Bicycle tyre levers ???

[Teepee]

I was fine putting it back on ~ except for the last few inches which stubbornly refused until they were ironed on .


Perhaps I'm just coming from a position of uncertainty and so, am being a bit too gentle

Possibly Phil, I wouldn't put you down as a weakling though. I learnt in races. When you get a flat, that tyre comes off and on again at light speed. I used to use CO2 carts for instant inflation, don't know it this is still done as I've been out of the game for years.

As the last bit pops on, pushing the bead in moves the tyre away from the rim and allows it to take on more of a 'teardrop' shape. 4 or 5 goes sometimes needed now I think back for some really badly made chinese tyres.

Another related tip mate; when the tyre is seated back on the rim, pump a bit of air in, deflate again and pump. It seats the tube properly.

Bod, those look really good for stubborn beads. I can see some beads being awful and they would work well.

 

[decorum]

Don't get any that look like this, wired tyres destroy them like matchsticks,

Pretty much what happened . I've known for an age that I should have sorted something out before I needed them ~ they were a cheap and cheerful gift when I switched from car to cycle

Possibly Phil, I wouldn't put you down as a weakling though. >>><<< I used to use CO2 carts for instant inflation, don't know it this is still done as I've been out of the game for years.

>>><<< As the last bit pops on, pushing the bead in moves the tyre away from the rim and allows it to take on more of a 'teardrop' shape. >>><<< Another related tip mate; when the tyre is seated back on the rim, pump a bit of air in, deflate again and pump. It seats the tube properly.

Poor technique I reckon . That and an excess of concern about causing additional damage ~ I knew I needed it to travel with today . And, believe it or not, this is the first time I've had a puncture :yikes: (even in my youth I failed to need to learn ).

I've done a bit of digging since folk mentioned doing it by hand ... there seems to be lots of slightly different ways employed, but while some tyres seem to just pop off, some require the application of gentle persuasion ~ so practice, practice, practice .


Always good to know quick (and cheap) tips

 

[forrestdweller]

i use Schwalbe Marathon Plus and they are impossible to get on or off without a lever or two but they are indestructable to punctures so once on it's not a worry

the schwalbe tyres i used a few years ago were indestructable to punctures BUT lasted only about 6month as they came with an in-built predetermined breaking point- since then i'm staying clear of that brand.... .

 

[mrcharly]

Park tools make decent plastic tyre levers - the thickness of the plastic is pretty decent. I usually carry at least 3. The difficulty of removing and installing the tyre varies hugely depending on the tyre and rim. On my bikes some can be removed with thumbs only, on others they require levers and swearing.

Schwalbe tyres mostly last pretty well (but have poor wet weather road adhesion). Dunno why forestdweller was having problems (although if it was in Oz might have been down to UV damage). I measure tyre longevity by miles ridden not time, anyway. 6 months could be many thousands of miles for some people, or 10 miles for others!

Personally I would not let metal levers near any of my bike rims. Wheels take a while to build and are pricey, tyre levers are cheap and disposable.

 

[Joonsy]

''Topeak'' tyre levers are also good and have extra length for more leverage (though i like Pedros myself)

Are you used to changing tyres or not decorum, if not then one tip if you do use levers is to make sure you don&#8217;t ''pinch'' the inner tube, it can easily puncture the inner tube if you do, it&#8217;s quite easy to pinch the tube if you are not used to changing them, when you are putting a tyre back on the last ten inches or so is the hardest bit and also the most vulnerable point where the tube may be pinched and punctured. This is one reason why it&#8217;s best to use a proper lever as cutlery and metal things etc can easily puncture the tube by pinching it. Dismiss the 'advice' on using cutlery etc and get proper levers, metal ones can potentially damage the wheel rim or tyre bead which is why plastic ones are often used, however there is a great deal of difference between good plastic ones and bad plastic ones.

in this vid pedros are used (they have a notch that allows the end to be clipped onto spokes, push end into rim, pull back and place notch onto spoke to hold it in place, then just run second lever round rim)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_MCVGd5C2Q

 

[Teepee]

Never had a puncture? :yikes:

Can you give me some numbers for the euromillions mate, I fancy retiring.

 

[forrestdweller]

Schwalbe tyres mostly last pretty well (but have poor wet weather road adhesion). Dunno why forestdweller was having problems (although if it was in Oz might have been down to UV damage).

that happened 11years ago in europe- i bought schwalbe (i think they were called ""smartguard"" but my memories might be wrong on that point...) before a biketrip*. they had some rather useless reflective material along the sides and that's where they split (==the tyres were fitted together from several pieces rather then moulded from a single piece)... . when i went to the bikeshop there was another unhappy customer with exactly the same problem....


*2600km in 20days + daily use for shorter distances

 

[GGTBod]

Yeah Schwalbe definitely had issues back then with sidewall cracking and splitting especially so if you ran them at a slightly lower psi than recommended but even if you didn't like you say some of them the compounds just separated.

I use the nobbly tread version of the Marathon Plus on all my bikes except my winter errands one which i run the Schwalbe Snow Stud on, (proper life savers on ice n snow) my oldest set of marathon Plus have done well over 3 thousand miles so far and are over 5 years old (i have 7 bikes so my usage gets spread about them), totally know what you are saying about the wet weather grip when they are new especially, before i was aware of this i had taken a few tumbles where the bike just slid out from under me on a turn but once they are broken in this goes away but anytime i stick a new set on i keep the bike upright on turns on the wet roads n paths, offroad is fine

 

[mrcharly]

Over 3000miles on a tyre is good in my book. I like Panaracer paselas - I get 3.5-5k miles (rear/front) out of the fatter versions of these. A lot is down to riding conditions of course. I've had tyres killed by road debris after only 50 miles, but that isn't 'wearing out'.

Schwalbe marathon plus, durano plus and marathon winters are, IME, hard to fit. On a rigida chrina rim they are truly horrendous, so it is a damn good thing they are very puncture resistant.

Tyre levers to get them off - the park levers have a thin tip, making it easier to get the lever under the bead, but you do have to force them a long way in or the tips break off. Putting them back on - you can use a lever the opposite way round to normal, or you can use the edge of your shoe, standing on the tyre and tilting the wheel away from you.

 

[Gooner]

i rate ''Pedros'' tyre levers, excellent and tough.
+ one great lever

 

[cbr6fs]

Please please please don't use metal or cutlery for leverage on a alloy bike rim, you might get lucky and be OK but there's a good a chance that you'll crack, split or take a chunk out of the rim.
Even if the rim gets through unscathed you're really not doing the new tyre any good.

Any reputable make of plastic lever will do the job, if you have to use metal levers then you need to reappraise your technique.

Some tyres seem to pretty much fall on, others need a fair bit of "persuasion", tubeless tyres and rims can often be very tight to get on when new.

 

[shack]

Ive recently started doing some mountain bike instructor training, and my instructor reckoned these were the best on the market for the money.

i rate ''Pedros'' tyre levers, excellent and tough.
+ one great lever

 

[decorum]

Thanks for all the input so far, it's certainly given me some food for thought and good directions to look into

Having read the responses here and done some yt'ing I'm tempted to have a play ahead of needing to utilise/rely on some much needed skills .

Never had a puncture? :yikes:

Can you give me some numbers for the euromillions mate, I fancy retiring.

Nope, never had a puncture . More luck than judgement .

Are you used to changing tyres or not decorum ...

As far as I'm aware sorting that first puncture also meant the first tyre removal . It was a steepish learning curve .

 

[NikDarkwood]

I dont use levers prefering the aforementioned tyre centering and brute force, but my kids have gone tubeless. This seems to be the prefered system nowdays for cross country, DH and bikepacking (the most bushcrafty type of cycling) and seems to virtually eliminate punctures which are apparently easy to fix but Ive never tried it.

 

[Nomad64]

i rate ''Pedros'' tyre levers, excellent and tough.
+ one great lever

One of my "unbreakable" Pedros plastic tyre levers snapped the second time I used it - fortunately at home rather than out on the trail! Alloy or steel every time for me.

 

[santaman2000]

Never used kitchen cutlery nor tire levers. When I was a kid the lever of choice was a wide bladed screwdriver. Last one I changed (last week helping my grandson) was as Teepee suggested with bare hands.

 

[bilmo-p5]

I have a set very similar to these. Had them a long time with no problems. Can't recall where they came from.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Using Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres on my Brompton in summer, and Schwalbe winters in winter. Getting the tyres on and off is a fight. I challenge anyone to get a marathon plus tyre on a Brompton wheel with just bare hands.

I use two types of leaver, the SJS Metal Core and the most useful of all, the VAR Bead Jack The later is the most effective way of getting cantankerous tyres onto rims.

J

 

[drliamski]

Do you know the cable tie or toe strap method.
https://youtu.be/-XUFVrl0UT4

Sent from my Xperia Z using Tapatalk

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

I can remove 700c 23 and Mtb 26" tyres by hand unless hands are cold. A slight bit of alcohol hand gel on the rim before hand will help. Don't lube otherwise your rim brakes won't work.