What brand and model are your wheels?

What brand and model are your tires?

It can be frustrating. I'd recommend the Crank brother's speedier tire lever someone here recommended. Certainly in terms of putting on the tire it might just solve that by itself.

Are you following the tip about getting the tire bead in the wheel centre channel?

Some combinations of wheels and tires and just far tighter than others. Maybe someone here has a tire suggestion if you let us know what wheels you have or maybe get to your LBS and see if they have any suggestions. You may be just getting frustrated with an extremely tight combination.

LBS's aren't always the most welcoming...but I would urge you to find the one you like the best, go in, ask them... offer to pay someone to teach you. Seriously. Have them show you step by step. In my opinion - would be well worth it.

Trust me, once you figure it out, it won't be so intimidating.

Best of luck. Don't give up riding!

some tires easy to change than others. depend if they have wirebead, kevlar, etc. how about just never dealing with having to change a tire? I use these.

https://tannusamerica.com/pages/tannus-airless-tires

What do you have?

What do you have difficulty with?

Some tires are easier to remove and pop back on than others. Some wheels are slightly larger and all tires are more difficult to put on them. Combine the two, tight tire and a difficult wheel, and it can be very hard to remove and replace a tire. If your problem is something else then ask someone to help and practice practice practice.

My advice is to never get a flat.

First off - what kind of tire and how old is it? I'm quite proficient at changing tires but there are some old stiff tires that I've literally found impossible to remove (friends' old bikes).

Brand new Continental Grand Prix 5000, on stock wheels that came with my Tarmac.

I literally tried for an hour and gave up before I threw my bike in the river lol.

I guy who is a mobile bike mechanic is coming to my house tomorrow to help me. That is embarrassing but unfortunately necessary.

Ouch - that really 'should' be readily changeable. Most folks here use GP5000s and they're not particularly difficult even when new and unstretched.

You likely have tried every 'normal' trick, but just in case, take advantage of using several tire levers to unseat the tire. Pull off the bead in one area, leave the lever in there, and use another to keep on moving around the rim.

Also, be sure you're not unseating part of one side and then working on unseating the opposite side. That will create too much stretching to work with. Make sure the tire side opposite the one you are removing is FULLY seated (you may have worked part of it out accidentally and then switched sides, not realizing it. This has happened to me on the road.)

The unfortunate part is that the tire REMOVAL is usually the (far) easier part of it. MOUNTING the tire is when the real trouble begins! =(

But good on you to have the bike guy coming over. He'll give you all you need to know - whether you just had an unfortunately hard tire combo, or if you were overlooking something. After that you can practice the heck out of it. Don't worry - you'll get it for sure.

tubeless or YouTube and a tire lever

https://www.amazon.com/...-Black/dp/B091TD47YP

I have small hands and have the same tires as you,and struggled for several years. I use a thing called a speed lever...there's also one called a speedier lever. It was a game changer for me, and now I swear by it! Maybe give it a try. I had a double flat in a race a few years ago due to some crazy potholes on a downhill, and was able to change both and get back in the race. Don't give up!!!!

I can install GP5000 clincher tires on Reynolds wheels with my hands.

I can remove it with two levers in about 10 seconds.

It really just takes practice. When I first learned it took me well over an hour to change a tire. Fortunately the first couple times I had to do it I was in the comfort of my own home and not out on the road. Now it usually just takes a few minutes. Although it does depend on the tire. This winter I bought a pair of schwalbe marathon plus studded tires — now those are a tight fit! Took me an entire evening to get them on, especially the first one. Second one seemed to go better once I’d built some confidence. By the end, I’d broken a tire lever, and ended up with bloody hands from trying to grab the studded tire to roll it onto the rim!

Check that the 5000 is clincher and not TL (tubeless)

Maurice

I can install GP 5000 clinchers, while battling a wolverine and pleasuring a half dozen women with my left hand. Which leaves my right hand available for. Never mind. But I can do it in ten seconds.

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

1. Make sure you have decent tire levers. If not, the mobile shop can sell you some for a couple bucks.

2. When the mobile bike shop guy comes, have him walk you through the process.

3. If you have a spare wheel/rim, practice taking the tire on and off. This allows you to master that part of the process without worrying about pinching the tube.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

This is absolutely key.

First learning about this was life changing. I went from breaking levers to using my hands overnight!

Lots of good advice. One of the biggest things is a new tire seems harder than a used tire, if u can unpack it. Get it mostly on a rim then just leave it in a warmish place overnight or for a few hours. u might find coming back that it is noticeably easier.

There is a knack to it. I did what u are planning to do bought 2 tires 2 inner tubes and sat in the shop in a corner put on take off put on take off. Not watching. Doing with some advice. Won't say its super easy as finger strength matters and I'm a pianist fingers guy not a wingchun fingers of fury guy but the tricks outlined plus patience plus some advice will get u there.

Is it the on or off part that is messing with you?

Off= use levers, 3. Remember you don't ever need to take the whole tire off only one side and then you can pull out the inner tube.

For on: one thing that always tricked is that you run out of wheel, both Hands on the opposite side of where it is not on and massage/wiggle it towards you.

How do I ensure that the bead is in the center of the rim? I tried pushing it toward the center from opposite sides, and it still would not give me enough slack.

I have the speedier tire lever and the kool stop tool, based on what people recommended here last year, and still can’t get it.

I will practice for an hour after the mechanic walks me through it.

Stand the wheel in front of you such that you can look straight down on it. Grasp the tire at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock with thumbs away from you and pointing towards the floor. Squeeze the tire in each hand between fingers and thumb so that the two beads come together in the center of the rim. While holding the tire in each hand, slide each hand towards 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock (don't lose tension) in a way that you are pulling each side of the tire in those directions. Repeat until at 7 o'clock and 5 o'clock. You will then have pulled each half of the tire toward the bottom (6 o'clock), and you'll have more slack. Pull tire onto rim as much as you can; repeat as necessary.

No tools needed.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Have you tried throwing your bicycle as far as you can? I got about 20 ft. out of a pretty heavy mountain bike after some tire-changing issues, and it worked for me. I figure the adrenaline gave me some extra strength and focus. (Ah, I see the river comment -- commit to this impulse.)

Can I suggest changing other tires? That is, a kid's bike, an old beater, etc. Some experience finishing the job will most likely open your eyes to tricks or approaches that you could apply to a much more difficult tire and rim setup. (This is 'the knack' someone upthread mentioned.) I also suggest watching the mechanic who does change your tire, and maybe asking them to undo it and let you redo it.

BTW donuts and six-packs are good ways to sidestep any bike mechanic embarrassment issues.

Thank you.

It won’t help much to say this especially since it’s already been said. Practice practice practice. When I first started it took me hours to change
A flat. Now it’s just a couple minutes. A new tire might take 20 minutes.

A good tip I learned that might feel frustrating at first is to make sure you’re finishing at the other side of the stem. That’s where the least amount of pressure is. While it’s a tough go around to get everything to seat right once you’re finishing it will change a whole lot about the effort.

Anyway, as it’s been said. Just practice. Practice watching tv. Practice every day. Eventually you’ll have it and you’ll wonder why it was ever a big deal.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

Thanks to everyone for the advice, and sorry about the whining. The mechanic showed me some good tips and it made a big difference. He did the first tire and I did the second. I was able to actually install the tire using only my hands, no tire levers or other tools. He gave me a good pair of thin glovers made of leather and mesh which made it easier. Two good tips helped make the difference. One, make sure the valve stem was inserted properly and pushed back a little toward the rim. Two, use the right thumb to work one side of the tire when it is almost on, and use the palm of the left hand to push hard, right next to the right thumb, and it popped right on.

I also used a hairdryer to warm up the tire a bit this morning and that seemed to soften the tire. After the mechanic left, I practiced with an old tire and spare wheel I had laying around, and it took two minutes. New tires are much more difficult, but now at least I think I can do it.

Good for you. It's rubbish when maintenance takes too long and gets in the way of a good bike ride. Hope you've got enough of the weekend left to get some bike time in.

This is a great idea.

I hired a local bike shop mechanic to come to my house and watch me do all the basics, and then teach me how to tear apart and put back together a bike. Among the best $200 I've ever spent in cycling/triathlon.

I have come a LONG way since then and can now confidently build road/TT bikes from the frame up and prepare my wife's bikes for her A races, as well as maintain our fleet of 6 bikes.

It was only probably 2018 when I was really not confident that I'd be able to fix a flat or change a tire.

Also, get this, it's awesome. Makes getting tires off SO much easier. At least for at-home tire swaps. Fine for in a moderate/large bike saddle bag too.

PS. You'll still have times where you put the tire & tube on and it flats again. But it will get WAY less frequent and is avoidable with diligence. It's worth it to learn.

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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Good job!

Great tips! I’ve just ordered the speedier lever in your link, for the next time I have to deal with those schwalbe marathons or similar, and I love the idea of hiring someone to come to your garage. Thanks for posting.

I applaud you. You sought the help and you got it! Good job.

Back in the day I was the roadie barely able to do it with levers. Sometimes a passerby would see me with the levers and insist on doing it themselves.

For me, personally, the tire in the rim bed in a kind of obsessive detail made a huge difference to me. Now I can do it by hand most of the time. Other small detail that did it for me was starting opposite the valve stem. At the valve the tire cannot optimally fit into the rim bed. That few mm can make the difference.

You also got the trick already for a new tire, warmth and time. Summer I'll leave new ones in a hot car. Winter leave it in the box and rest it on top of the warm air coming out of the vent in the house. Summer leave the rim it's going on in the cool house. Winter leave the rim it's going on outdoors in the cold. That little bit of thermal expansion/contraction difference can help also.

other tip (if you are at home) a bit of soapy water on the tire bed can help for the 1st mounting of a new tire.

This is great to see- thanks for sharing. I love cycling, but am mechanically challenged and it is a constant source of tension for me. Through practice I'm to the point where I can change a flat relatively quickly on my road bike, at least compared to my former bumbling self. But I ride with a group of 8-10 on weekends and I live in fear of getting a flat and having to change one with eyes on me, especially when it's cold and no one wants to stop for long. And on my tri-bike I have HED Jet 6+ that I'm honestly afraid to practice on because I'm sure I'll damage them. I know that they are harder to change so if they ever flatted in a race it would be a disaster.

I've always been jealous of those for whom the mechanical tinkering is part of the appeal as opposed to a hurdle to overcome. If my LBS held a series of classes to train me in the basics of bike repair, I'd sign up in a second.

I have watched my mechanic change a tire in the past but it did not click until I did it myself with him watching and giving direction. My goal is to spend an hour or more practicing on a spare wheel until I can do it easily and quickly and without any tools.

If I can do it then anyone can.

Good stuff, glad to hear that it worked. I have a friend who is a bike mechanic who showed me how to do a lot of basic maintenance that has helped over the years.

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"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

At one point, I had about 20 wheels in my house. Some combinations are so bad, I struggle big time to mount the tire. You are lucky and keep that wheel and tire combo.
I have Zipp 858 and Zipp Super 9 disc in the back and luckily GP5000 tires go on very easily.

I helped a friend out as a bike mechanic for a few months. If anyone came into the shop and needed help in understanding how to adjust the barrel adjuster or change a tire, I'd just show them and let them do it in the shop. Any decent shop will help you with things like that, it's our sport and we want people to enjoy it.

One of the bike shops near me charges $20 for the labor to replace an inner tube. The tube is extra.

They also charge $30 to install a cassette, which takes about a minute.

That's pretty steep, usually the whole job is 15-20 here including the tube. Some klunky messy bikes take a while and the dry rotted tires can be a issue when they blow off the shitty tires, but usually it's a quick fix.

People sometimes come in a week or two later upset because it went flat again...

How would you feel about paying $40 to install a pair of brake pads.

I can do both very fast myself, but honestly, it's easily worth that to me to pay someone to do it for me. The only reason I don't for those two is that it takes me longer to drag my bike to the store than do it myself, but seriously, if I were already at the store and had my bike with me there for some other repair, I wouldn't hesitate to drop that cash in a second for those repairs, even if they are on the pricey side.