Mounting tires onto wide rims - the smart and correct way

Triathlon Forum
1

I learned a hard lesson yesterday and I tortured my thumbs and the tire lever, but that is not needed.

Watch the videos in the home page feature linked below (courtesy of HED):

http://www.slowtwitch.com/…_all_wrong_5258.html

But this works for all wide and tubeless ready rims.

2

Pffft…everybody knows to try the search function on ST first!

3

Thanks for posting Herbert, I’m guessing you saved me some frustration.

4

Thanks Herbert.

5

Like you, I’ve mounted quite a few tires as well. some are easier than others, as we all know. I have two stories of difficulties

  1. I was riding a 650C QR for a while. I bought a new tire and struggled to get it on, without success. Eventually I inspected the sidewall and read the raised letter numbers. It was that day, with help from Mr Google, that I learned that just because you call a wheel a 650mm wheel doesn’t mean you will get the right tire, because there are several versions of wheels that get called 650mm or 26 inch. IIRC I was trying to stretch a 558mm? onto a 571mm rim. THAT was never gunna go on. A return trip to the store solved the problem and the pimple faced guy learned about tires that day too. :slight_smile:

  2. At another time (after 1. above) I bought a tire that was the right size for the rim (both 571mm) but the tire just would NOT go on. Eventually I resorted to a tire lever. The sidewall ripped out before a single turn in anger. I went back to the shop and requested a new tire. The owner of the shop said it was my fault for using the tire lever. I said you might be right, but lets check. I said that if he could get a brand new example of that tire onto my rim, without using a tire lever, I would willingly pay double the retail price for the installed tire. If he couldn’t get it on, then I would get a refund for the first tire and a new tire of my choice that did go on the rim. He was an ex-pro from Europe and a trained mechanic. He arrogantly said he would be just a few minutes. As I wandered around the shop, I heard muffled grunts and groans from the workshop and the ocassional profanity. I saw the powder come out and more grunting. After 15 minutes he handed me my wheel and asked what tire I wanted. I picked one and left the shop, with my refund in my hot little hand. That was one of the happiest days in my life.

6

Andy of HED is making great help customers quickly refloat … oSo >>

7

In case anyone missed it, the key to get the last section on the rim is to use your palms (like he does) as opposed to your thumbs.

I have a pair of Stans CX rims where I also need to squirt some soapy water onto the tire before inflating it or the bead won’t pop out to the rim.

8

Agree on the palms method. Soapy water ok at home, but on the road that may not be so easy to find.

9

I learned a hard lesson yesterday and I tortured my thumbs and the tire lever, but that is not needed.

Watch the videos in the home page feature linked below (courtesy of HED):

http://www.slowtwitch.com/…_all_wrong_5258.html

But this works for all wide and tubeless ready rims.

IME, the machined brake tracks of the Hed plus Black models add an extra layer of difficulty to the installation and removal of some tires on those rims.

10

Finally got my first flat on a fairly new Conti 4000S II 650c after seven years of riding on some other brands. Bad luck maybe. Tried the method shown in the video, and it worked like a charm. Didn’t even have to use tire levers on the install. Rim is US made Velocity A23.