I'm on my 5th flat fix in my 4 month commuting career. I'm still having the damndest time getting the tire off ! Are some tire levers better than others? Is there some secret to getting the lever under the bead? I get the first one in no problem, but after that it's a major PITA! I know I need better tires, I'm going to try and get some tonight. And if there are superior levers, let me know so I can pick up some of those too.

Ones with metal cores, as well with practice you will be able to fix a flat without taking the tire off in its entirety. Sometimes it will have to come off though.

I find the Pedro Tire Levers work best for me.

Observation only from a sub 1,000 miler:

Crank Brothers Speedlever?

I would go for the Soma steel core tire levers if you're considering new ones.

While you're at the shop get:

a floor pump with a gauge (if you don't already have one) for use every 2-3 days
tire liners

Maybe stop by the drugstore for some talc for your tubes as well if you are getting a lot of pinch flats. The best way to fix flats is not to get them.

5th flat in 4 months commuting? Sounds like it's time for a set of Marathon Plus tires. That Crank Bros lever is pretty good, BTW.

i'm sure it's not pinch flats, i have floor pump with gauge and i check the tires every morning before I leave, and i've never seen the tell-tale "snake bite".

tonight i'm gonna pick up a set of Forte GT2 Kevlar road tires, and that speed lever. that thing looks cool!

thanks eveyone!

Are you finding pieces of glass and stuff in your tires? The only reason I ask is that I got stuck with some cheap tubes once and it took me a while to figure out that it was the tube tearing around the valve stem and not the tires that were causing me flats.

yeah, i have found the holes everytime. only twice have i found the culprit though. either way, i'm sure it's not the stems.
thanks though!

I have the Forte tires! They've been great for me.... In fact, today I got a flat, but it's only the second flat I've had in the 1400 miles I've put on those tires so far. Reminds me... gotta patch that before I go to bed.

Oh... and if it's not glass given' you flats, it's probably those damn goathead thorns. they're EVERYWHERE!!! *runs around screaming*

I have found that the fatter the tire, the easier it is to take on and off. Generally. With 700x38s I use one plactic tire lever, pry a couple of times and run the lever around the rim popping off one side of the tire. 25s just can not take my commuting weight.

I have the stock Vittoria Randonneur 700x32 tires that came with my bike. 4000 miles with one flat caused by a fairly large size nail. I doubt any tire would have stood up to what I managed to stick in my tire.

Some tire-rim combos are really tough. You should have someone with more experience give it a go on your stuff to judge it. Anyhow, that may be a waste of time as it sounds like you need some tougher tires! I'm fond of the Schwalbe Marathon tires -- not the Marathon Plus, those weigh a ton and are really only necessary if you're riding through fields of broken glass, IMO. Ever see a cross section of the Marathon Plus tires? OMG! A thick, blue, rubbery substance makes them look and no doubt be bulletproof, but that's what makes them so heavy and slow.

Edit: I should point out that I've used only the 20" Marathons on my folders. I imagine the full-size tires are just as good.

I find that the tire levers most commonly found in bike shops now - the fatter plastic ones - are not as good as some I have from years ago. I have relatively thin metal ones and they make taking the tire off easy. I tried to use the plastic ones recently and found it almost impossible!

I haven't actually bought tire levers ever in my life, so I don't know who makes good ones these days and where to buy them.

i just popped on the fortes, keeping my fingers crossed. i do like the all black look though, much better than the crudded up gum wall Kendas i had on before. but i can now through those on the back up commuter i bought last weekend (univega custom 10 for $20).

but i must give a big shout out to the crank bro's speed lever! it made switching tires a breeze.
thanks everyone for the input!

far as getting it off - technique counts. i put all 3 levers in spaced 2-3 inches apart and push them all down at the same time with two spread hands - this gives me leverage across a wider area of the bead rather than focusing everything on one spot. the goal is to get a quarter of the bead off the rim with the first push, which makes it easier to get the rest off by sliding one or the other of the end levers around the rest of the wheel.

definitely agree with the advice that the best way to fix flats is not to get them. and, to keep the theme of tautology bordering on inanity up -- the best way not to get flats is not to ride over things that might puncture your tires. pragmatically this means:
- riding further left because the travel lanes are 'swept' by cars, pushing the junk into the gutter
- scanning further ahead than your first instinct suggests to look out for stuff coming up
- learning to bunny-hop to get over a bad patch that catches you by suprise
- recognizing the evil tribilus terrestris plant and steering well clear to avoid its demon spawn the goathead thorns

the only flats i've had in the last 8 months of daily commuting have been due to stupidity on my part -- one pinch on a new bike whose inflation pressure I didnt check before setting out, and two ripped valve stems from pumping up in a hurry on cold mornings.

2 things to consider:

- width of rims vs width of tire you're putting on them.
Sheldon Brown has chart with his recommended limits on how wide of tire should go on a rim based on it's width. Trying to get a 2.1" tire on a rim that's only 18mm internal width would be tough any day.

- Foldable (kevlar) beads. I switched to soley using kevlar beaded (this is different than kevlar belted) tires due to their increased ease of mounting. With their flexible bead they're easier to mount in my opinion. When you're in a hurry on your commute the few extra $ you spend for foldables is worth it in time you save fighting to get the tire on the rim. If you keep your eye our for sales you can get them for a good price.

Yes, it get's easier with practice. I was on a club ride yesterday, flatted, sent everyone else on and caught up in under 5 minutes. Inflating with co2 sure speeds things along. Now if only I had left that sliver of glass in my tire instead of brushing it out. But you only find out if it's in the tube the hard way I think I need to throw an Armadillo on the front, it has worked wonders out back.

+1 on Armadillo tires. Not getting a flat is the best thing - it's worth the extra weight to me.

+1 greatest invention since the wonder bra

I assume that you are checking carefully (before you put the new tube in) to make sure you got out the thing that caused the flat.
I also go with the armadillo tire recamendation.

Armadillos are great, no flats yet for me. I have heard that over-inflating the tire for the first 10 miles can help prepare it for easier removal at a later time. Is there any merit to this approach?

I got my first flat in 4500 commuting miles last week (at 10:30pm on a road with no street lights of course) using Nimbus Armadillos. My rim tape had moved and wore a hole on the inside of my tube. The tires look like they have at least that much mileage left in them too. $70 well spent in my opinion.

i live close to the beach and instead of riding around a lake, i'd hop on the boardwalk for about 10 seconds. i got more flats that way. i now ride around the lake, don't ride on the boardwalk, and get way less flats. my latest flats have been due to a broken spoke and running over a staple. all in all, flats really do suck.

all this talk of flats gives me the willies, I keep expecting to hear pow! sssssssssss from my bike by the door.