getting tyres onto Mavic cosmic carbones - ouch

agnello

anyone else had trouble getting tyres onto these wheels?

i tried vittoria open corsas - no luck. so changed to continental 4000s - even harder

after 3 hours (!) and skinned knuckles i managed to get some rather old michelin pro race 2 onto them.

so now i have lots of expensive spare tyres for my second wheelset...

anyone know of any good tyres that are easy to mount. I.m guessing i got unlucky with top tolerance rims and well fitting tyres.

Maybe it is a French protectionist thing Mavic - Michelin :?:

alan_sherman

I run vittoria open evo corasas on them with no problems. The tyres might need to be stretched first before fiting - foot inside the tyre - pull up on the other side!

You are mounting the last bit of tyre rim at the valve I assume.

Monty Dog

Try using a thinner, more flexible rim tape rather than a stiffer one - it means you can push the tyre bead further into the rim well and give more 'slack' on the other side. IME Vittorias are one of the 'easier' brands to fit and can often be removed and fitted without levers. Veloflex and Deda too - Michelin can be more tricky sometimes. Also try rubbing talc on the inside of the tyre to stop it 'sticking' against the rim - particularly with new tyres. Finally, start doing some exercises to strengthen your thumbs.

mrushton

Use a Var lever

Tashkent Terror

Make sure the bead on the side you put on first is in the middle of the rim. This makes the seating of the next bead a walk in the park.

Nigel Bennett

I've had no trouble with pro Race 3 (or 2s, come to that) on my Cosmics. I've been very happy with the 3s - they seem to perform as well as I could hope for! I think the point about French compatibility is well made, however. Don't think they like the Boche very much....

Kléber

Put the tyres above the water tank or boiler. Don't melt them!

...but some gentle warmth will soften them a tiny bit.