RubeRad

fify -- more funny this way

danmyersmn

Pedro's for me!

noglider 

I like the old fashioned steel ones. I carry two at a time. Plastic levers are a good idea if you're dealing with delicate rims, but I don't have those. I've broken plastic levers a few times, and that's frustrating. If I had to carry them, I might carry a spare.

I-Like-To-Bike

I've had the same, no name steel tire irons in my bike tool kit for umpteen years; can't imagine I paid anything more than a buck or two for them. No fuss and no muss mounting/dismounting tires on the road or at home, even without an approved brand name.

zacster

None. I can dismount and mount the tires on both my roadie and commuter without them. The tires on my roadie are new GP4000, and they always have enough give. My commuter uses Gatorskins, and the trick I learned with these is to dismount and mount at the quarter turn from the stem, not the usual way opposite the stem. The bead also needs to be in the center groove of the rim on the spoke tape, not at the edge, on the opposite quarter. That extra 1/4" or less is all that is needed to have it pop off and on. This method would also probably work with those super tight tires, although the Gatorskins replaced my last pair of tires like that.

NoTrail

On my commute, I always carry the Portland Design Works 3wrencho. Works great and the 15mm wrench allows quick wheel removal too.

RubeRad

That's really elegant actually. They advertise it's also good for scooping peanut butter and opening beer bottles.

Reminds me of my vintage campy 'peanut butter wrench'; a 15mm wrench with a nice flat handle that would indeed be great for scooping peanut butter; how much cooler if it had also been shaped into a tire lever!

cyccommute 

Don't make me come over there and go all significant figures on ya

KonAaron Snake 

These, if you can find them:

Michelin Tyre Levers | Chain Reaction Cycles

I guaranty you that whatever lever you're using is not as good. Unless it's these. They slip right under, they're no muss/no fuss and they don't break because they don't rely on blunt force trauma.

alan s 

Pedro’s to remove. Hand strength and years of experience to install.

steppinthrax

Cheap walmart plastic one.s

deephate 

Park except for those goofy rounded ones that I think they upgraded.

no motor?

I usually use my hands.

canklecat

Neat. I might try those. So far I've managed to mount, dismount and remount my Schwalbe One folders with generic plastic levers but it's a real chore.

For my hybrid bikes' fatter tires with wire beads, any old lever will do.

BikeLite

Continental levers look just like the Michelin.
Continental Tyre Levers Road | Chain Reaction Cycles

2cam16

How are the Chinese ones treating you?

Gaelen

Park. They're the only ones I've used, I'd imagine those old steel ones are great, but, I generally only need one to pop off a gatorskin.

Gresp15C

Wow, incandescent bulbs. Now that's vintage.

xraytech

SOMA Steel Core to take them off...




If the last bit of bead is stubborn, Cool Stop Bead Jack...

rm -rf

I had just one lever of the flat style, liked it, and ordered two sets. It turned out to be the hooked non-flat style, and they've worked great for years. I sawed off the hooks on the pair in my saddle bag -- hooks are useless on tight fitting tires, and unnecessary on easy tires.

These hook Continentals are very similar to Pedros levers, a little narrower, but the same blunted tip shape. The flat style ones are very unlikely to pinch a tube, but they are maybe too flexy.

Terrible: the Park TL-1 levers. The tip is too sharp and pointy, and the weird indents on the back side of the tip make it even worse. The levers tended to pop off the rim when lifting the bead over. Looks like Park redesigned them as the TL-1.2, but I haven't tried those.

trailgumby

Are these still available? They are the best tyre lever I have ever used. The thin tip and hook are perfect, and give the lever massive leverage unlike any other lever.

I had to switch to Schwalbe because the LBS's that were stocking them said they were no longer being made.

Schwalbe have a similar tip shape and material, but not as compact. They do have a spoke hook but realistically I never use it.

m.c. 

I have Pedros now. I used some grey ones in the past that had a thinner hook that worked well. I like having a spoke hook.

KonAaron Snake 

If you google them you can usually find a pair, but you have to pay shipping from a foreign country a lot of the time.

Joe Bikerider

I have two sets of plastic levers: Pedros and some noname. Pedros are the best because the plastic is harder and more slippery. Once inserted they can be slid sideways pretty easily to take the tire right off. The nonames don't slide that well and require more insertions. All depends on the tire of course.

lost_in_endicot

I like the Park levers. I made some that look similar to the Park levers on my 3D printer, but I haven't tried them out yet.