Tight tyres.

13ADL1X

Please help I've bought a set of Conti Sport Contact tyres but I cannot get the damn things on my rim! I've had stiff tyres before but this is nuts - my thumbs are red raw!!

Any tips before I go to the bike shop in the morning looking like a fool.

Cheshley

I had to resort to smearing washing up liquid on the rims to get the Continental Mountain Kings on a couple of weeks ago.

13ADL1X

I've tried that but it seems to make the tyre slip off the rim as I'm trying to wrench it on. I'm basically chasing it round the rim! arrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh

wgwarburton

13ADL1X wrote:

I've tried that but it seems to make the tyre slip off the rim as I'm trying to wrench it on. I'm basically chasing it round the rim! arrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh

Do you have the opposite side of the bead in the spoke channel?

You need to start opposite the valve hole. ensure the bead is down in the bottom of the channel in the middle of the rim where the spoke nipples sit and then work up both sides of the rim to the valve hole. Don't let the bead pop out of the channel!
Once you get to the valve, the bead should be loose enough to push over the rim, using both thumbs.
Once the bead is over the rim you need to go back round, and get it out of the channel and onto the shoulder where it's supposed to live before pumping it up.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
W.

arthur_scrimshaw

13ADL1X wrote:

Please help I've bought a set of Conti Sport Contact tyres but I cannot get the damn things on my rim! I've had stiff tyres before but this is nuts - my thumbs are red raw!!

Any tips before I go to the bike shop in the morning looking like a fool.

I've got one of these on the back of my Sirrus - Alex s500 rims, and it was a pig to get on after the Spesh All Condition it replaced (2-3 punctures a week) but I managed it after a struggle and some talc. I've got another coming (when Wiggle get stock!) for the front as well, and I'm not looking forward to getting my first p******* out on the road.
Someone on here suggested using one of these

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product.asp? ... rc=froogle

HTH

getting_on_a_bit

I've got these ,26x1.6" on mavic 717 rims,I always have to get the 'last section on one side ' opposite the valve on using plastic tyre levers.Have to be carefull not to pinch puncture and it's still takes effort and patience but works for me.

whyamihere

getting on a bit wrote:

I've got these ,26x1.6" on mavic 717 rims,I always have to get the 'last section on one side ' opposite the valve on using plastic tyre levers.Have to be carefull not to pinch puncture and it's still takes effort and patience but works for me.

Put the bit at the valve on last. You're less likely to pinch as the valve will hold the tube in place a bit and stop it getting between the rim and tyre/lever.

13ADL1X

In the end I swallowed my pride and took them to my LBS. They used big levers and despite a bit of a struggle finally got them on!

Tell you what they haven't half sped my bike up! I added 3 mph to my max speed without even trying.

sampras38

13ADL1X wrote:

In the end I swallowed my pride and took them to my LBS. They used big levers and despite a bit of a struggle finally got them on!

Tell you what they haven't half sped my bike up! I added 3 mph to my max speed without even trying.

Let's hope you don't get a puncture...;-)

the_hundredth_idiot

I'm doing a bike maintenance course at the moment and I asked the mechanic about this last week. I said it quite embarrassed in a, "I can't believe I struggle to repair a puncture" kind of way. The mechanic took one look at my wheels and tyres, laughed in a not unkind way and explained that, in his experience, Continental tyres (mine are Ultra Gatorskins) are really tough to fit and it's not that I'm doing anything wrong.

FWIW, I tried exactly the same thing as you the other week - tried washing up liquid and then ended up chasing the tyre around the rim for ages. Finally got it on due to a combination of brute force and patience. In the past, I have actually had to take my bike to the LBS to get a puncture repaired (the shame ... :oops: ). I'm not looking forward to my first puncture on a dark, rainy night when I'm more than walking distance from home.

DotBike sell some stuff which is specially designed to help get stiff tyres back on (some sort of lubricant) which might be worth a go. I can speak from experience that any special tyre levers to help get tyres back on (e.g. the Var lever) don't work - they aren't strong enough. Though I have seen some workshop type of levers (Condor sells them) which might be strong enough - bit of a PITA to carry around with you, though.

impaler_diz

I just left mine in front of a (hot) radiator for 10 minutes. That made things a lot easier. Doesn't help much if you get a puncture when it's -2C outside, it's dark and snowing, but makes changing tyres at home easier.