Finding 700C Tires that are Easy to Change

HKEK said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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!

On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 19:33:42 -0000, landotter <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

HKEK said:

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

Quoted message said:

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

HKEK said:

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

HKEK said:

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!

As has been noted both tires and rims can vary, but surprisingly
enough, even unecessarily thick rim tape can accentuate mounting /
dismounting difficulty, especially if the rim and/or tire are those
that are known to be difficult. Strapping tape is one of the classic
solutions for thin and cheap rim tape (although a single layer is
usually not enough on a road rim) .

There is some technique involved too. I usually use a tire lever
(just one) to remove a tire but I NEVER need nor use one to install a
tire.

DR

In article <[email hidden]>,

HKEK said:

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

HKEK said:

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!

Matrix rims have always been a little 'big' and can be a challenge.
Cotton tires wil be the easiest to change..like Vittoias OpenCorsa.

HKEK said:

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

email hidden said:

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!

HKEK said:

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>

Quoted message said:

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

HKEK said:

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.

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?

datakoll aka gene daniels said:

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.

--
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