Conti GP 4 seasons - what a B to fit it

ricky1980

got these nice new tyres. they are nice but damn is it hard to fit them. the clincher is so TIGHT was struggle to put them onto the wheel without tube and the last bit of the lap almost bend my lever.

does anyone find it hard work? I am not looking forward to flat tyres on these, will have to take them to shops if this happens to me on the road...

Escadrille Ecosse

Good tyres with plenty of grip and seem to have better than average resistance to the p**cture fairy. Got a pair on my Pro 6 and they are quite tight on the Kinesis Crosslight wheels but I can still change them without resorting to levers - just. Have used them on Bontrager and Stans rims too and the fit was a bit less extreme. You do need to make sure the rest of the bead is in the well of the rim. Compare them with the Schwalbe Marathon Winters which pretty much fall off the rim.

Gizmodo

This video will help http://youtu.be/-XUFVrl0UT4

McNulty

tbf its you not the tyre.....i have a new set and whilst they are slightly harder than my old gp4000s to get on i did it without too much faff - however the fella in my LBS fixing my back wheel got them off and back on without tools.....so its practice and technique....its a really good tyre btw

Monty Dog

Technique is key - anyone who's worked as a bike mechanic knows that there's a certain professional pride in not using levers, beside it eliminates the risk of nipping the innertube. I've never had any problems with GP4S on a number of rims. Fitted some tubeless MTB tyres the other week without levers - fingers and thumbs did ache for a bit afterwards though.

arthur_scrimshaw

ricky1980 wrote:

got these nice new tyres. they are nice but damn is it hard to fit them. the clincher is so TIGHT was struggle to put them onto the wheel without tube and the last bit of the lap almost bend my lever.

does anyone find it hard work? I am not looking forward to flat tyres on these, will have to take them to shops if this happens to me on the road...

If you think they are hard, try fitting a set of Schwalbe Marathon plus, even with pushing the bead into the centre I ended up with blistered thumbs! Grim satisfaction in not using levers but hard to eat for a few days

careful

What monty dog and others said - technique. Warming the tyre (near radiator etc) helps. Also, if you still struggle I can recommend the VAR lever as a safe way of levering the last bit on wothout risk to the tube.
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/var-tyre-levers-prod27539/

ricky1980

The var lever looks handy. I normally don't use levers to out the tyres onto wheels but this one is a bit hardcore.

Saying that, is the krysium elite slightly oversized? But I never had any trouble with he armodillo tyres.on the same wheels before.

essjaydee

Just fitted these (25's) to a set of Shimano RS10's and can say it was a doddle, without any tools

Had a puncture 20 miles into first ride with them (pothole caused snakebite!), and a doddle to change the tube also

Obviously depends on the wheel & rim

Hoopdriver

Never had any troubles whatever with Conti 4 Seasons - as the above poster says, a doddle to fit

tiredofwhiners

I use the GP4S but am bemused by anyone having to lever them on. To lever it on, you're effectively trying to pull the tyre out wider than necessary so use one of these - you'll wonder why people use anything else.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=8176

Unbelievably easy to get ALL tyres on and off.

derosa

tiredofwhiners wrote:

I use the GP4S but am bemused by anyone having to lever them on. To lever it on, you're effectively trying to pull the tyre out wider than necessary so use one of these - you'll wonder why people use anything else.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=8176

Unbelievably easy to get ALL tyres on and off.

Indeed - Never leave home without one!

Raffles

a little bit of talc inside the tyre and its a doddle

vorsprung

How to fit any tyre without special tools or footwear demonstrated by a girl
http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=28167.msg511847

ricky1980

Lol love the banter on the last post.

rodgers73

Daft question but are you trying to fit them in your garage or indoors? In this cold weather it will be pretty hard to get rubber to stretch over a wheel. I tried to fit new tyres the other day having left them in the garage overnight and it was impossible. Took them inside and left it for a couple of hours. They went on no bother after that.

cycleclinic

I have showed ladies with the tinyest hands and skinnest finger how to get onti road tyres on like wire bead gator skins. It took them a while to learn the tehnique but one they did they could do it with any tools.

Chasing the tyre arounf the rim is the thing you are probably not doing. Also placing both thumbs together beneath the bead and pushing while the rest of your fingers are rolling the body of the back stretching it allow you you push a bit of the bead a little at time over the rim. Most people I see struggling have there thumbs on the sidewall trying to push the tyre on but all that happens your thumbs slide over the side wall or the thumbs are have a big gap between them so you are trying to push a large length of tyre on which is obviously harder. It's nothing to do with temperature of the tyre. cold tyres can be fitted as well.