Tips for mounting tires onto wheel???

[foofighter]

Ok it sounds obvious but man my thumbs are hurting today because i spent the better part of a 1/2 hour last night trying to mount my front Specialized Resoultion onto a wheel.

It was so tough the tire leve i was using (plastic) bent and i managed to pinch/puncture 5 holes in my inner tube in the process.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get these tires on? When i had these on the other rim (sundisc) it was a breeze, but on these bontrager rythm rim it's an absolute bear!

[slowSSer]

make sure the bead that's already on the rim is at the lowest,most central part of the rim.

use park or pedros tire levers. most others are cr@p.

let it sit in the sun a bit before you try.

just a few gems....

[amor587]

Maybe try using soapy water around the bead to help slip the rubber onto the wheel, not sure if this will work but worth a try.

[faded1004]

i had the same problem! i think the specialized tires are super small and the bontrager rims are kinda big... i used baby shampoo and water... also, try to get the tire levers with metal cores. they are alittle stronger. after you get them on and alittle milage then they will be easier to remove and put on the next time you need to.

[2wheel_lee]

Make sure you're not trying to fit a 26" tire onto a 29" rim. That is a grave mistake; you should never use 29" rims.

[foofighter]

dammit Lee you got me! LOL no i'm sure it's a 29" tire because it was on a 29" rim before.

Faded1004: thanks for that, i thought it was just me.

i'll look into a better stronger lever...i just hate putting in all that effort only to find that you friggin pinched the tube and punched a hole in it.

[CalEpic]

Use a motorcycle tire lever with the tip wrapped in tape to protect the rim. I defy any mtb tire to not cooperate.

You are slightly inflating the tube first right?

C

[foofighter]

Originally Posted by CalEpic

Use a motorcycle tire lever with the tip wrapped in tape to protect the rim. I defy any mtb tire to not cooperate.

You are slightly inflating the tube first right?

C

Yes indeed although how much do you inflate? I inflate it to get the general shape and yet notinterfere with my wrestlin

[faded1004]

not sure where you live... just call around... i broke 2 levrs trying to put on my speciallized tire... i put on 1, and took the other to the shop... and the shop broke 1 lever.. hahahahaha... that is when i found that it wasn't me... and it was the tire...

anwyays, just keep at it... it only took me like 1 hour...

[DBD]

Soapy water, use a spry bottle, makes it easier

AND

As you get one part of the bead on be sure to go to the opposite side of the wheel and keep/put the bead in the center of the rim. It is deeper then out by the edge and will give you a little extra room to work with.

As for levers, I have yet to break the thick yellow Pedros ones

[mntbiker12]

soap and two levers at once always works for me. some tires are harder than others - just the way it is.

[faded1004]

good tip dbd, i usually like to put the whole wire in the deepest part of the channel... and i like to use 1 lever only at a time... using 2 levers only makes me with i had 3 hands... so i go slow and hold the bead with my hand, i think the extra tire lever makes the bead alittle tighter...

[slowSSer]

Originally Posted by foofighter

Yes indeed although how much do you inflate? I inflate it to get the general shape and yet not interfere with my wrestlin

perfect- inflate so it holds shape. that's all!

hey- also had issues with bontrager rims and specialized tires.

[DBD]

Originally Posted by faded1004

good tip dbd, i usually like to put the whole wire in the deepest part of the channel... and i like to use 1 lever only at a time... using 2 levers only makes me with i had 3 hands... so i go slow and hold the bead with my hand, i think the extra tire lever makes the bead alittle tighter...

You know the small "hooks" on the small end of the levers are to lock onto the spokes so you can leave one in place while working on another part of the tire?

2 levers, two knees and two hands is all it takes sometimes

[faded1004]

yea true... hard to explain my way... for soemreason i can do it with only 1 lever... but i just put it on like opening a can of soup... just go around bit by bit...

[2wheel_lee]

As mentioned, it's important to get the bead of the tire into the center channel...but, if the rim strip you're using is thick, such as Velox rim tape, it can take up some room. If you replace the Velox rim tape with two wraps of strapping tape, you'll have a little more room to work with.

[foofighter]

that's what i did a little at a time to get the dam bead to go over. thanks for the tip on making sure the opposite site is in the center where it's deeper.

Originally Posted by 2wheel_lee

As mentioned, it's important to get the bead of the tire into the center channel...but, if the rim strip you're using is thick, such as Velox rim tape, it can take up some room. If you replace the Velox rim tape with two wraps of strapping tape, you'll have a little more room to work with.

i do have velox...hmm strapping tape...yet another wonderful use for this

[supralight]

Originally Posted by faded1004

i had the same problem! i think the specialized tires are super small and the bontrager rims are kinda big... i used baby shampoo and water... also, try to get the tire levers with metal cores. they are alittle stronger. after you get them on and alittle milage then they will be easier to remove and put on the next time you need to.

i used the metal core levers and broke the tips off. it was lame and now i have to get more levers.
i usually put a lil spit on the lever and the makes the tire go on a bit easier. i dont have time for fancy pants lubes.

[.8down]

TIRES!!! who needs tires...I thought your new rims were tubless too....

[foofighter]

I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for your advice. and so do my fingers

I went and:
extra inner tubes
pedro's tire lever
carl's (pho'd up) steel core tire lever
strapping tap from Lowe's

I set forth removing the tires from the rim and had a hard time pulling the tire off. Removed the Velox rim tape (i really think this was the culprit) and installed the packing tape onto the rim. Then put one side of the tire on and I partially inflated the inner tube. Now comes the fun part; as i was anticipating another wrestling match. I took everyone's advice and made sure that the opposite side was deep into the rim's channel and I'll be a MONKEY'S UNCLE because the dam tire just slide right on over the rim.

My wife who was sitting inside watching me in the backyard doing this is laughing now because she saw how hard I fought w/ this dam tire and how it went on so easily today.

Then i went to inflate, squirted some soapy water along the circumference to help facilitate the bead to set. Viola, it took me longer to remove the tire and inner tube than it did to reinstall it this time.

I'm a happy camper now!

Thanks again for the tips...i'll know better now.