Fitting new tyre

Tony__B

So, thanks to some help from the forum I've bought some new wheels, fitted the cassette and the brake disc rotors from the old ones and was nearly done. Instead of putting the old (and well-worn) tyre onto the new rear wheel I decided to fit a brand new Specialized Captain. I got one side of the tyre on and added the tube only to spend the next 45 mins wrestling with tyre levers and so on, and completely failed to get the other edge on. By this time it was nearly midnight and my thumbs were sore! What am I doing wrong?

Even if I get the thing on - and it's nowhere near - I'm concerned that if I get a puncture and replace the tube I'll be stuck by the trailside unable to refit the tyre. Any advice gratefully received...

Chunkers1980

Some washing up liquid and some bigger levers.

Make sure the part of the tyre you've got in already is at the lowest point inside the rim.

marksimon69

Try one of these ............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtPRjMrcwFw

Chunkers1980

No so smooth if you have qr or bolt thru hubs though

marksimon69

works fine with my qr hubs

delcol

it's all down to technique see

these shawalbe marathon plus are the hardest tyre i ever had to put on a rim.. they are tight. with the right technique you can get them on without using tyre levers...

if you think the 26 inch version of this tyre is hard to seat then try a kids 12 inch version,,

YeehaaMcgee

delcol wrote:

it's all down to technique,

Absolutely. Get the bead of the tyre to sit in the well of the rim. It'll never work otherwise. That's why there's such a pronounced well there.

konadawg

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

delcol wrote:

it's all down to technique,

Absolutely. Get the bead of the tyre to sit in the well of the rim. It'll never work otherwise. That's why there's such a pronounced well there.

Again, +1

To clarify, the opposite side of the wheel especially, to where you are struggling (the final part to pop on) you need to press the bead inwards so that it seats in the central part of the rim, not the outermost sides (where it will seat once you start inflating)

Think about it, the radius at the well is smaller than the radius near the rim edge, so the rim becomes "virtually" smaller allowing you to pop the bead over the edge.

agg25

You should never use tyre lever to put on a tyre, especially if you use tubes.
As said make sure as you're putting the tyre into the rim you kep checking that the bead of the tyre is in the deepest part of the rim and work your way round leaving the valve till the end.
Then do the same for the other side.
I struggled myself until I followed this advice, check out the video here ->
http://vimeo.com/34667233

Tony__B

Thanks for the help. I got it on in the end but would never have done it without levers. I gave up on tyre levers and used a wooden spatula but it broke! Then tried a stiff plastic spoon. I did have the bead seated deep in the well. I'd already tried holding the tyre in place with cable ties but it didn't seem to help.

It needed an enormous amount more brute strength than seems reasonable, and I am still concerned about the consequences of a puncture somewhere out of range of my kitchen utensils. And my thumbs still hurt.

konadawg

agg25 wrote:

You should never use tyre lever to put on a tyre, especially if you use tubes.

You are going to have to leave quite a few tyres off the rim if you never use levers... Some tyres practically shake off the rim and vice versa, others, no way hose.

Try fitting some double walled wire beaded DH tyres without levers, but not only.

No doubt there are tolerances for the sizes of rims, and also tyres. If you get a "big" rim and a "small" tyre, you are going to have a hard time, as the OP did. My WTBs are pigs. Luck of the draw.