Joe Potter wrote in
m:

Steve Shapiro wrote:

Joe Potter wrote in message
m...
D.Putnam wrote:

I have (or had, since I threw them away in disgust) a pair of
cheap Alex
rims. I had to use screwdrivers to pry the tire onto the
rim....obviously
it's diameter was just a tad too big. I thought all bike wheels
would be
that way until I changed a tube on some Velocities, I didn't even
need tire tools for that one.





Well, these Wolber racing rims are suppose to be good stuff. Perhaps
the gods just hate to see me on a road bike?

There is a tool, called a bead jack, that will help you get tight
fitting tires on. I ordered one for my wife who has arthritis and
does not stand a chance to mount a tire with her bare hands.
Unfortunately, I can't give you any first hand information yet. Here
is a link to one:
http://www.terrybicycles.com/BPA/7400000.lasso

Rivendell carries them too.

Regading getting the tires off, bunch the tire together so that much
of it can drop into the center of the rim...its smallest diameter.
Then, lever off the loosest part. It is often best to try to lever
near the valve as the rim tape is often doubled in this area. If you
tried to lever opposite the doubled tape and tube valve flange, the
pinched together part of the tire may not be able to conform to the
smallest rim diameter. I've used both fabric and plastic band rim
tapes. Both are fine, but I think the slickness of the plastic band
makes it slightly easier to dismount tires.

Steve Shapiro


Thanks for the tips.

I had at it again today. Armed with better rim tape, the correct size
tube, and some baby powder --- I got the job done!

It is raining again here in Orlando or I would go see if I can get 3
blocks from home on this bike without a flat. But, I do know I can get
the tires changed.



Glad to hear you got it going. I use Carbons and they're my new fave
tire.

Also try working the tire back and forth working from the valve stem
around to the opposite side. You want to try and work the tube away from
the bead so that it's seated dead center in the tire. This should make
it a little easier to push that last section of bead over the rim.

It seems to me that certain brands of tires matched with certain brands
of rims are tighter than others. I suspect that all 700c tires aren't
created equal.