tyres, rims and one badly frayed gear cable...

Alex-t

Hi all,
I am new to road biking and only got my bike this morning i only managed about 5 miles over to my mates house where i got a puncture on the stoned drive way. I was a bit gutted as now I couldn't get home :L but more gutted when i tried to take the wheel of the frame, i undid the quick release and it didnt come off... so after 5 minutes of struggling we got it off. Next came the tyre, taking that off proved to be near impossible almost snapping both tyre levers. when the tyre was off i noticed all of the holes drilled into the rim were... well, poor. one of which had a sharp jagged edge pointing up through the rim tape.. not good. :shock: then when i tried to refit the wheel i couldnt get it back on.... now i know i can understand if it a little difficult but the tyre actualy will not go back on... great.
oh and its a Coyote route 66 and i bought it from winstanleys bikes...
one question.. are the tyres supposed to be so difficult to remove and refit?

Weejie54

Some tyres are tighter than others (and some rims more troublesome). People have different techniques, but the underlying theory is that the part of the tyre that you have on the rim should be worked into the middle part of the inside of the rim. This is deeper than the edge and the tyre goes on easier due to the effectively smaller diameter rim. The leathery old cyclist brigade often used toe straps to secure tight tyres.

Many sources on the net to explain how to do it. This one is quite good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUFVrl0UT4

McTabish

Hi Alex. Got the same bike! Got the same problem. Loads of people have told me "ahh, your just doing it wrong" or "you need to do x, y and z". Well let me tell you, anyone who actually had this bike in front of them would think twice about being such a pompous TW*T. Basically I got a puncture, as to be expected, so tried to use some tire levels that i had. I knew what to do but the tyres are that tight around the rim, its impossible. I could get one tyre level in opposite the valve but then the tyre was so tight there was no way to get a second tyre level in. Anyways.... took it to my local shop where i got the bike from (had the usual "ahh, your just doing it wrong" , so said to the guy "just humor me then". Passed the tyre across and the big man in the shop with all his years experience took about 15 minutes to wrestle the tyre off the rim. So i grabbed a few inner tubes and off i went.... then had a nightmare trying to get the tyre back on the rim. In the end i had to use a 12" flat head screwdriver that i use for opening tins of paint! So you are not alone mate. You might also fine with these tyres that when you get them back on, its almost impossible to seat the tyre on the rim without a bulge near the value as the inner tube gets pinched between the tyre and the sidewall of the tyre itself. Saw your post and just had to let you know that it is the bike and not you mate. Dont listen to all the people who have £3000 bikes thats say you are just doing it wrong. My plan is (as i have just had another 2 punctures) is to swap the tyre to a continetal ultra as these are a little thinner than the ones that come on the bike (as i think they are just a cheapo bangladesh made tyre) and give them a go. They are on Halfords (if you are in the UK) for about £12.50 at the mo and £20 for 2..... i just hope that these will be a bit better for getting on and off as they are a little thinner. Overall the bike has been okay, its just the tyres that have done my head in. Based on my experience there would be no way you could change a puncture out and about - when i got my most recent puncture, my wife had to pick me up. So i'll give the new tyres a go and post back if they are any good for the coyote route 66!!!

rolf_f

McTabish wrote:

Well let me tell you, anyone who actually had this bike in front of them would think twice about being such a pompous TW*T. ..........Dont listen to all the people who have £3000 bikes thats say you are just doing it wrong.

You seem to have a bit of an inferiority complex but never mind. The rims themselves might be particularly tough but the problem is as much likely to be down to the quality of the tyres themselves. Get a pair of good quality folding tyres and try those. They should be much easier - particularly if you take them on and off a couple of times. The new tyres would also be more grippy and lighter.

But either way, there is a technique to removing road tyres and whether or not your particular bike is exceptionally tough isn't a reason for you to call people offering sound advice pompous twats given that this issue is raised time and again on here and 99 times out of a hundred the solution is simply down to technique.

simon_masterson

Rolf F wrote:

McTabish wrote:

Well let me tell you, anyone who actually had this bike in front of them would think twice about being such a pompous TW*T. ..........Dont listen to all the people who have £3000 bikes thats say you are just doing it wrong.

You seem to have a bit of an inferiority complex but never mind. The rims themselves might be particularly tough but the problem is as much likely to be down to the quality of the tyres themselves. Get a pair of good quality folding tyres and try those. They should be much easier - particularly if you take them on and off a couple of times. The new tyres would also be more grippy and lighter.

But either way, there is a technique to removing road tyres and whether or not your particular bike is exceptionally tough isn't a reason for you to call people offering sound advice pompous twats given that this issue is raised time and again on here and 99 times out of a hundred the solution is simply down to technique.

This.

I'm not sure I would go for the Conti Ultra tyres either; the reviews I've read haven't been very good. They may be cheap but you may end up paying the extra money between them and some slightly more expensive Gatorskins/Marathons/etc in inner tubes, puncture repairs and longevity (lack thereof).

But you need to get that rim sorted out. I'm guessing that sharp bits of metal will just file away but get your LBS to sort it out if you don't feel confident. I knew that cheap bikes often come with rubbish wheels, but that is a bit much!

(and by the way I don't have a £3000 bike; I doubt it would fetch £300, but their loss... )