xfimpg

Just bought a pair of Vittoria Rubino Pro clinchers in a 700x25 flavour.... they are hard as heck to install!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is this normal? I mean my rims are standard size with a small hook on the inside, nothing fancy here.

vermilionx

i had the crappier vittoria zaffiro stock and they were also hard as hell to install.

maybe vittorias are just harder to install.

hutchinson atoms - i can install without a tire lever but flat out too much for me.

GP4Ks - this is my tire now. roll good like the atoms, installation is also not hard and they prevent flats pretty good.

BikeDork02

Yep they are tuff to install right out of the box, but they get better with time.

Oh, and it wouldnt be the bike forums without a HTFU reference

xfimpg

Ok so i'm not crazy, well not for this reason anyways.

They are so hard to put on, "How hard are they?", that I somehow managed to slow leak puncture a perfectly brand new tube on the first install. Good grief!

dayday82

I have Vittoria Pro Slicks and they are so easy. I barely need the levers to put them back on. But Mine might be different.

xfimpg

I needed a crowbar to put mine on. Seriously, good thing my levers have metal inside or for sure they would have snapped in two.

snowman40

Are they folding or wire bead? I have both, I hate the wired bead. It hard as hell, talk about an exercise in patience. If I have to change that tube, I just take it into the LBS and don't even bother with it. It is like they built/designed it to fit exactly 700 diameter wheels.

xfimpg

Mine are folding. Can't imagine what I would do if they were folding.

Campag4life

Rubino Pro's are pretty much all I ride and my favorite training tires. No they don't drop on...I have Fulcrum wheels and Campy wheels are known to be a bit big...but I can get the Pro's on...have the new Pro II's...without too much trouble. It is rare indeed to get them on without levers however. My thumbs will remind me for a couple of days if I try that.
I will say this and many know this here...putting on tires is either difficult or not based upon technique as much as the tires and wheels you have.
If you want tips...use the archives...myself and others have built up a data base of suggestions.

ColinL

you most likely pinched the tube in the last bit of seating the second bead on the rim. it is very easy to do if you're using a tire tool, but can be done by hand as well.

puncture and cut resistant tires tend to be tough to mount because of their sidewall robustness. I've never had to resort to it, but anecdotally I've heard of people putting a tire in the dryer on low heat for a few mintues to soften it up for installation.

ColinL

holy crap I agree with C4L on something! might be the second time in history.

the rubino pro is a great everyday tire. so, I'm sorry about your tube, OP, but you made a smart choice with this tire.

CraigB

I bought a pair of standard (non-pro) Rubinos for my backup wheels, and it was a struggle to get them on.

eippo1

With all Vittorias, I prestretch them by having one end under my foot and then putting the other end over my shoulder and then pushing up hard for a few seconds at a time. Helps a ton. I'll also get one side mounted and then leave 'em on there overnight before doing the other side.

If I'm dealing with HED C2 rims, then I'll do the one side mount thing and then swap it to the other side for another night to stretch both sides.

abstractform20

bigfred 

Kevlar bead/folding tires tend to be a bit tight initially and loosen up with time. I however seem to be one of the people who don't like Rubino Pro's. On a friend's recommendation I bought some for Mrs. Fred. Because they went on rims and a bike that were both new to her, she couldn't provide any great reflections on them. I then bought a pair of 25mm for myself. First, there is hardly any difference between her 23's and my 25's. On initial install, her's were actually wider. After stretching out, mine are now marginally wider. But, more importantly, they don't offer very good traction. They may wear well and roll o.k. But, on them I've slid on dry clean curves that I had never experienced traction issues on with either Maxxis Re-fuses or Michelin Pro's. I'm not impressed. They'll probably end up on some back up wheels. But, not for wet weather.

hhnngg1

My Rubino Pros are the easiest of my tires that I've ever put on. Maybe my wheels are a tad smaller, but they're a cakewalk.

Now GATORSKINS - those are tough!

snowman40

Yea, I'm confused as well.

lpolliard

Rubino Pro x23's...a little tough the first time but afterwards no tools necessary.

Dan333SP

I had a set of Zaffiro Pro tires that were relatively easy to mount, but a new pair of Diamante Pro tires were a real pain. I was afraid that I was going to break either my rim or my levers, or rip the tire to bits. Strangely, a pair of Corsa Evo clincher tires I have are incredibly easy to mount. Just a little thumb pressure, no levers, and you're good to go. Gatorskins are also a *****, as mentioned above.

xfimpg

I had to put them up for auction on eBay. After pinching a tube on the first install, I calculated that it wasn't worth the risk of pinching my only spare tube while replacing a flat on a ride.

canam73

Maybe it was for the best, but FYI, tires loosen over time. They are never as hard to mount after the first time.

ColinL

so what did you replace them with? many durable tires are hard to mount. in fact, few puncture-resistant tires are easy to mount.

rooftest

I've been riding those tires for years, and never noticed anything extraordinary. I'm with the guy who said HTFU.

Crappymonkey

Tyre toughest tire I ever had to mount was a Continental trainer tire. I had to great it up with a space heater and I still wound up with blisters. After that experience I bought a Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack and haven't had any installation issues since.

xfimpg

I currently have the Schwalbe Ultremo DDs in a 700x25 and I have to say I am impressed. It's been 200 miles of dirty roads with lots of debris, rocks, you name it, and I don't have a single cut yet. Not one. Love the feel as well. So far so good.