Did you use tire levers to lift the bead onto the rim? If not by all means do so. Others on here have recommended heating the tire in a clothes dryer for some time (?30sec?) to make it more pliable.

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport

Try this: use a squirt bottle, and spray the rim with soapy water. It help tight tires to slide on the rim easier, and also allows them to settle into place easily.

I have hed jet 90s and they are a bear to mount tires on. My thumbs were sore for 3 days after the last time I put tires on, and that was using tire levers and a Crank Bros. speed lever.

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"Oh you hate your job? There's a support group for that, it's called EVERYBODY and they meet at the bar."

I'll pick up a crank brothers speed lever and see how that goes. I am pretty close to getting the tire on but now my thumbs are sore and I have a huge blister on one of them so I am sure I am not getting teh same power out of them anymore. I would also like to know I have a method for mounting/removing the tire while out on the road... so hopefully the crank brothers tool works.

I had this same problem just last week with my HED 60. In the end I used levers to get the tire back on, but it was also relatively difficult to get off in the first place. It is odd that it is just the rear wheel as well, as the front wheel I have no problem with. One solution that I have heard is to stretch the tire first by putting your foot on it and pulling upwards and doing that in a couple of spots around the tire.

i must be the only one concerned that the HED and Zipp clinchers seem to have a big reputation for being difficult to get tires on. That's a big deal breaker to me as race wheels for anything from OD upwards, where a flat does not mean the end of the race unless you spend 10 minutes trying to remount the tire.

Try a different rim strip(?) Maybe, a thinner one will make it easier.

Ooops. Yesterday I ordered a Michelin pro2 race tire for the first time because I had such a hard time getting my Bontrager Race Lite xs on. I also was influenced by the unusual Slowtwitch consensus regarding the Michelin pro2 race tire.
I have never had such trouble mounting clinchers as I had with those Bontragers. I like the tires but, if I flat with them, I'm afraid I'll never get them off and on in less than a half hour.

I have a Jet 60 and Jet 90. No problems mounting Pro Race 2 on either of those. After putting a new Pro Race tire on the rim for the first time it is down right easy after that.

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Justin in Austin, get it? :)

Cool races:
- Redman
- Desoto American Triple T

So I picked up the crank brothers speed lever and was able to get teh tire on fairly easily. the toughest thing was the tire didnt' slide on very easily and the tube kept getting snagged by the lever. Teh soapy water was probably a fantastic idea and would have helped a ton. However I was usng latex tubes and don't know what things break down latex (I know vaseline is a no go...I was considering getting a tube of KY and using that... figured that was safe on latex but I didnt' want to drive to the store for a tube of KY.... and then I would have to carry it on my bike in case I flat during a race and that is just a path I'm not ready to go down... unless of course they have real small tubes of KY... but I digress) Anyway is soapy water safe on latex?

I broke 3 plastic tire levers in the process of repairing a flatted Pro 2 Race on my HED Alps last Tuesday night. In 15 years and countless tire changes, I've never had an experience like that before.

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Bob C.

The "science" on any matter can never be settled until every possible variable is taken into account.

Don't want to rain on anyones parade, but what do you do if you flat in a race? I would not ride in an event with a spare if I thought I might need to change a tire that was that much work. I can not imagine sitting on the side of the road with a 180 heart rate trying to change a tire that I had to use soap to get on ,I probably would just take a DNF or get different tires/wheels.

I've had similar issues with Pro Race2's on Hed Alps. Find some thin Zipp rim tape or something like it. I didn't think it would work, but it was worth the $10 or so as an experiment since the wheels were basically unusable to me if I couldn't repair a flat on the side of the road. Works great and I haven't had a problem with it. The only thing I'd worry about is using latex tubes on them, but is 10 seconds worth not being able to use your wheels.

Also, Clean all the mold release agent off before trying to work with them. Leave them in your car for awhile in the sun. Stand on them and pull up real hard like a dead lift. Use plenty of talc.
Pre stretch the tires on rims that you know you can get them on. Inflate and deflate several times. Bounce them around. I think riding on them stretches them a little more, but if you want them as race day tires only this may not be an option unless you can find a good, clean, 100% debris free road.

Good luck, blistered thumbs are a little hard to explain to most people.

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Brawndo's got what plants crave. Brawndo's got electrolytes. And that's what plants crave. They crave electrolytes. Which is what Brawndo has. And that's why plants crave Brawndo. Not water, like from the toilet.

Totally fine (remember, some dish gloves are made of latex). If you're worried, use a mild soap - e.g. Ivory. Just don't use a degreaser.

I second the dryer. It works with no detriment.