Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

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Date: 24 Aug 2007 11:54:49
From: HKEK
Subject: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

I have been using folding tires on my road bike but have found that
some are easy to mount and dismount and others are difficult to mount
and dismount. Is this a common experience/phenomenon? Am I running the
wrong rims (Trek Matrix ISO CII) for easy tire changes?

When at home, I can coat the tire with something to make it slippery
and this helps. I can also use more and stronger tire levers. Can
anyone recommend a tire that will be easy to dismount so that when I
need to fix a flat out on the road, I don't have to struggle. Thanks!

Date: 27 Aug 2007 12:45:46
From: HKEK
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

Good points about the "well" or "gutter" or "channel", these rims have
none. It is a valuable feature in a rim.

I would not think that a wire bead could be any easier to change,
unless it stretches more readily than Aramid fiber.

I remember reading something about the bead not really needing any
wire or Aramid/Kevlar fiber at all. It was said that one could
actually cut the bead in multiple locations and the clincher system
would still retain the tire just fine (as long as the tire remains
properly inflated). Are there tires available with no wire or Aramid
fiber in the bead? Do the Vittorias OpenCorsa have only the cotton
casing in the bead, allowing it to stretch more easily?

Date: 27 Aug 2007 16:06:25
From: datakoll
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

ach zee rim design! Incroyable! and wire bead. discover that in a
buggy swamp with the DEA bearing down?

try Parks spoon bill tire levers for remounting. clean rim. spray tire
bead with CRC HD silicone from Discunt Auto (following tire purchase,
not onsite in the swamp).
squeeze tire into deep rim section, both hands working toward outboard
point
place spoonbill in at protruding bead edge/rim intersect and hold
level with elbow then work other protruding edge with lever or hand
and other hand. roll the tire's protruding section's top over as well
as the edge directly over the rim well on.
Parks levers have a riser designed in for insertion but you need to
use it to use it.
levers with a distinct edge: use one at the outboard rim and spoke it
with the lever hook, for holding the bead out as you center the
inboard bead closet to ura belly and squeexe tire out to the outboard
point.

Date: 29 Aug 2007 22:55:53
From: Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

datakoll aka gene daniels wrote:
> ach zee rim design! Incroyable! and wire bead. discover that in a
> buggy swamp with the DEA bearing down?...

Writing from experience? ;)

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Date: 26 Aug 2007 21:42:44
From: Zog The Undeniable
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

HKEK wrote:
> I have been using folding tires on my road bike but have found that
> some are easy to mount and dismount and others are difficult to mount
> and dismount. Is this a common experience/phenomenon? Am I running the
> wrong rims (Trek Matrix ISO CII) for easy tire changes?
>
> When at home, I can coat the tire with something to make it slippery
> and this helps. I can also use more and stronger tire levers. Can
> anyone recommend a tire that will be easy to dismount so that when I
> need to fix a flat out on the road, I don't have to struggle. Thanks!
>
Panaracer Stradius have a reputation for being easy to fit. Talc on the
tube helps a lot, not because it does anything when the tyre is
inflated, but because it stops the tube sticking to the rim during fitting.

Date: 25 Aug 2007 23:25:55
From: LF
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

On Aug 24, 2:54 pm, HKEK <coolm...@hotmail.com > wrote:
> I have been using folding tires on my road bike but have found that
> some are easy to mount and dismount and others are difficult <snip>

> When at home, <snip> I can also use more and stronger tire levers. Can
> anyone recommend a tire that will be easy to dismount so that when I
> need to fix a flat out on the road, I don't have to struggle. Thanks!

Keep your current tires and rims. Get titanium tire levers from (no
affilitation) King Cage <http://www.kingcage.com/Home.html >. They are
small, light, and fit just right. Don't leave home withouth them.
They work much better on difficult tires than any other tire lever I
have tried -- including the highly regarded VAR.

BTW, in general, wire bead tires are easier to mount/dismount than the
kevlar bead folding tires you are using.

Best,
Larry

Date: 25 Aug 2007 07:55:32
From: andresmuro@aol.com
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

On Aug 24, 12:54 pm, HKEK <coolm...@hotmail.com > wrote:
> I have been using folding tires on my road bike but have found that
> some are easy to mount and dismount and others are difficult to mount
> and dismount. Is this a common experience/phenomenon? Am I running the
> wrong rims (Trek Matrix ISO CII) for easy tire changes?
>
> When at home, I can coat the tire with something to make it slippery
> and this helps. I can also use more and stronger tire levers. Can
> anyone recommend a tire that will be easy to dismount so that when I
> need to fix a flat out on the road, I don't have to struggle. Thanks!

By using the technique of massaging the beads into the center of the
rim, I can pretty much remove and install any tire with no tools. some
take more effort and some less. On occasions I may find a tire that I
can't remove. Once in the middle of a ride I ran into a friend with a
flat. He didn't have any tools and had a conti tire. I couldn't remove
it for anything, and I don't carry levers. So, I had to get my quick
release out of a wheel and use it as a lever to remove the tire. So,
once in a while I may run into a pain in the ass tire-rim combo. But,
pretty much as everyone says, if you massage the beads into the center
of the rim, you will create enough slack that you will be able to
remove a tire easier.

The technique with a lever is that you insert one, flip it to remove a
portion of the bead, and then slide the lever around the rim.
sometimes, to start to slide the lever, you have to force it a little
and give it a push. Once it gets going, It will remove the entire
tire.

Never use a lever to re-install the tire. That is a sure way to pinch
the tube.

Andres

Date: 25 Aug 2007 19:30:00
From: still me
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

On Sat, 25 Aug 2007 07:55:32 -0700, "andresmuro@aol.com"
<andresmuro@aol.com > wrote:

>Never use a lever to re-install the tire. That is a sure way to pinch
>the tube.
>
>Andres

Agreed. Or just ride tubular tires- no tools needed at any time and
mounting/dismounting is a breeze!

Date: 25 Aug 2007 05:30:57
From: Qui si parla Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

Date: 25 Aug 2007 08:55:44
From: Ned Mantei
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

In article <1187981689.065836.128950@m37g2000prh.googlegroups.com >,
HKEK <coolmale@hotmail.com > wrote:

>I have been using folding tires on my road bike but have found that
>some are easy to mount and dismount and others are difficult to mount
>and dismount. Is this a common experience/phenomenon? Am I running the
>wrong rims (Trek Matrix ISO CII) for easy tire changes?
>
>When at home, I can coat the tire with something to make it slippery
>and this helps. I can also use more and stronger tire levers. Can
>anyone recommend a tire that will be easy to dismount so that when I
>need to fix a flat out on the road, I don't have to struggle. Thanks!

If all else fails you can try a device like the one shown here:
http://www.veloplus.ch/SIMSONReifenknecht.aspx
I used to carry one of these when using narrow tires and rims.

Regards,

--
Ned Mantei
Zurich, Switzerland

Date: 24 Aug 2007 23:12:11
From: KF
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

Date: 24 Aug 2007 17:57:50
From: A Muzi
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

HKEK wrote:
> I have been using folding tires on my road bike but have found that
> some are easy to mount and dismount and others are difficult to mount
> and dismount. Is this a common experience/phenomenon? Am I running the
> wrong rims (Trek Matrix ISO CII) for easy tire changes?
>
> When at home, I can coat the tire with something to make it slippery
> and this helps. I can also use more and stronger tire levers. Can
> anyone recommend a tire that will be easy to dismount so that when I
> need to fix a flat out on the road, I don't have to struggle. Thanks!
>
The expression 'wrong rim' may be more apt than you intended.

Most rims offer a deeper channel in the center, which is where the tire
falls during changing, the bead set diameter being significantly larger.
Trek Matrix' rim designer seemed to overlook that aspect. They are
notoriously difficult for tire changes.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Date: 24 Aug 2007 14:02:56
From: Mike Jacoubowsky
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

>I have been using folding tires on my road bike but have found that
> some are easy to mount and dismount and others are difficult to mount
> and dismount. Is this a common experience/phenomenon? Am I running the
> wrong rims (Trek Matrix ISO CII) for easy tire changes?
>
> When at home, I can coat the tire with something to make it slippery
> and this helps. I can also use more and stronger tire levers. Can
> anyone recommend a tire that will be easy to dismount so that when I
> need to fix a flat out on the road, I don't have to struggle. Thanks!

The ISO-CII was, in fact, a more-difficult rim to change tires on than some
others. The "well" in the center isn't quite as deep as some, accounting for
the difficulty. The trick to making it easier is, after it starts to get
tight (while installing), go around the entire tire (the part you've already
installed) and squeeze it together, towards the middle. This makes sure
you're getting as loose a fit as possible, by moving the tire into the
center of the rim, where the well is lowest.

You should still be able to install a tire entirely without tire levers,
even on an ISO-CII rim. Removal may not be possible without levers though.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Date: 24 Aug 2007 19:33:42
From: landotter
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

On Aug 24, 1:54 pm, HKEK <coolm...@hotmail.com > wrote:
> I have been using folding tires on my road bike but have found that
> some are easy to mount and dismount and others are difficult to mount
> and dismount. Is this a common experience/phenomenon? Am I running the
> wrong rims (Trek Matrix ISO CII) for easy tire changes?

Make sure the first bead is "in the gutter" so to speak when mounting
the second.

>
> When at home, I can coat the tire with something to make it slippery
> and this helps. I can also use more and stronger tire levers. Can
> anyone recommend a tire that will be easy to dismount so that when I
> need to fix a flat out on the road, I don't have to struggle. Thanks!

I've mounted a few tires this week on my herd and none have been
difficult. IRC, Cheng-Shin (Nashbar), some Trek branded stuff,
Vittoria Zaffiro, and probably a couple more brands. Only tires I've
consistently had problems with are Continentals, so I don't buy them.

Maybe you have room in your fix it stuff for a bar of hotel soap you
can use to lube the rim with a little? Plus, it'll make your kit smell
spring fresh!

Date: 24 Aug 2007 21:21:30
From: Kinky Cowboy
Subject: Re: Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 19:33:42 -0000, landotter <landotter@gmail.com >
wrote:

>On Aug 24, 1:54 pm, HKEK <coolm...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> I have been using folding tires on my road bike but have found that
>> some are easy to mount and dismount and others are difficult to mount
>> and dismount. Is this a common experience/phenomenon? Am I running the
>> wrong rims (Trek Matrix ISO CII) for easy tire changes?
>
>
>I've mounted a few tires this week on my herd and none have been
>difficult. IRC, Cheng-Shin (Nashbar), some Trek branded stuff,
>Vittoria Zaffiro, and probably a couple more brands. Only tires I've
>consistently had problems with are Continentals, so I don't buy them.
>

But I've found Contis mount as easily as anything else, from 20mm GP
Supersonics to 37mm SportContacts, so YMMV

The one which needed levers to mount, and eventually succumbed only to
a Stanley knife to remove, was a Specialized Turbo SK4

Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary