Some rim strip/tire combos make changing tires hard,try to find the thinnest rim strips you can,when i mount my tires i use baby powder inside the tire and on the tube,when replacing the tube on the road some baby powder will still be inside tire and seems to help with mounting tire and keeping from pinching the tube,(plus you will smell good) but practice, practice untill you feel comfortable,always feel inside tire to see if anything is stuck in tire the would cause your new tube to flat,but be careful running your fingers inside tire they can have sharp edges,If you do flat do not panic just go throught the process in a speedy but in controlled fashion.Before you even stop have your chain in the smallest cog so wheel will come out then install wheel making sure the chain is on the small cog and before mounting bike shift into a easier cog so your not trying to start in a hard gear.

The BEST answer is that you need to TRAIN this ability. You need to practice doing the changing, hopefully building to the point where you can do it without levers. Of course this isn't sexy training and its hard to see how it is helping your racing. Its about as popular as when I have my machine gunners go out behind the barracks and practice their gun drills (setting up and manipulating their guns). BUT, as you pointed out, it is an essential task for anyone who races, and the better and faster you can do it in practice, the less it will interfere if you have to perform during a race. Set a standard to meet for yourself. Start off with, say, 5 minutes. I've worked it to the point where I can do a complete change in less than 2 minutes. It takes work, but you can get there. 2 or even 5 minutes is not a long time and certainly will not totally blow your whole race like struggling through 20 or more minutes of flat-tire frustration.

Definately practice... but if that fails...

crank bros make a really nice lever thing that takes off the tire and puts it back on really easily... can't remember what it is called though...

Other than that for my speed method, I have the park tire levers with the hook on one end... pry one uner the tire and hook it into the spoke. Then Get the hook of the other lever and work it under the tire and remove it that way... you probably mess up the tube but who cares if speed is your goal...

To put it back on I the talcum powder deinfnately helps... put some on your spare tubes also...

Instalation... do it by HAND... the alst thing you want to do is doing this again... with the instalation go quickly but be sure to check it...

Oh and what the other guy said... practice.

Oh CO2 cartridges make the process go a lot faster also... you should alwas carry two of those cannisters and always get the bigger ones... you never know..

OH and don't forget to check for the thorns in the tire...

As for rim strips... I personally would err on the side of wider... whatever time you save from getting the tire off with a narrow strip will be lost if you have to keep changing your tube becuase it starts pushing into teh spoke eyelet holes.

A couple of other tips to contribute:

1) I usually inflate the new tube with my mouth before trying to install it. This will inflate the tube just enough to allow you to push it into the tire without worying as much about it being folded on itself or installed in some wierd way.

2) (learned this one the hard way at WF) Pay attention when using CO2 cartridges. The stem and the metal parts of the CO2 adapter get VERY cold. In my haste to get going again, I literally froze my finger to the stem and had a nice blister on my finger as a souvenir.

Big D there is a lot to be said about the technique you use, this is what works for me. First inspect the tire for any obvious debris that has caused the puncture - thorn, nail, glass, wire etc.. If you can find the cause of the flat, remove it and remember where if was on the tire so that when you have removed the tire you can inspect the area from the inside to make sure you don't get a second flat from the same object. Next, remove the valve cap and screw if you leave them on - I don't. Then stand the wheel up straight with the stem at your feet, using both hands pinch the tire and tube together while lifting both over the rim of the tire pushing away from you and down using the wheel to leverage it off. Once you break the bead of the tire you are golden. The tire will just peal away. Next you need to inspect the tube and the inside of the tire to try to determine the actual cause of the puncture - if you don't know already. Get your new tube out and blow some air into it with your mouth. Fit it into the tire and line up your tire on the rim - I like to line the writing on the side wall up with the valve stem port as a point of reference. Insert the valve into it's port, set the bead on one side of the tire and then starting at the valve set the other side working with both hands away from the valve until you get to the top of the wheel and then force the last bit of the bead on. Quickly pinch the entire radius of the tire to help avoid pinch flat and then get your co2 out and fill the tire slowly at first to make sure the bead has set on both sides, then finish filling. My experience is that it takes 2 small cartidges to get the proper inflation, but if you are close to finishing your ride you can save time and finish with an under inflated tire. Seems like a lot when I am writing it out but I can do it all be back up riding in 2 - 3 minutes. Good luck hope it helps..

Scott

The wonder lever that Taku mentioned from Crank Brothers is called "Speed Lever". Based upon my experience, it's well worth finding and buying. It is a lever which telescopes out and is notched at the other end to snap onto your skewer. Removing the tube is as simple as fitting the lever under the tire bead and then telescoping and snapping the other end over the skewer. You then rotate the lever all the way around the bead to remove(very much like they do at a passenger car tire shop).

Also, there is one trick to using the small aluminum threaded CO2 adapter(of course they mention this in the instructions, but who actual reads those when it seems so simple). Screw the adapter onto the cartridge prior to attaching it to the valve~making sure that you tighten past where the adapter pierces the cartridge top(so that it is resealed/shutoff). Then, thread the adapter onto the valve and then unscrew the CO2 cartridge slightly to inflate. Just remember, it's a one time shot(good idea to carry a backup just in case).

I hope that this helps + thanks to all others who contributed their tidbits of wisdom!!

DIGTRI