My mistake. In CA, they have to take it. Thought it was a fed law, but it must be by state.

that would make braking very difficulty.

You use a pump...? You pu**y.

Real men blow up their tires with their mouths. Real he-men then turn the little nut on the presta valve tight using only their tongue.

when my car needs the shop I put the bike on top and tell them I'll check in in two hours. Then I ride.

Ummmm....I was just trying to get the bead over the rim....snapped the ends of the levers off in doing so.

I have never seen tires that fit this tight before. I will be going with a different set of tires on these wheels, as trying to remove these tires in the field will be pretty much impossible.

have you tried taking a smaller "bite" of the part you are trying to lever over the rim?

How much smaller can I make it....it was the width of the tire lever....snapped 'em right in half, the tire is on there so tight.

Granted, it took the Park TL-10 heavy duty shop tool to initally get the tires on....with a lot of effort.

When tires are new they can be a bear to get over the rim, but after a few miles of riding, they will loosen up and be a lot easier to work with.

Hell, I replace tubulars on the road when I get a flat on my back-up bike. I've done one in less than 5 minutes.

Yeah...it's not like my first time changing tires or anything....but I have never seen a rim/tire combination that's this hard to work with.

I will be buying a different set of tires today.

I didn't see this quote in this thread so I thought I would post it:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

Robert Heinlein

Opportunity cost is one thing but being one-dimensional is another thing entirely. Heinlein tried to develop this notion of multi-faceted humanity as superior to specialized insects in his marvelous book Starship Troopers. Unfortunately Hollywood got hold of it...

People tend to be afraid of things they don't understand, and bicycle tires are no different. So it is hardly surprising that many people pay to have them repaired. I agree with the others that it is a skill anyone who rides more than a mile from home should have because you may need to fix yourself to keep going/get yourself home.

Maybe they're lawyers:D

or doctors (Drs. Pete and Ray being the exceptions who prove the rule.)

Picked up a pair of Bonty Race Lite Hardcase tires :rolleyes:....ah well, should be a good training tire since it's nice and heavy. And with that added heft, hopefully that means I won't be replacing tubes very often.

Even took the shop a bit to get the tires off....I guess they had metal tire levers, which made it a bit easier since theirs didn't break in half.

Now....my quest begins to find a set of wheels that likes Continental tires.

I'm a lawyer. I can definitely change a tire in less than 6 minutes but I'd have to charge you for the entire 0.1 hour.

when i wa a little girl.... my daddy fixed all my flat tires!!!!!

now... hubby fixes them.... unless i'm out riding alone... then i get stuck fixing them myself! http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/132.gif

i don't patch though.... mine don't stick for some reason.... so i take them home and hubby patches them and then i put it back in my little under the seat bag!

People spend money on convenience all the time.

I can park a car, but sometimes it is convenient to pay a valet to do it.

I can clear a plugged drain, but sometimes it is convenient to have a plumber do it.

I can mow a lawn, but maybe I would rather watch someone else do it.

If I spend $150 to get a bottle cage that weighs 7 grams less than yours, and get compliments on it, then why can't I pay someone $15 to change a tube if I want to? Perhaps I need to place a sticker on my bike proclaiming that the tires were mounted by a professional... then would you people stop ridiculing me for having the shop change my tire?




Actually, I do change my own tires, but I don't have to. :D