I got my first flat

Duckfeet said:

I'm a Cannondale fan myself and btw I'm female and you were quite rude and this thread is about helping each other out. Share the knowledge not the hate.

Just ignore the guy. He's managed to make himself known as a nutcase in a very short amount of time...

Dietmar said:

Just ignore the guy. He's managed to make himself known as a nutcase in a very short amount of time...

it's actually taken me a bit over three years..ask teamsmack.and that's Mr. Nutcase to you. 🙂

roadhouse/al caponent. Two things:

1. Take your mistake as a sign that you shouldn't be around people that function normally.
2. Since you've been banned, roadhouse, take it as a strong hint that you shouldn't be here.
3. Take it all as a strong statement that you need serious professional psychological and/or psychiatric intervention. You can't tell the difference between reality and your delusions.

Does anyone else have problems getting that last section of the tire bead over the rim?

It seems that it always comes off so easy, but after putting the new tube in or just putting in a new tire, I always have a hard time putting the last section of bead over the rim to seat it properly.

Yesterday I swapped an old tire for a new one and it took me about 25 min for only the front wheel. I had such a hard time and my hands were in pain front struggling with it. The only way I got it to fit over was that I used some dish washing soap with water, wet the rim, and with a little bit of force, the bead slid right over the rim and into place. But I was just picturing, if I was on the road like that, I'd probably still be there trying to get it on.

I did try using the levers, but that wasn't working so great either.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks.

Standard advise is to make sure the beads opposite the point you're working are fully seated into the center of the rim. Even with that, I quickly resort to tire levers if the tire doesn't slip over the rim with moderate hand effort.

It looks macho to mount the tire just with your hands, but if tools make the job easier, why not use them. Pinching the tube with the tire lever hasn't been a problem; just make sure the tube is fully inside the tire and lever it on.

dhk2 said:

Standard advise is to make sure the beads opposite the point you're working are fully seated into the center of the rim. Even with that, I quickly resort to tire levers if the tire doesn't slip over the rim with moderate hand effort.

It looks macho to mount the tire just with your hands, but if tools make the job easier, why not use them. Pinching the tube with the tire lever hasn't been a problem; just make sure the tube is fully inside the tire and lever it on.

I hear you on using the tire levers... but even then it was still a PITA.

Maybe I'll just start bringing a little tiny 3.2 Fl-Oz spray bottle with water and dish washing soap in it and just carry it in one of my back pockets. Just another "tool" to add to the bunch... lol. Oh... and just thought that it could also be utilized as another method for finding the source of the flat. Spray it on suspect locations of where air could be leaking and see if it bubbles.

Some tire and rim combinations are easier than others. Last season when I used Vittoria Open Corsa's, found I could easily put them on by hand (which I had to do fairly frequently after punctures). The GP4000's, my usual tire, are tougher to mount; I always need the levers for them.