Tight Tyres

Hurricane Warrior

Recently had a couple of punctures, so in the end replaced the tyre, my question is why are the tyres so dam well tight to put on?
I got continental 4000s, do they get easier with time, I've got shimano ultegra wheels, is it the wheels themselves or tyres?
Would do you find are the best options?

sungod

pretty much inevitable that clinchers are tight, too loose and the pressure would force them off the rim

gp4000s are fairly easy to mount as tyres go, are you using levers?

rubertoe

Bit of washing up liquid on the rim should ease them on

arlowood

Hurricane Warrior wrote:

Recently had a couple of punctures, so in the end replaced the tyre, my question is why are the tyres so dam well tight to put on?
I got continental 4000s, do they get easier with time, I've got shimano ultegra wheels, is it the wheels themselves or tyres?
Would do you find are the best options?

Some rims are more problematic than others but as the tyres age they should become easier to mount. Have had GP4000's in the past and can't remember them being particularly difficult (that was on Open Pro rims). Now have H Plus Son rims and Michelin Pro4 Endurance. No real problems with fitting in my experience.

You've probably already seen it, but this technique video is worth a watch (wire-beaded Marathon Plus tyre)

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

cycleclinic

Tyre rim combo's are unpredictable. Tyres that tight on one rim fall onto another but tyres that are tight on rims which other tyres mount easily then mount with ease on rims which many tyres are tight.

There is no rhyme or reason to this (well there must be but it is not predictable).

trailflow

Are they 6800 wheels ? They are known to be troublesome because they are designed for tubeless.

Thick Mike

I had exactly the same combination, 4000 and ultegra wheels. I used every swear word I knew, and invented a few new ones. An hour later I got the second tyre on only to find that I'd put my tyre lever through the inner tube!! Can't wait to get a visit from the P-fairy at the side of the road in the rain!

cq20

The worst combination I've had is Conti Ultrasports (wired) on Fulcrum Quattros (don't ask - long story). I broke a couple of levers, had two punctures and eventually resorted to using a toe clip strap to hold the tyre in place for the last section. They would be impossible to fix on the road but as I'm selling them than shouldn't be an issue for me - but I will warn the buyer. GP4000s on Fulcrum 5s was painless.

Alex99

Hurricane Warrior wrote:

Recently had a couple of punctures, so in the end replaced the tyre, my question is why are the tyres so dam well tight to put on?
I got continental 4000s, do they get easier with time, I've got shimano ultegra wheels, is it the wheels themselves or tyres?
Would do you find are the best options?

It's your Ultegra rims. They're tubeless compatible and will be tight with pretty much any tyre (some will be slightly less tight). With some rims (e.g. DT RR440, open pro, Zonda), many tyres will pretty much pull off by hand as long as you work the bead loose from the rim. They don't blow off the rims when inflated. A solution for difficult rims is the Var tyre lever.

aberdeenal

I took over 15hrs to fit my Continental GP4000's to my Stans wheels that came with my GT Grade - broke 3 x tyre levers & 8 x tubes.

Ended up having to buy one of these https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/bbb-e ... ool-btl78/ and also using builders gloves.

I reckon the front wheel was on the plus side of tolerance and tyre on the minus side of tolerance............I fitted the same tyres onto my Mavics and it took less than 5mins for both wheels

the_cyclist_of_catan

Tight? You barely know the meaning of the word. Try Schwalbe Marathon Plusses - my 25s were a two hour fight to get on, gave up, created a Wiggle return note, went back, fought for another two hours, got them on only to reealise I had managed to tear the inner tube in the process, got them off then fought for another two hours to get them back on. If they puncture while I'm out on a ride, I'm buggered.

And yes, I'd seen the Spa Cycles video. Very helpful when I got a set of 35/37s on my hybrid. But the 25s have another issue - that the buggers really don't have enoug flex in them to form the u-shape for both sides to engage with the rims.

Every other type I've ever tried - including plenty to of tight ones - were a piece of cake compared to the Marathon Plusses.

cycleclinic

It got nowt to with the rims being tubeless. Take the Kinlin XR22T marathon plus tyres fit with ease on the tubeless rims but some clinchers are a tighter fit. the marathon plus is know for being a bastard to get on normally.

Challange strada bianca tyres will not mount and that me saying this to the non tubeless archetype rim but they fall onto the tubeless Velocity Aileron.

The RR440 rim mentioned above is a tubeless rim hammering another nail into the coffin it tight because it is a tubeless rim.

Mavic Ma2 rims and conti gator skin hardshell tyres require amoured thumbs and that me saying that. impossible combo for most.

So when I say there is no rhyme or reason to this I mean it. I am sure there is a tyre that fits to the ultegra wheels without too much hassle also you could just go tubeless.

Alex99

thecycleclinic wrote:

It got nowt to with the rims being tubeless. Take the Kinlin XR22T marathon plus tyres fit with ease on the tubeless rims but some clinchers are a tighter fit. the marathon plus is know for being a bastard to get on normally.

Challange strada bianca tyres will not mount and that me saying this to the non tubeless archetype rim but they fall onto the tubeless Velocity Aileron.

The RR440 rim mentioned above is a tubeless rim hammering another nail into the coffin it tight because it is a tubeless rim.

Mavic Ma2 rims and conti gator skin hardshell tyres require amoured thumbs and that me saying that. impossible combo for most.

So when I say there is no rhyme or reason to this I mean it. I am sure there is a tyre that fits to the ultegra wheels without too much hassle also you could just go tubeless.

Good points. I agree it can't be a blanket tubeless rim thing. I too remember MA2 being total dogs. I put it down to the flat internal profile. Exal XR2 similarly, very difficult, and flat internally.

Moonbiker

ma2 are crazy tight. It just took me nearly an hour to fit one rubino wired tyre on to one ma2 wheel

I think wired tyres are harder to fit generally, so the combo of ma2 & a new wired tyre is a nightmare.

AK_jnr

Trust me, those Ultegra rims are a bloody nightmare for all the tyres I tried. I was glad to bin them in the end.

fat daddy

I just spent god knows how long trying to get a pair of 32mm hardshells on to a set of pro-lites .. broke two tyre leavers, removed the skin off one hand .... only to discover I mounted the tyre around the wrong way ...... for once my OCD kicked in and started complaining bitterly that it wouldn't stand and I NEEDED to rotate the tyre !!! ......... I agreed but said if if wanted it rotated then it could do it itself ....... for once my OCD didn't even consider it ... "nah fook that, it can stay facing backwards"

I HATE changing tyres

trek_dan

Yep those Ultegra rims are an absolute nightmare with all the clincher tyres we tried, and unfortunately equally difficult to get to seal tubeless. I sold mine on. I couldn't take the risk of getting a puncture in the middle of nowhere and not being able to fix it.

dannbodge

As above I've found some easy and others difficult.

The cheap clinchers on my OHs bike skinned my fingers and we struggled to get them off, then the folding Mavic yksions basically fell on with no effort.

Then changing the Sworks turbos on my Ksyrium elites were difficult to get both on and off.

teebs_123

trek_dan wrote:

Yep those Ultegra rims are an absolute nightmare with all the clincher tyres we tried, and unfortunately equally difficult to get to seal tubeless. I sold mine on. I couldn't take the risk of getting a puncture in the middle of nowhere and not being able to fix it.

This is it, middle of nowhere, in winter, cold hands and struggling to get the tyre off/on = nightmare

The worst combo for me was Hunt x Mason & Conti 4 Seasons. Easier with the right technique, but still a massive pain!

navrig2

One of our regulars as Ultegra wheels and has problems getting them off and on. It's a nightmare when he's at home and worse when out on the road. I'm surprised they still sell and have not been condemned as not fit for purpose.

paul1000

Think it might be tubeless specific, have got fulcrum zero tubeless and revo's. Both are a nightmare. Got some tyre soap off Planet X which helps a bit.

faster97

I used to really struggle with a combination of rim and tyre I had - Vision Team 30 (kinlin xr300 rim used on loads of stuff I think) with GP4000s tyres. Whilst I'm sure someone will be here any time soon to say what an easy combination this is, that's not really relevant - they were difficult for me!

Anyway, I got one of these, which with a bit of practice makes the job effortless. They are small and light enough to carry on a ride too.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/var-tyre-levers/

pippi_langsamer-2

Yep, try fitting a Conti Competition tubular! Dislocated thumbs covered in mastic for your efforts lol....

Bordersroadie

Tightest tyre combo I had was a Durano Plus on Excellight - Wiggle return!

On a more positive note, a great easy-fit combo for winter bikes is the Ambrosio Excellight rim and Conti Gator skin or Gator Hardshell or GP 4 seasons, each of which is a very easy fit.

For me, a winter bike needs a fast-change combo. If it's near zero, wet and dark, for example, you REALLY don't want a numb-fingered wrestle on the muddy verge. All very well to say "just use fairy liquid" (FFS!!)

The above rules also seems to apply to old OpenPro, although I do appreciate that these and the Ambrosio rims are very untrendy-narrow. I'll be interested to see how tyres fit to the new Open Pro...

Going to summer bikes and a modern rim, another easy combo is GP 4000s II on Archetype rims. Stress free tube changes.

adlopa

faster97 wrote:

I used to really struggle with a combination of rim and tyre I had - Vision Team 30 (kinlin xr300 rim used on loads of stuff I think) with GP4000s tyres. Whilst I'm sure someone will be here any time soon to say what an easy combination this is, that's not really relevant - they were difficult for me!

Anyway, I got one of these, which with a bit of practice makes the job effortless. They are small and light enough to carry on a ride too.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/var-tyre-levers/

Same here with the same wheel + tyre combo. Tried that same tyre lever too, but eventually gave up (after broken levers, pinched tubes and destroyed fingers) and replaced the wheels - I didn't fancy translating the 2+ hours spent replacing a tyre in the comfort my kitchen to the side of the road. I switched to Mavic Ksyriums and the same tyres practically fit themselves.

clickrumble

I've got these Ultegra 6800 wheels on two of my bikes. The first time I tried them and conti tyres it was a nightmare and I used to dread getting punctures (I nearly lost an eye due to a flying tyre lever!). However if you make sure that the deflated tyre is unhooked from the rim and pushed down into the well at the bottom of the rim all round the wheel, then they come off easily, same procedure in reverse to refit. I just converted one set to tubeless with Hutchinson tyres and they go on and seal really easily, probably going to fit tubeless on the other set now that I've got about 1200 miles on the first set.

kingstonian

recently put Armadillo's on my CX bike to use for commuting......took 2 hrs, still couldn't get them fully on, went back to the shop and the mechanic and I finally forced them on. He suggested taking a bit of fairy liquid in a shall container when out on a ride as that should make it a bit easier.

bikegangster

I get this with folding tyres so far - the Michelin Endurance Pro 4, Kenda Tendril and the Durano Double Defense. Never had the problem with wired tyres. When you're nearly finish putting on the tyre, it's where the struggle starts. If you put in one bit of the tyre, the opposite end comes out. What I did is push in the part of tyre that's already in the rim to create room for the unfinished end. Then trap the wheel under my armpit, get the lever with my free arm and pry in the last bit of tyre in. Since the wheel is under your armpit, the tyre can't jump out.