murhpy moment.
That's cause I INTENDED to do all those things :D.

I still do when I'm in a pinch...so to speak.

Of the dozens of times I've had to do this, I've popped one tube, and that was a Slime tube that was coming out anyway.