Tires too tight!

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Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

I've got a problem getting the tires off my Campy Proton wheels. I'm using Continental Grand Prix 3000 tires. It takes a good 20-30 minutes (and sometimes sacrificing the skin on my hands) to fix a flat. Not good! Can anyone recommend tires that might be 'looser' or will all tires fit tightly on these rims? I've got a couple of good cuts on the tires and should replace them soon. Any suggestions?

Anonymous's picture
Hank Schiffman (not verified)

I have a tool which snaps the bead over the rim by engaging the opposite rim. But I don't remember its name. Can someone help me on this? It is gray plastic and has a tire lever which nests inside when not being used.

Without it I too am dead in the water. I don't leave home without it.

Anonymous's picture
Evan Marks (not verified)
"""Ex-VAR"" tire lever"

So called by Rivendell because it was formerly made by VAR; no longer listed in their catalog, neither Loose Screws, Bite Tools Etc nor Yellow Jersey list it either. SOL, I'm afraid.

Back to the original question, Vredesteins and Vittorias fit a little looser than Contis.

Anonymous's picture
Judith Tripp (not verified)
Crank Brothers tire lever

There's also the Crank Brothers tire lever. Very light, telescopes, hooks under the rim and then I guess to the axle(?) Takes the tire off and puts it back on.

Anonymous's picture
Robert Shay (not verified)
Cool - wonder if it will hold up to pressure
Anonymous's picture
"Chainwheel" (not verified)
I have one

" >>There's also the Crank Brothers tire lever. Very light, telescopes, hooks under the rim and then I guess to the axle(?) Takes the tire off and puts it back on.

I have one. It's ok for normal use, but it would never stand up to a real tight tire/rim combination. Kinda flimsy.

""Chainwheel"""

Anonymous's picture
"Chainwheel" (not verified)
Tire jack

">>I have a tool which snaps the bead over the rim by engaging the opposite rim.

Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack? It does a great job getting a tire mounted, but not removed.

http://www.koolstop.com/Accessories/index.html#Anchor-without-3800

""Chainwheel"""

Anonymous's picture
Neile (not verified)
Try these
Anonymous's picture
Evan Marks (not verified)
That's it!

Oops, I didn't notice there was a second page of tire levers ...

Anonymous's picture
Christian Edstrom (not verified)

Ex-VAR lever is good.

Vittoria tires are pretty loose and might help a little, but the issue is your rims. All the Campy pre-builts are big.

Oh, and if you're performing this tire change in the comfort of your home, be sure to put some dishwashing soap on the sidewalls and rims.

- Christian

Anonymous's picture
David Oliner (not verified)

"A few tips from ""Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance""

Start removing at the valve stem. The stem doesn't let that part of the tire compress into the rim, which would give slack 180 degree away to pull the bead out of the rim. (That is best that I can explain that)

When refitting, use talcum powder around the inside of the tire and on the outside of the tube so the two do not adhere to each other.

Or how about using evaporated milk as a leak sealant? Just pour some into a pump you don't care about, and pump into tube."

Anonymous's picture
Sue Foster (not verified)

Thanks, everybody. I just ordered one of those VAR tire tools. Sounds like just the thing I need. I'll probably never leave home without it!

Anonymous's picture
Tony Rentschler (not verified)
Tire jack

The tires on my small-wheeled bike are so tough to install that I've bent, though not broken, the VAR levers. Bare hands and regular tire levers simply will not work - I've never seen anything like it!

The Kool-Stop tire jack makes quick work of the installation, however. You can get it from bikeman.com, as well as biketoolsetc, as Neile noted:

http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/p/TLSLUBETOOLTIRE/TL4022

In my case, it's the rims, not the tires, that cause the fit problems.

Anonymous's picture
Neile (not verified)
That Kool-Stop thing weighs a pound.

"Fine for home. A bit pudgy for a club ride. Makes nonsense of saving a few grams on Contis vs. Vredesteins 700x23s.

It's why I like Armadillos. They're the most flat resistant. They wear well. They have rigid sidewalls, so you maintain some control in a blowout. They go on and off the rim pretty. Last time I helped a rider with a flat, it took two of us to lift a Conti bead over the Ksyrium. I mean it's 25 outside, I'm riding to work in a few hours and doing the UAR tonight, who wants to change a flat in this weather?

At some point we're going to have a thread on the criteria for what comprises a good ""club"" bike. ... OK, twist my arm. I'll start a new thread:

http://nycc.org/mb/Thread.aspx?B=1&T=5539&TP=1#Msg0"

Anonymous's picture
Tony Rentschler (not verified)
No, it's light!

Neile, my Kool-Stop jack is lightweight plastic! It's not heavy. It's a bit long for a mini-saddlebag, that's true, but I like the one I have so much I'm going to order another. Then I'll have one for home, and one to carry with me.

They don't make 20-inch armadillos, so I'm stuck with a tough fit no matter where I am.

I am going to build up another set of wheels, with different rims, and see if that helps with the gnarly fit issue, but now I think the tire jack is a cool thing to have anyway.

Anonymous's picture
Christian (not verified)

The thing about Armadillos is that I found the ride so terrible I preferred to walk or employ any mode of transportation other than riding a bike.

Now I use slightly-flat-prone, but ever-so-supple Veloflexes.

- Christian

Anonymous's picture
KMLEY (not verified)
haha

their pave tire is the next best thing to riding tubulars!

-kevin

Anonymous's picture
<a href="http://www.OhReallyOreilly.com">Peter O'Reilly</a> (not verified)
Thinner Rim tape

Depending on how smooth your rim and nipple eyelets (if it has 'em), try replacing your rim tape with something thinner, just as string and adhesive like packing tape. A deeper tire well in the rim should help a little more with removing and installing the tire.

Anonymous's picture
Evan Marks (not verified)
packing tape

It seems like a good idea but it dries out and leaves a horrible sticky, stringy mess that's almost impossible to remove - you'll be undecided whether to throw the wheels or yourself out the window.

Anonymous's picture
Christian (not verified)

You can use the plastic Bontrager or Salsa snap-on rim tape. It's crap, but it does make mounting tires a bit easier, and no residue.

But really, Velox is the ticket.

- Christian

Anonymous's picture
Tony Rentschler (not verified)
Veloplugs

Velocity makes rim plugs to compensate for their sometimes oversized rims:

http://velocityusa.com/accessories.php

Hey, less rotational weight than that old-fashioned cloth tape.

Kinda hard to find online, here's one source:

http://www.trisports.com/veve.html

I bought a packet and they just arrived today, but I haven't tried them yet because it's so hard to get my tires on and off the rims!

Anonymous's picture
Christian (not verified)

Well, that seems about 24, 28, 32, 36, or 40 times as much fun as applying a rim strip. Hope they work out for you!

- Christian

Anonymous's picture
jc (not verified)
Try these
Anonymous's picture
Neile (not verified)
Joke's on me

"The studded tires I got wouldn't fit the rim.

Tryin to get the Nokian's on my WTB 26"" set was turning into a real trial. I could have wrestled it on eventually but decided that it was NOT something I wanted to have do deal again with in freezing snow.

Measured my second set of Mavics as 1/8"" smaller in diameter. The tires went on no problem.

Good thing I had two sets of rims."

Anonymous's picture
John Z (not verified)
Same here

Yesterday evening I experienced a good deal of trouble get a studded tire on my rear wheel; the front was OK but it is a different rim.

I agree trying to changing a rear flat outdoors in the cold would be a serious challenge for me; however, on my mountain bike I use slime tubes which in my (limited) experience with them appear reasonably effective.

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