HELP - Cannot get tyres on rim ???

bilabonic

Hi

Trying to fit a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres but cannot get them on the rim ?

These are like no other tyre i have had, they are very thick and its hard even to compress them to the rim width !!!

Got one side on and tube in place, as soon as start putting other side on the opposite side pops off !!!

Any tips/tricks ??

rally200

Had just the same with Marathon plus - a tip from here which helped was to use a you use a piece of string to stop them falling off the back - I can't quite remember how it worked but it did - still required a hell of a lot of thumb work though.

It will be easier next time you do it - whichhopefully will be a very long time off.

they're hard work to get on, and are dreadful for rolling resistance, but they reallly do work - I've had no "intrusion" flats in over 2 years of daily commuting on em, you really can go flying through piles of broken glass with gay abandon

bilabonic

Got them on eventually, had to use tape to hold them in places..lol

cheers

rally200

After all that effort you should go find some broken glass just to try them out

BikeNewby

I had exactly the same last night - thought I was just being an idiot. The 25 was murder to get on. I'm surprised that I didn't manage to nip one of my tubes.

bilabonic

Really hope they are puncture proof as would not like to fix one at roadside...

Surf-Matt

Utterly dumb question but how hard are road tyres to get on and off?

Got several MTBs - some tyres are fine (done hundreds of repairs), some are hard work.

The road bike has Spesh Mondo Sports (700 x 23c) which are so far okay. I got three tyre levers (the strongest I could find) just in case. Is it hard work or not too bad?

sheffsimon

Depends on tyre/rim combination, but in general its a right b**tard of a job! Especially at a cold wet roadside.

Hope that encourages you.

There are different techniques, but I find the one that works is to struggle like hell with the thumbs until the fingernails are peeled off, then resort to the tyre levers to ensure that you puncture the tube.

Repeat.

This is with Michelin Pro 3 on Fulcrums, which are great tyres but I think known for being a tight fit.

Surf-Matt

Uh oh...

Despite probably 100s of tyre changes, I still get the odd one (on the MTB) that's an absolute b1tch to get off and back on. I'd like to meet anyone that can get a half decent tyre off and back on using just their hands (apparently this is possible) - the only tyre I've had that is possible to do this with was flimsier than a wet sheet of bog roll.

If road tyres are even trickier, I might encase my tyres (Mondos on Mavic CX22 rims I think) in cement just to make sure I don't get any flats.

Got a tyre change wrong the other day with new rubber - must have pinched the tube on my rear MTB tyre. Pumped it up with my track pump and suddenly BANG! Blew the tube to smithereens and the tyre right off the rim - I could't hear for two hours. I'm now a little more careful with my tyre pumping! And that's from someone who has been biking since he was four years old!!

sheffsimon

Saw somebody changing a Schwalbe Ultremo tyre the other day, and it seemed quite a easy fit. Not sure whether that was the tyre or the rim that made it easier.

Almost boght an Ultremo when I needed a new tyre, just for that reason, but they didnt have them in white, so stuck with Pro 3's. Better to struggle than have wrong coloured tyre

timb64

SheffSimon wrote:

There are different techniques, but I find the one that works is to struggle like hell with the thumbs until the fingernails are peeled off, then resort to the tyre levers to ensure that you puncture the tube.

Repeat.
.

Been there, done that!

ride_whenever

Never used levers to get tyres onto rims, even the dreaded conti gp400s on fulcrum 7's combo.

If it is really tight, fit it overlapping the rim, get as much as you can on, then leave it in place. The bead will give slightly then you'll be able to finish the job.

As for mtb tyres, i can get all my panaracer ones on and off without levers. Most combos I use levers to get them off, just to save my thumbs though.

Stewie Griffin

Schwalbe stelvio plus and Mavic Open Pros are put back onable with your thumbs. Thankfully, as the first time I had to do it I forgot to line up the label with the valve and had to start again.

Hugh A

Various combos are bad news. I would say that Open Pros are not too bad with any tyres. Some factory wheels can be tricky though as they have slightly shallower wells - this is what makes it difficult to get the tyre on or off.

The only solution I have come up with so far, apart from the various tricks getting tyres on and off much debated in other postings is to fit Veloplugs instead of rim tape - this increases the effective depth of the wells noticeably.

CiB

The first time I fitted my Mich Pro 3 Races they were a PITA to get on the rims, but a couple of unscheduled deflations on + repairs and they're much easier. Still not a thumbs job, but they go on without the grunting & straining.

HonestAl

I've had a pair of Marathon Plus's on for about a year and I reckon they'd survive a direct strike in a nuclear attack, so I don't reckon you'll have a lot of risk of puncturing them. And yep, they're tough as old boots to get on and off, I've only ever managed with tyre levers. So although I don't think you're at all likely to puncture, you better carry a pair, just to be sure