Zipp Tangente and 808

Triathlon Forum
1

Hi,

I have a 2010 rear 808 clincher (with aluminum rim) and I have been having an extremely hard time getting my race tires on and off (Zipp Tangente).

My front wheel, which is 808 FC (therefore no aluminum rim) is not a problem at all, but the rear one is a real pain to get it off, even the mechanics at the LBS have a hard time working with it.

I’m wondering if this is a tire problem or a wheel problem, or maybe a lack of proper tool (I use one simple plastic lever) or technique… I’ve been changing tires for several years but have never seen something that bad… It’s so frustrating!

Could it be a manufacture issue? Could warming up the tire in the drying machine help?

Anyone facing similar problems with these particular wheels/tires?

My fingers are completely busted!

Thanks so much for any suggestions!
Antonio

2

I use two levers and it works fine for the 808/Tangente combo
.

3

what kind of levers? Metal ones, or plastic ones?

4

plastic. Just make sure they’re not micro-sized so they’re at least long enough to get over the whole fairing. I’ve found that the Tangente is actually one of the softest-beaded tires I’ve ever seen.

5

I don’t find the Tangentes to have a soft bead. They are made by Vittoria and these can be a very tight install when new. Combined with the Zipp clinchers with aluminum rims can make for a very frustrating experience. I’ve experienced this myself and heard the same from a friend with 2011 808s and this tire.

I install them w/o levers, but the first install resulted in the biggest thumb blisters I’ve ever had from a tire install. Working these tires onto these rims with latex tubes took a lot of patience. The next time I put one on I used leather work gloves. I had to do the reinstall because the tire went on so tight that it pulled aside the Zipp rim tape enough to expose a spoke hole or two in the aluminum rim which then blew the tube:( The tires will get easier to work after being installed/inflated for a while.

If your Zipps have fabric rim tape like Velox I’d recommend getting rid of it and going with a thin rim strip from Zipp, FSA, etc. These make tight tire installs a lot easier.

Hope this helps!

6

Thanks for the info, I’m glad I’m not the only one having problems with it. My training tires are fine, but the race ones (new) are really tough. I spent a lot of money with this wheel and it’s frustrating to know that if I have a flat during a race I’m done since there is no way I could change this with sweaty hands…