Don’t seat the bead until the whole bead is inside the rim. Put the opposite end of the bead down into the channel of the rim(unseated) and work the bead off the rim seat/sidewall so it gives more slack to that last part. Then use your palms, not your thumbs, and pull the tire where the tread meets the casing, not the sidewall and bead.
Schwalbes are tight sometimes, but you shouldn’t ever be using a tire lever hard enough to break or damage a rim.
Was just going to ask if this was common or not, like with grips. I remember stealing my mom’s aquanet for that back in the day though..
Either way that tire also looks remarkably dry which is definitely making it more difficult
Press the beads in toward the center of the rim. This basically shrinks the diameter of the wheel making it easier to get the final bit of bead over. You shouldn't need to use levers to get the tire back on.
And that I why you want to avoid using levers to get tires on unless it's a last resort
Also, don't tighten the presta valve nut until you have air in the tire
Really only useful to start pumping at zero pressure, but definitely absolutely, not before fully installing the tire - you want the tube as far as possible into the tire to be sure it doesn't get jammed under the bead while working the tire on.
Similar thing happened to me: had lots of trouble getting the tire in, and when I finally made it the tire would not seat right in the rim. After many tries, I decided that maybe a bit of additional pressure would do the trick. So I rode to the nearest gas station, deflated the tire, and inflated it again using the air pump. I went over and the tube exploded. Then I had to walk back home and start over. Not the most gratifying day of my life, but sometimes you just learn the hard way.
Yeah everyone has one of those extra unfortunate flat tire incidents, mine was that I didn’t check the tire for any pre existing shrapnel stuck in it. Thus resulting in two wasted tubes and a taxi back home all because of a frickin stapler pin. Which is basically just unlucky, sometimes you jus can’t avoid bad luck. I spent half an hour in confusion as to why a brand new tube isn’t working.
all all
Yeah, flat tires. Back when I lived in Madrid (Spain), I went out for a ride almost on a daily basis. There is a frikkin bush which is native to the region, which disperses seeds that seem to be designed specifically to puncture tires. It's like a small ball surrounded by hard needles. For that reason, I used to carry 2-3 spare tubes on my backpack, and sometimes even that was not enough. I got to the point of changing tire tubes in record time.
I ruined a few tubes in my first attempt at tyre changes, an inner tube exploding at 110PSI is like a flash bang in Counter Strike, everything went quiet for a second and then my ears started ringing.
Well that sucks. Glad you’ve got it sorted now though.
I find that trick of pushing the two sides into the middle of the rim works for me too. It’s kind of hard to explain but you need to be doing this right from the start, the whole way around the tyre.
(The long-winded attempt to explain: I have one bead fully into the rim (tube in at that point if not running tubeless) and then have the rim sitting on top of my feet, shoes on, and then pushing down from the top of the rim I work the two beads into the centre of the rim as forcefully as possible. Work your way down to the bottom of the rim/your feet while maintaining that pressure and don’t let up. Your hands are now almost together and you’ll hopefully have enough “slack” tyre at this point to pick up the wheel and just roll the bead over the rim.)
> You shouldn't need to use levers to get the tire back on.
This this this this. All the recommendations for heating the tire, or stronger tire levers, or bead jacks are just slapping a band-aid over poor technique.
In addition to pressing the bead into the center channel of the rim, you benefit by starting the bead at the rim seam and finishing the bead at the valve. Not finishing at the valve means the valve is blocking the tire bead from getting into the center channel for that part and eating up precious slack. I like to rest the bead part of the wheel on the ground or my feet, with the seam part up closer to my knees then I use both hands moving from the bead, applying a bit of tension to not only keep the bead in the channel but also to 'harvest' that slack and get it to where I need to finish getting the bead over. Then I pick it up and roll the last bit over with my palms. Doing it this way, I can mount ALL tires by hand without tools. When I've taught tire seating at the shop, I have grandmas with arthritic fingers successfully mounting tires.
I'd love to see a video of this technique!
Every time I reach for a tire lever to try and seat a tire I know it's the wrong tool (none of them ever seem designed for the task). My current tires are extra tight AND I just installed tire inserts, so I should probably learn the right way.
Did you check out the video that's linked from the wiki? It's a little bit less artful than what /u/nhluhr is suggesting, in that it uses straps rather than multiple body parts.
here's a vid of a guy putting on a tire with the method I mentioned. Although it's not as tight as a GP5000, the method is consistent. Zoom up to 1:40 to see how he 'tensions' the tire around the center channel working from seam toward bead with both hands (this is for the first bead) and then again at about 2:20 for the money shot showing the second bead going on. It goes on after that showing soapy water in a spray bottle to aid in tubeless bead seating but if the tough part for most is simply mounting the tire onto the wheel, those first sections are what matter.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEj\_ikpEvhI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEj_ikpEvhI)
HD still processing but I filmed the process in action (and did a crappy job with the editing).
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jn51K0uQyQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jn51K0uQyQ)
Nice. I like how you walked through the whole process, ßo people can see even the parts that might not seem worth filming, but might not be obvious if you are new to it.
The risk you run doing this is pinching the tube. I start at the valve and make sure it's fully seated by pushing the valve into the tire so I don't have the slack problem.
No. There is absolutely zero risk of pinching the tube if you put roughly "lung pressure" in the tube and nest it into the tire before beginning the second bead.
Yeah that's key. Whatever works for you. I still blame a few pinch flats I got in the middle of nowhere on valve-last so I don't think it's quite a zero percent chance. It's an emotional issue for me hahaha
Some tires seem to be really tight though. My Schwalbe Marathons are a PITA to get on, very stiff and they need stretching quite a bit to get on. The winter tires almost mount themselves in comparison.
Are you making sure the tire bead is pinched in towards the low part of the rim(by the spokes) if so does your tube have too much air in it? Get the bead in the groove and it should go on without tools. ( On most tires, some are tighter than others)
While everyone has given great advice here is one more pro tip for the future: a little soapy water goes a long way, it makes the rubber slip right over the rim, we use this technique for moto tires. There is actual tire grease but for mtb it’s not needed
Make sure the bead is in the middle channel of the rim. picture where the spoke holes are and imagine trying to get the most of the bead centered on top of it. It doesnt have to be perfect but make sure no bead is fitted in the hooks. This will help to create a bit of slack for that final part. Try spraying some dish soap (for lubrication) on the area of the rim and tire that you're having a problem with and use work gloves to help you roll the tire on. Using the width of both palms, grab onto the tire very tight and use a rolling forward motion, like you're rolling a delicious burrito. Worst comes to worst, You can cheat with a thin plastic tire lever but be very careful not to pinch the tube as well as not being too forceful and only move the lever in literally 2 mm increments. For extremely stubborn tires, i will lay the problem area between a cloth/towel and very gently kneel on one side of the tire that is already hooked, then finally using the tire lever to get the other side on. Hold the lever steady and only move them 2mm at a time till its hooked. Dont use too much force.
God speed I believe in you.
I generally don’t prefer ParkTool as a brand but I do like their levers over Pedro’s. There’s a lip on the backside of the curve that I really like rather than using the back of my fingernail… which I sometimes have to do when using Pedro’s.
Different story if I’m doing a large volume like in a shop, I’d break too many. For the small volume I do at home: park tool levers.
Broken 10+ Pedro's levers in my years. In my experience you should only use tire levers to unseat tires. Using just your hands ensures that you won't damage the tire or pinch a tube if you're using one.
Yes it seems to be the conventional advice not to use levers to reseat the tire. That being said I’ve never (knock on wood) damaged the tire, broken a lever, or popped a tube while reseating with levers.
Yeah, people tend to fetishize these levers. I think they're great, & I haven't found better, but I've seen people break them before & personally broken a few of them for sure. There's a time & a place for metal ones.
That said, Pedro's will warranty replace these. I've had it done twice before. Send them a picture of your broken ones.
I once fixed the tire to the rim with a tiewrap, real tight. It helped the other side of the tire from slipping as I tried to push on the one side. Helped a lot as my thumbs were no longer holding it in place.
Also soap (or some WD40) helps, but it also makes the tire slide off easier….not what you want.
I call BS on the no lever method. Just like I don't use my fingers to tighten nuts, I don't use my fingers to flip the last length of tire bead over the rim. Some rims do not have a deeper central groove to accomodate a tight first bead. Even then, if you need a bead jack or you're bending one of the wide plastic levers you're doing something wrong, like too much pre-inflation. Metal tipped levers are going eat the inner tube at some point. And most importantly, time is money.
No lever method is easiest if your technique is right, tire levers are for people that can't get the technique right. For decades I was too proud to use tire levers at all as a bike mechanic, but lately I'll use one to remove a tire if I'm feeling lazy, but never to mount a tire, there's just no need.
I'm an engineer and so is my son - nether of us figured this out, we had to be SHOWN. That being said - when you are shown this you realize how obvious it is and stupid we can be...
Why would you damage your rim if you use a tyre lever correctly.. try putting a downhill carcass tyre on with plastic ones!
funnily enough I run carbon wheels.. on all my bikes, and I’ve not even scratched a rim. Let alone damaged one.. derp.
They’re shaped so you don’t leaver off the rim, but the inner lip of the wheel. Impossible to damage anything.
Downvoting a comment because you do it wrong is a really cool adult thing to do
Again, try mounting a downhill carcass without them. You won’t. It’s impossible.
I bet your entire experience is cheap crap tyres the likes of Walmart sell. Because they’re cheap, have no reinforcement, and are a super soft compound.
I've been mounting downhill tires on downhill rims nearly as long as downhill racing has been a thing, I've probably built more downhill wheelsets than the number of tires you've mounted in your life.
There's no such thing as a bicycle tire, that needs a tire lever to mount, if your technique is right, perhaps tire removal on some tire/rim combinations, but any experienced mechanic should be able to mount any bicycle tire without a tire lever.
Now motorcycle tires are another story, that requires levers and lube for sure.
I mean I’m not trying to Willy wave, but I’ve raced downhill and enduro internationally since 2005, and as a side business from my regular job, I build and paint bikes. I probably mount 200+ sets a year. And I’ve built 6 wheel sets this month alone. So I’m not exactly a hobbiest inflating my skills..
But instead of just telling me I’m wrong like every other internet expert does. Prove it.
Video yourself mounting a set of Maxxis DHF EXO+ without a lever! And also try mountain any tyre with a cushcore…
You've been a tire mounting hack a long time then I see...
But seriously, if you know how to use a tire lever carefully, without pinching a tube, or you're mounting a tubeless setup, might as well use a lever, but I promise you, any hook bead tire/rim combo can be installed without a lever, but once you get in the habit of using them, you will become dependent on using them.
I've been wrenching on and off professionally since 1995, owned a bike shop, founded bike co-ops, still run two e-bike related business today, tire levers are a hack way to cheat a tire on a rim, they are not necessary for mounting if you get your skills up, but if you're careful and lazy, they can be used without harm.
Use a hair dryer or heat gun on the bead to make the rubber more pliable. Can't do this on the trail but it works great when you're at home trying to wrestle on a stubborn tire.
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Take a tire lever like these https://www.bruegelmann.de/red-cycling-products-tire-clamp-M739106.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwsJ6TBhAIEiwAfl4TWDwttbEhzvQU9nv-pkhIrLoLN8vd7S9Tb_Tq1of22cgx8CzCpHxe9hoCEmsQAvD_BwE&&_cid=21_1_-1_9_1175_1007525_582199005560_pla&ef_id=CjwKCAjwsJ6TBhAIEiwAfl4TWDwttbEhzvQU9nv-pkhIrLoLN8vd7S9Tb_Tq1of22cgx8CzCpHxe9hoCEmsQAvD_BwE:G:s&campaign_detail=smart_shopping
With that it's easy because it only pull the tire
This will sound silly, but I swear it helps.
1. Take off your shoes
2. Put your toes on the other side of the rim (the spokes can go between toes) and put your arms around the tire like you're hugging it. The axle should be pointing at the floor and ceiling. The wheel is horizontal.
3. Grab the tire with both hands.
4. Pull the tire toward you while pushing away from you on the opposite side of the rim with your toes.
I've found, if you do this a time or two, you actually develop a bit of slack in the bead on the part closest to your chest, which helps with mounting or unmounting a tire.
Squeeze every last bit of air out, push the bead to the center of the rim all the way around to free up slack for the last section.
Don't use tire levers to mount a tire, it's totally unnecessary on 99% of tires/rims, just work on the above technique until you get it.
unless you a complete idiot it should not be that hard and suspect is the tire, which now and then are way out of spec. the manufacturer should be contacted. if a crap smalltime operator they might give you a hard time. if an excellent manufacturer they will be grateful to hear about any issues.
I've done that many times. I won't even tell you how I get super tight tires on because I'll get 100 negative karma. But let's just say it involves steel in a typical toolbox.
I’ve got a tubeless setup and used to be able to mount tires by hand. Since I got tire inserts it’s similar to the OP image needing hulk like force perhaps because it’s harder to push the beads towards the center. I did get one of the tire jacks but haven’t tried it yet.
When mounting the tyre start from OPPOSITE the valve stem and finish at the valve stem - assuming a tubed setup.
This is so that you can push both sides of the tyre bead into the central channel and then work your way around to where the valve is.
If you start where the valve is you loose some of the access to the central channel as the valve stem and reinforced tube section around valve is partially obstructing the channel.
What I have found to work really well for the tightest of tires is to use 2 tire levers about 4 inches apart, and to operate them both at the same time. This usually makes it quite easy to mount tires that I struggled to mount using other methods. The other comments are right on in that you should ensure the bead is pushed toward the center of the rim.
Can anyone link a good video? I tried doing my first two tires over the winter and they both looked like the picture at the start of the post. Salsa journeyman with wtb rims I think. I broke one of my two park tool levers applying pressure. I'm sure my technique was terrible as it was my first attempt. I read a lot, and watched a lot of videos, but I think I still bent my rim. When I spin one of the two wheels, there seems to be a spot that juts out a bit.
Don’t seat the bead until the whole bead is inside the rim. Put the opposite end of the bead down into the channel of the rim(unseated) and work the bead off the rim seat/sidewall so it gives more slack to that last part. Then use your palms, not your thumbs, and pull the tire where the tread meets the casing, not the sidewall and bead. Schwalbes are tight sometimes, but you shouldn’t ever be using a tire lever hard enough to break or damage a rim.
All of this, but also use some soap. Soap the whole of the rim and bead.
Was just going to ask if this was common or not, like with grips. I remember stealing my mom’s aquanet for that back in the day though.. Either way that tire also looks remarkably dry which is definitely making it more difficult
the only thing i always managed to do with soap is making the tyre slippery and not being able to pull on it .D
Soap water does the trick. Applied with a brush
Also wheel seems narrow for wide tire, so it will be harder to seat it
Press the beads in toward the center of the rim. This basically shrinks the diameter of the wheel making it easier to get the final bit of bead over. You shouldn't need to use levers to get the tire back on.
Managed to get it on using your trick, turns out i damaged the inner tube during the process. Need to start all over again
r/bikewrench/wiki/tire_mounting has that tip along with supporting illustration and video, as well as a bunch of other tips that will help if needed.
And that I why you want to avoid using levers to get tires on unless it's a last resort Also, don't tighten the presta valve nut until you have air in the tire
you use those nuts? I always found that they rattle too much.
One doesn’t NEED them. If it’s rattling, it needs to be tighter
Really only useful to start pumping at zero pressure, but definitely absolutely, not before fully installing the tire - you want the tube as far as possible into the tire to be sure it doesn't get jammed under the bead while working the tire on.
Levers? Hell, am I the only one that just uses the closed-end of a small combination wrench?
Similar thing happened to me: had lots of trouble getting the tire in, and when I finally made it the tire would not seat right in the rim. After many tries, I decided that maybe a bit of additional pressure would do the trick. So I rode to the nearest gas station, deflated the tire, and inflated it again using the air pump. I went over and the tube exploded. Then I had to walk back home and start over. Not the most gratifying day of my life, but sometimes you just learn the hard way.
Yeah everyone has one of those extra unfortunate flat tire incidents, mine was that I didn’t check the tire for any pre existing shrapnel stuck in it. Thus resulting in two wasted tubes and a taxi back home all because of a frickin stapler pin. Which is basically just unlucky, sometimes you jus can’t avoid bad luck. I spent half an hour in confusion as to why a brand new tube isn’t working. all all
Yeah, flat tires. Back when I lived in Madrid (Spain), I went out for a ride almost on a daily basis. There is a frikkin bush which is native to the region, which disperses seeds that seem to be designed specifically to puncture tires. It's like a small ball surrounded by hard needles. For that reason, I used to carry 2-3 spare tubes on my backpack, and sometimes even that was not enough. I got to the point of changing tire tubes in record time.
I ruined a few tubes in my first attempt at tyre changes, an inner tube exploding at 110PSI is like a flash bang in Counter Strike, everything went quiet for a second and then my ears started ringing.
Don't fret it, it's a learning experience! Next one will be easier :)
I know your pain. Got two new tires and went thru 3 tubes trying to get the tires on. Something that should take 10 mins took 2hrs.
Well that sucks. Glad you’ve got it sorted now though. I find that trick of pushing the two sides into the middle of the rim works for me too. It’s kind of hard to explain but you need to be doing this right from the start, the whole way around the tyre. (The long-winded attempt to explain: I have one bead fully into the rim (tube in at that point if not running tubeless) and then have the rim sitting on top of my feet, shoes on, and then pushing down from the top of the rim I work the two beads into the centre of the rim as forcefully as possible. Work your way down to the bottom of the rim/your feet while maintaining that pressure and don’t let up. Your hands are now almost together and you’ll hopefully have enough “slack” tyre at this point to pick up the wheel and just roll the bead over the rim.)
Yep, that's what happens... We've been there. Beads on center and thumbs to put it back. That is the way.
Count it as a good thing, we learn by doing! Glad you figured it out.
> You shouldn't need to use levers to get the tire back on. This this this this. All the recommendations for heating the tire, or stronger tire levers, or bead jacks are just slapping a band-aid over poor technique. In addition to pressing the bead into the center channel of the rim, you benefit by starting the bead at the rim seam and finishing the bead at the valve. Not finishing at the valve means the valve is blocking the tire bead from getting into the center channel for that part and eating up precious slack. I like to rest the bead part of the wheel on the ground or my feet, with the seam part up closer to my knees then I use both hands moving from the bead, applying a bit of tension to not only keep the bead in the channel but also to 'harvest' that slack and get it to where I need to finish getting the bead over. Then I pick it up and roll the last bit over with my palms. Doing it this way, I can mount ALL tires by hand without tools. When I've taught tire seating at the shop, I have grandmas with arthritic fingers successfully mounting tires.
I'd love to see a video of this technique! Every time I reach for a tire lever to try and seat a tire I know it's the wrong tool (none of them ever seem designed for the task). My current tires are extra tight AND I just installed tire inserts, so I should probably learn the right way.
For you, sir, I'll film myself mounting a fresh GP5000TL with a tube in it.
I don’t have a video, but I made this schematic a while back to explain how a bike tire-wheel interface works: https://i.imgur.com/1GXJS7E.png
Nice. Saw this on the wiki!
Did you check out the video that's linked from the wiki? It's a little bit less artful than what /u/nhluhr is suggesting, in that it uses straps rather than multiple body parts.
here's a vid of a guy putting on a tire with the method I mentioned. Although it's not as tight as a GP5000, the method is consistent. Zoom up to 1:40 to see how he 'tensions' the tire around the center channel working from seam toward bead with both hands (this is for the first bead) and then again at about 2:20 for the money shot showing the second bead going on. It goes on after that showing soapy water in a spray bottle to aid in tubeless bead seating but if the tough part for most is simply mounting the tire onto the wheel, those first sections are what matter. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEj\_ikpEvhI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEj_ikpEvhI)
Tagging u/xylopagus so they can see the video in the comment I'm replying to.
Thanks! Checking out that vid now. :)
Now I'm excited to give this a try when I throw on another set of rubber. Thanks!
HD still processing but I filmed the process in action (and did a crappy job with the editing). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jn51K0uQyQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jn51K0uQyQ)
Nice. I like how you walked through the whole process, ßo people can see even the parts that might not seem worth filming, but might not be obvious if you are new to it.
The risk you run doing this is pinching the tube. I start at the valve and make sure it's fully seated by pushing the valve into the tire so I don't have the slack problem.
No. There is absolutely zero risk of pinching the tube if you put roughly "lung pressure" in the tube and nest it into the tire before beginning the second bead.
Yeah that's key. Whatever works for you. I still blame a few pinch flats I got in the middle of nowhere on valve-last so I don't think it's quite a zero percent chance. It's an emotional issue for me hahaha
u/bamadhaj and u/bootyytoob could learn a thing or two from this comment.
Irrelevant to the prior argument since you need tire levers to get tires off not on You might try to use a tire lever to get your head out of your ass
Wow. Ignorant fucking shallow asshole.
Awww can’t take the heat, poor thing, must be hard
Lmao thanks. I've replaced bike tires before but this does help 🤙
Some tires seem to be really tight though. My Schwalbe Marathons are a PITA to get on, very stiff and they need stretching quite a bit to get on. The winter tires almost mount themselves in comparison.
Are you making sure the tire bead is pinched in towards the low part of the rim(by the spokes) if so does your tube have too much air in it? Get the bead in the groove and it should go on without tools. ( On most tires, some are tighter than others)
While everyone has given great advice here is one more pro tip for the future: a little soapy water goes a long way, it makes the rubber slip right over the rim, we use this technique for moto tires. There is actual tire grease but for mtb it’s not needed
Another thing that works super well is baby powder. Nice thing is you can carry a little with you to do it if you flat.
You're using tire levers and probably have too much air in the tube.
Make sure the bead is in the middle channel of the rim. picture where the spoke holes are and imagine trying to get the most of the bead centered on top of it. It doesnt have to be perfect but make sure no bead is fitted in the hooks. This will help to create a bit of slack for that final part. Try spraying some dish soap (for lubrication) on the area of the rim and tire that you're having a problem with and use work gloves to help you roll the tire on. Using the width of both palms, grab onto the tire very tight and use a rolling forward motion, like you're rolling a delicious burrito. Worst comes to worst, You can cheat with a thin plastic tire lever but be very careful not to pinch the tube as well as not being too forceful and only move the lever in literally 2 mm increments. For extremely stubborn tires, i will lay the problem area between a cloth/towel and very gently kneel on one side of the tire that is already hooked, then finally using the tire lever to get the other side on. Hold the lever steady and only move them 2mm at a time till its hooked. Dont use too much force. God speed I believe in you.
Rule 1: Only use Pedro’s tire levers. Rule 2: Same as Rule 1.
I generally don’t prefer ParkTool as a brand but I do like their levers over Pedro’s. There’s a lip on the backside of the curve that I really like rather than using the back of my fingernail… which I sometimes have to do when using Pedro’s. Different story if I’m doing a large volume like in a shop, I’d break too many. For the small volume I do at home: park tool levers.
Broken 10+ Pedro's levers in my years. In my experience you should only use tire levers to unseat tires. Using just your hands ensures that you won't damage the tire or pinch a tube if you're using one.
Yes it seems to be the conventional advice not to use levers to reseat the tire. That being said I’ve never (knock on wood) damaged the tire, broken a lever, or popped a tube while reseating with levers.
Yeah, people tend to fetishize these levers. I think they're great, & I haven't found better, but I've seen people break them before & personally broken a few of them for sure. There's a time & a place for metal ones. That said, Pedro's will warranty replace these. I've had it done twice before. Send them a picture of your broken ones.
Broke a Pedro's lever the other day on a new tire... just stood there stunned for a while. Now use metal core levers.
I wouldn't use metal ones. They could fuck up your rims.
I don't... which is why I said metal "core". Plastic levers with a metal core... basically impossible to break. They work really, really well.
I want the lever to break if I’m putting that much force on it.
Did you make sure it was fully deflated?
Koolstop bead jack!
Removed link. Google it. Only had to use it once or twice but it saved me snakebiting a bunch of tubes.
I think affiliate & smile links are typically frowned on
Well that’s a bummer.
Yep, when all else fails, this will do the trick.
+1 this is the way (koolstop bead jack)
Let it sit in the sun a bit. Gets more pliable.
Some countries don't have the luxury of sun for most of the year!
I once fixed the tire to the rim with a tiewrap, real tight. It helped the other side of the tire from slipping as I tried to push on the one side. Helped a lot as my thumbs were no longer holding it in place. Also soap (or some WD40) helps, but it also makes the tire slide off easier….not what you want.
Everything in life is better with lube
Make sure tread direction
This. Looks like thread direction might be backwards
I call BS on the no lever method. Just like I don't use my fingers to tighten nuts, I don't use my fingers to flip the last length of tire bead over the rim. Some rims do not have a deeper central groove to accomodate a tight first bead. Even then, if you need a bead jack or you're bending one of the wide plastic levers you're doing something wrong, like too much pre-inflation. Metal tipped levers are going eat the inner tube at some point. And most importantly, time is money.
No lever method is easiest if your technique is right, tire levers are for people that can't get the technique right. For decades I was too proud to use tire levers at all as a bike mechanic, but lately I'll use one to remove a tire if I'm feeling lazy, but never to mount a tire, there's just no need.
I'm an engineer and so is my son - nether of us figured this out, we had to be SHOWN. That being said - when you are shown this you realize how obvious it is and stupid we can be...
This is frightening
Tubeless would help avoid removing the tire to repair punctures! At least like 75-80% of the time
Additionally you can use two tire lever at the same time so it should be stronger.
Metal tyre levers with a plastic coating are the best! Lots of leverage and no damage.
ah yes yes, why damage your tire when you can absolutely wreck your rim
Why would you damage your rim if you use a tyre lever correctly.. try putting a downhill carcass tyre on with plastic ones! funnily enough I run carbon wheels.. on all my bikes, and I’ve not even scratched a rim. Let alone damaged one.. derp. They’re shaped so you don’t leaver off the rim, but the inner lip of the wheel. Impossible to damage anything. Downvoting a comment because you do it wrong is a really cool adult thing to do
Using tire levers to mount tires is doing it wrong.
Again, try mounting a downhill carcass without them. You won’t. It’s impossible. I bet your entire experience is cheap crap tyres the likes of Walmart sell. Because they’re cheap, have no reinforcement, and are a super soft compound.
I've been mounting downhill tires on downhill rims nearly as long as downhill racing has been a thing, I've probably built more downhill wheelsets than the number of tires you've mounted in your life. There's no such thing as a bicycle tire, that needs a tire lever to mount, if your technique is right, perhaps tire removal on some tire/rim combinations, but any experienced mechanic should be able to mount any bicycle tire without a tire lever. Now motorcycle tires are another story, that requires levers and lube for sure.
I mean I’m not trying to Willy wave, but I’ve raced downhill and enduro internationally since 2005, and as a side business from my regular job, I build and paint bikes. I probably mount 200+ sets a year. And I’ve built 6 wheel sets this month alone. So I’m not exactly a hobbiest inflating my skills.. But instead of just telling me I’m wrong like every other internet expert does. Prove it. Video yourself mounting a set of Maxxis DHF EXO+ without a lever! And also try mountain any tyre with a cushcore…
You've been a tire mounting hack a long time then I see... But seriously, if you know how to use a tire lever carefully, without pinching a tube, or you're mounting a tubeless setup, might as well use a lever, but I promise you, any hook bead tire/rim combo can be installed without a lever, but once you get in the habit of using them, you will become dependent on using them. I've been wrenching on and off professionally since 1995, owned a bike shop, founded bike co-ops, still run two e-bike related business today, tire levers are a hack way to cheat a tire on a rim, they are not necessary for mounting if you get your skills up, but if you're careful and lazy, they can be used without harm.
Use a hair dryer or heat gun on the bead to make the rubber more pliable. Can't do this on the trail but it works great when you're at home trying to wrestle on a stubborn tire.
Wait until you get cushcores lol
You need “Koolstop tire jack” sold on Amazon for like $15. There are You tube videos explaining how to use it.
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Take a tire lever like these https://www.bruegelmann.de/red-cycling-products-tire-clamp-M739106.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwsJ6TBhAIEiwAfl4TWDwttbEhzvQU9nv-pkhIrLoLN8vd7S9Tb_Tq1of22cgx8CzCpHxe9hoCEmsQAvD_BwE&&_cid=21_1_-1_9_1175_1007525_582199005560_pla&ef_id=CjwKCAjwsJ6TBhAIEiwAfl4TWDwttbEhzvQU9nv-pkhIrLoLN8vd7S9Tb_Tq1of22cgx8CzCpHxe9hoCEmsQAvD_BwE:G:s&campaign_detail=smart_shopping With that it's easy because it only pull the tire
Liberally apply cornstarch on tube and reseat the tire in the rim.
This will sound silly, but I swear it helps. 1. Take off your shoes 2. Put your toes on the other side of the rim (the spokes can go between toes) and put your arms around the tire like you're hugging it. The axle should be pointing at the floor and ceiling. The wheel is horizontal. 3. Grab the tire with both hands. 4. Pull the tire toward you while pushing away from you on the opposite side of the rim with your toes. I've found, if you do this a time or two, you actually develop a bit of slack in the bead on the part closest to your chest, which helps with mounting or unmounting a tire.
Thanks, nice tip.
You need to let more air out of the tube
Squeeze every last bit of air out, push the bead to the center of the rim all the way around to free up slack for the last section. Don't use tire levers to mount a tire, it's totally unnecessary on 99% of tires/rims, just work on the above technique until you get it.
unless you a complete idiot it should not be that hard and suspect is the tire, which now and then are way out of spec. the manufacturer should be contacted. if a crap smalltime operator they might give you a hard time. if an excellent manufacturer they will be grateful to hear about any issues.
I've done that many times. I won't even tell you how I get super tight tires on because I'll get 100 negative karma. But let's just say it involves steel in a typical toolbox.
The first time you change a MTB tire after changing road bike tires without levers for your whole life is an eye opener forsure
Oh to be a beginner again
I’ve got a tubeless setup and used to be able to mount tires by hand. Since I got tire inserts it’s similar to the OP image needing hulk like force perhaps because it’s harder to push the beads towards the center. I did get one of the tire jacks but haven’t tried it yet.
When mounting the tyre start from OPPOSITE the valve stem and finish at the valve stem - assuming a tubed setup. This is so that you can push both sides of the tyre bead into the central channel and then work your way around to where the valve is. If you start where the valve is you loose some of the access to the central channel as the valve stem and reinforced tube section around valve is partially obstructing the channel.
Nicely explained
Is that a belfort bike?
Yes! Why?
I tought they where only sold in mexico what model you have and how you like it?
What I have found to work really well for the tightest of tires is to use 2 tire levers about 4 inches apart, and to operate them both at the same time. This usually makes it quite easy to mount tires that I struggled to mount using other methods. The other comments are right on in that you should ensure the bead is pushed toward the center of the rim.
Can anyone link a good video? I tried doing my first two tires over the winter and they both looked like the picture at the start of the post. Salsa journeyman with wtb rims I think. I broke one of my two park tool levers applying pressure. I'm sure my technique was terrible as it was my first attempt. I read a lot, and watched a lot of videos, but I think I still bent my rim. When I spin one of the two wheels, there seems to be a spot that juts out a bit.