Odd - I've had nothing but good experiences with them. Yymv.

They make...RiBMo's...in 32?!?!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=322830

Not sure how I missed this...Amazon, here I come!

If a steel belted radial tire can get flats, a bike tire certainly will. No amount of Kevlar, aramid, or whatever will stop it from happening. With that being said, I believe that being able to change flats with the tools you carry is extremely important. No tire that mounts with a ridiculous amount of effort, no matter the flat protection is worth it. The pasela's mount with little effort in my experience, and that's a good thing.

Poor comparison IMO - a steel belted radial tire is on a car weighing the equivalent of 100 bicycles weighing down on it.

http://www.treefortbikes.com/product...FdKe4AodVGQAag

Thx, Aaron! Right now it's cheaper for me to get them through Amazon Prime, but I'm bookmarking Tree Fort Bikes since they price match (and I have no money currently...I've added them to the wishlist).

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do deeth! I have them in 28c, 32c and 26 x 1.5...I especially like them in 26 x 1.5. I've yet to find a city MTB tire that I like more.

Actually I prefer tough to install tires over easy to install, Why you scream? Because should I have a blow out I know that tough to install tire won't come off the rim like grease on teflon as the easy install tires do.

I've got several sets, as well! 2 at 25mm (2013 Racer and 2009 Tourist), and one at 28mm (2010 Racer). Paired with thorn resistant tubes, their rolling resistance is noticeable, but as I weigh in at 220lbs, I don't think a significant loss of speed is completely the fault of my choice in tires.

;-)

I'm looking to throw some 32mm's on another steel single-speed of mine, so thanks for the info!

My point is that if a tire that is built to support 100 times the weight, doing 30 times the mileage, at around 3-4 times the speed can get puncture flats, then a bike tire that is built flimsy by comparison will flat. If anyone really expects no flats from a tire, they are sure to be disappointed when the inevitable happens.

Again - I disagree...the speed and weight of a car just isn't applicable at all to a discussion about bicycle tires.

If your point is that any bicycle tire CAN flat, obviously you're right. Experience has taught me some flat less often than others. I prefer riding ones that balance road feel with flat protection...which is why I like Ribmos.

No love from Aaron! Ok, how about this: Tires will flat-fact. Being able to change/repair your tube without breaking your tire levers and ripping your spare tube is important-fact. I made no mention of car tires, and I am not disagreeing with what you previously stated. I would be remiss however, if I didn't ask, how does discussing the Ribmo apply to a discussion about Pasela's? ;)

Heh - there's no dislike either! In fact I dare say you seem a fine fellow ;)

LOL@last part - it's just an alternate suggestion!

As far as getting tires off without breaking levers...I have the answer for that too, though they're HARD to find:

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb7478755/p4pb7478755.jpg

If you can find them - you're going to thank me. These things work on smarts, not force. They slip right under the bead and take problem tires off with relative ease. Why are they not used more? I have NO IDEA.

I'll have to hunt down a set of those. I've been using Pedro's levers which are pretty good, but some rim/tire combos have bent even those and they're stout. Thanks for the suggestion. Mike

Pedros are good...that was what I always used before discovering the Michelins.

So, here's the story - Pedros were the best I knew about. I bought a flip bike and I found these weird yellow levers in the saddle bag and tossed them aside. I pretty much forgot about them. A few months later I was changing a MONSTER tire...it broke a Pedros and I'd never seen that. It broke a SECOND Pedros. I had pretty much resolved myself to surrender when I remembered those weird yellow levers. What the heck I thought...might as well try. Seconds later the monster tire was off with little hassle.

Recently I picked up a 28 mm 4-season that I bought but hadn't tried yet. It came highly recommended when I explained my intentions to the good people at a very good bike shop in Palo Alto, so I didn't mind dropping the $75 or whatever it cost. I do kind of like the brown-hatched sidewalls, too.

I shall ride tonight, then swap the tire and ride with the 4-season as a direct comparison.


edit: So although I can't compare puncture resistance with 10 miles, I can say that the ride quality of the Conti 4-Season is very nice. I did manage to run over a rare-in-California (not-so-much-in-Philly!) broken beer bottle and neither the Pasela rear nor the 4-season front exploded. I didn't see any debris caught up in the tire, either. Tire also mounted easily by hand and seated well on my Alex R-350 (I think? Removed the label long ago).

I see the brand is Michelin. I'm going to the continent for 6 months tomorrow. I'll see what I can find over there. ;)

I should report that, while I like the Conti 4-season, it only measures 25.5 mm, whereas the identically-sized 28 mm Pasela it replaced measures about 27.8 mm. No wonder it felt a bit quicker!

Well, I found these... brand is Velox. The LBS has a sackfull, for a little under $2 each:

https://aonbbq.dm1.livefilestore.com...0Lever%201.jpg



https://aonbbq.dm1.livefilestore.com...0Lever%203.jpg

They're obviously not identical. Does anyone have experience with these particular levers?

The Var tire lever works the best for tough tires and it's small enough to carry in your seat bag. The toughest tires I've ever had to put on was wire beaded Specialized Aramdillo All Condition tires, those were a pain in the arse. I could get them off with using a regular levers to get it started then insert my QuikStik and zip it off, but putting them back on where the last 3 or 4 inches just would not go on and I broke plastic levers, so I got the VAR and no more problems. The VAR works great but is difficult to find in the states.

Here's how it works: http://randonneurextra.blogspot.com/...ire-lever.html

Here's where to get it; this was the first place I could find there may be others; see: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/var-tyre-levers-prod27539/

Like the instructions show it just grabs the bead then pivots on the other side of the rim using the rim as the pivot point for the slot on the lever, then just pull up and over and snap the tire is on. The VAR does come with a flat plastic lever, this lever is useless for narrow road tires, discard it unless your using it on MTB or X tires.

Also when I was using the Specialized Armadillo I bought a pair of Soma steel core levers because I did break a lever trying to get the tire off, the Soma works great, it has lasted for years and I still use them. And they have a hook on one end so you can hook the lever to a spoke to hold the lever in place; see: http://store.somafab.com/stcotile.html Since I no longer use the Armadillos I simply insert one Soma lever and pry out a small section of the tire and hook the lever to a spoke, then insert the QuikStik and rip the tire off, it takes maybe 15 seconds doing that way.

QuikStik: http://www.rei.com/product/546083/qu...k-tire-changer

Cool info rekmeyata, thanks!
One thing I don't get is the wide variation between tire brands on the effort needed to get the last of the bead over the rim. I think one of the most difficult ones in my fleet is the Vittoria Zafiro. The tire lever usually takes out a small chunk of rubber around the bead as the bead finally slips down into the rim, when levering the last segment over the edge of the rim. One the other hand, the Schwalbe Marathon Plus I can easily get over the rim and seated with just my bare hands, no levers required at any stage in the operation. Two different bikes, two different rims, so this isn't exactly a controlled experiment.:)

I've mentioned this before, don't let difficult tires get you down because if the tire is difficult to put on it will be difficult to come off in the event of a blow out or flat thus protecting your rim and keeping you upright on your bike. I've taken tires back to the store that were too easy to put on!!

Those are excellent considerations in favor of tight fitting beads, in terms of mitigating failure effects and safety hazards. I can attest that it's a pretty hairy business dealing with a rapid deflation at speed and going down hill. One dares not use the brakes too hard, yet you need to come to a stop sooner rather than later. Maybe a drag 'chute is the answer? :lol: Thanks again for the info. :thumb:

FYI, I found a US source for the VAR lever here. I just ordered one for $12 + $2 domestic shipping.

Speaking of drag chutes, my brother when he was 14 or 15 actually tried to see if a drag chute would slow him down on a bike. He got a large plastic dry cleaning bag (not the first time he employed a large dry cleaning bag for a stunt), then proceeded down the road on his bike at about 15 mph, then with both hands holding the bag and not the bike he deployed the bag...sending him off the seat and onto the pavement! You cannot imagine how hard I was laughing.

Other then very nice riding charasteristics, Pasela TourGuards are the easiest tire I have ever worked with. Very easy to install/remove. I've had them on few different rims, and they go on easy and come off easy on just about any rim.