Easiest fitting tires?
 

Just got myself a pair of DT Swiss RR465 rims and I can't believe how difficult it is to fit conti gp4000s to them

Any suggestions of an easier tyre would be gladly accepted

Blisters on thumbs not a good look:eek:

I almost gave up with GP4000s.. I broke three regular tire levers and I had to buy more durable glass fibre reinforced levers just for them. Finally got them on.

They rolled very well for a year but today I changed them to Schwalbe Ultremo. Now those tires are extremely easy to install. I almost got them on without using a tire lever.

Currently riding on some Gatorskins. They weren't easy to install, but not too difficult either. It was my first time installing tires though (a bit new to road bikes). Plus I'm not exactly the Hulk.

If a tire is so easy to install it flops onto your rim don't you think it may also flop off just as easily?!?

Continental tires are hard to install because they design the the lower tolerance limit as defined by ETRTO. They want their tires to STAY ON under the most extreme conditions.

Rolling a tire in a corner sucks. When it happens the tube blows and most people think they crashed because they flated when actually they crashed because their sloppy tire slipped off the rim in a corner.

No thanks.

I've got a pair of cosmic carbones and the gp4000s are fine. It's the rims. I've heard they are a *****

Recently found the Ultremo R.1s to be the easiest mounting tyres that I have ever used.

You may know this, but it's the hardest the first time. After they've been on for a while they loosen a bit. I've had a few tires that I mounted at home but thought that when I got a flat I'd be screwed. But in each case when the time came they came off and back on much easier than the first time.

Man, that post is full of childish innuendo.

I've posted this photo in a lot of recent threads. It's from my howto: mounting tight tires thread.

With my new rims, I got sore fingers and mangled levers when I tried to put the tires on the first time. I finally figured out an easier way.

The key is to just lift an inch at a time. It doesn't take much force, and it's fast.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wc7ef8CMbxA/S_...0/IMG_8744.JPG


I was in a hurry after I had a pinhole leak in a tube, and must have pinched the tube under the bead. After my ride, I noticed a hump in the tire, where the bead wasn't seated all the way. If the bead had come off the tire rim, the tube would have blown up like a balloon and popped with a bang. Tight fitting tires are good!

It looks like the DT Swiss rims have a shallow well, similar to my Kinlin rims. Deeper center wells allow more slack in the bead, so tires are easier to mount. A shallow well is probably stronger, and the tire is less likely to come off the rim with a flat.

DT Swiss:

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/ima...4-94737300.jpg

Kinlin:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wc7ef8CMbxA/S_...8/IMG_8728.JPG

Buy quality paddles!!! Contis aren't easy to install, like bob pointed out, for good reason. Bit dont worry after you get them in you can handle any tire/tube related situation.

I love my 4000s!! Remember to always intlate before going out and regularly getting the glass shards out. :) happy rolling

I've also found it much easier to use tire levers if you spray the area with glass cleaner, or soapy water. The levers slide much easier!

I ended up using some gloves with rubber grippers on the palm side of the glove to help get my tires on- works like a charm on my GP4000s

It's not the tires, it's the rims. I have the same rims and the same tires fit a lot more easily on rims such as Mavic Open Pros.

I highly recommend using Pedro's tire levers or a tire jack if you still need more leverage.

If you dump the Conti's, make sure you get ones that can be removed easily because you will likely be doing it much more often (in the ditches).

This. Don't use your thumbs. You just need some leverage, tyre against your midsection, lean forward and use your palms to roll it on.