DT R1.1 rim tire mounting probs

[LegendRider]

I just bought a set of basic, used DT R1.1 / DA 7800 wheels. I'm finding it remarkably difficult to mount a set of Conti GP4000s. After a brief search, it appears this is not an uncommon problem with this rim. Has anyone ever encountered it? Any advice? Are there tires known to have looser beads than the Contis?

[old_school]

I never had a problem mounting Michelin Pro2 Race on my 1.1s - nice ride, but not the most puncture resistant tire out there.

[CNY rider]

I just bought a set of basic, used DT R1.1 / DA 7800 wheels. I'm finding it remarkably difficult to mount a set of Conti GP4000s. After a brief search, it appears this is not an uncommon problem with this rim. Has anyone ever encountered it? Any advice? Are there tires known to have looser beads than the Contis?

It can be quite a wrestling match.
I sit on a carpeted floor, with socks on. The wheel is in my lap and I hook my feet through the rim and pull the tire on, rolling my thumbs over the rim with the tire.
My Michelin Pro 2 Races are easier to get on that rim.
Good luck!

[pdxmech13]

I have used both 4000 and open corsa
corsa is easiest to get on and off.
cheat with a little talc. put it in a bag
and stuff tube in said bag. shake it up
and install at tube start away from the
valve and maker happen.

[Peter P.]

Rub talc all over both tire beads. Get yourself a Crank Brothers Speed Lever.
That should make it a bit easier.

[pdxmech13]

if the tube is well done it'll get on those beads

no need to make a bigger mess.

[LegendRider]

Rub talc all over both tire beads. Get yourself a Crank Brothers Speed Lever.
That should make it a bit easier.

Thanks for the tip on the Speed Lever - it's a handy tool. I managed to get some Hutchinsons on with it.

[SoCalSteve]

It can be quite a wrestling match.
I sit on a carpeted floor, with socks on. The wheel is in my lap and I hook my feet through the rim and pull the tire on, rolling my thumbs over the rim with the tire.
My Michelin Pro 2 Races are easier to get on that rim.Good luck!

Word!

[RPS]

Bike stuff: It's an art, not a science...
Care to elaborate? Has the making of a good new thread. :argue: Bike stuff: It's science, not art.... Has a ring to it.

[SoCalSteve]

Care to elaborate? Has the making of a good new thread. :argue: Bike stuff: It's science, not art.... Has a ring to it.

Is medicine an art or a science?

Go to 10 Doctors, get 10 different opinions...

Go to 10 bike stores, get 10 different opinions...

I guess it should really be "EXACT" science.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exact_science

Care to respond? :confused:

Steve

[FierteTi52]

I didn't notice a problem mounting a set of Roly Polys, but when I mounted a set of Kenda Kwick cross tires it was a b*tch. I broke a plastic tire lever and finished with a thin set of metal tire tools which made the job easier.
Jeff

[Too Tall]

What rim strip are you using? It can help to install a high quality very thin products such as the schwalbe.

[LegendRider]

What rim strip are you using? It can help to install a high quality very thin products such as the schwalbe.

Velox. I thought about trying Veloplugs. Any experience with them?

[RPS]

Is medicine an art or a science?

Go to 10 Doctors, get 10 different opinions...

Go to 10 bike stores, get 10 different opinions...

I guess it should really be "EXACT" science.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exact_science

Care to respond? :confused:

SteveSteve, I just found the comment interesting, and since I didn’t want to divert from the subject matter, I thought a new thread would be appropriate. In cycling, does art drive science, or is it the other way? Do engineering types find the way to make a design work so a bike can look better, or do artistic types find a way to make new technologies look good enough that people will buy it? Maybe it has to be simultaneous; moving ahead in small increments so the other camp can adapt.

[Too Tall]

Velox. I thought about trying Veloplugs. Any experience with them?

Not directly LR. They look great to me. Try removing the Velox tape and installing with no tube as an experiment to see if the prob. is the tape....could be that easy. If that is the answer scrounge for the schwalbe stuff...it is sized proper and you will not have prob. of the past with other plastic fantastic rim strips.

[chuckred]

I just bought a set of basic, used DT R1.1 / DA 7800 wheels. I'm finding it remarkably difficult to mount a set of Conti GP4000s. After a brief search, it appears this is not an uncommon problem with this rim. Has anyone ever encountered it? Any advice? Are there tires known to have looser beads than the Contis?

My GP 4000's slip on my Velocity Aeroheads with hardly any effort... must be the rim...

[LegendRider]

Zipp rim strips made all the difference. It's easy to see why by comparing the diameter of a roll of Velox to the Zipp product.

[soulspinner]

T :D hanks for getting back to us. Now the trick is not to order those carbon cranks Zipp makes when ordering the rim strips.

[rmsmith]

I just bought a set of basic, used DT R1.1 / DA 7800 wheels. I'm finding it remarkably difficult to mount a set of Conti GP4000s. After a brief search, it appears this is not an uncommon problem with this rim. Has anyone ever encountered it? Any advice? Are there tires known to have looser beads than the Contis?

Ever notice how easy the first side of the tire installs on the rim whereas the second side is herculean effort? Here's a tip. You need a 6-ft length of 5/16" nylon rope, which you "pack" between the rim and the tire. This holds the tire's bead closer to the center of the rim allowing one to get the last portion of the bead over the top of the rim without any tools. Remove the rope, and add some air!

[Acotts]

Can you explain that a little more. I dont get it.

[Satellite]

Ever notice how easy the first side of the tire installs on the rim whereas the second side is herculean effort? Here's a tip. You need a 6-ft length of 5/16" nylon rope, which you "pack" between the rim and the tire. This holds the tire's bead closer to the center of the rim allowing one to get the last portion of the bead over the top of the rim without any tools. Remove the rope, and add some air!

Greatest tip ever I can't wait to try it out.

[Satellite]

Can you explain that a little more. I dont get it.

Put one side of the tire on; then on the same side place a rope to push the tire bead to the center of the rim then roll the opposite bead on the rim and pull the rope out.

[Steelhead]

I just bought a set of basic, used DT R1.1 / DA 7800 wheels. I'm finding it remarkably difficult to mount a set of Conti GP4000s. After a brief search, it appears this is not an uncommon problem with this rim. Has anyone ever encountered it? Any advice? Are there tires known to have looser beads than the Contis?

I've got that same wheelset and run the same tires, folding GP 4000s. Never had a problem and if it is warm out and I flat they will roll right on. If in cold weather I use a Soma Steel Core lever for the last move to get the tire onto the rim. no problems at all. :confused:

[kevintice]

I had the same difficulties until I changed to Rox rimstrips, as suggested by Steve Hampsten. Now, no troubles at all! I think Excel Sports Boulder sells 'em.

[LegendRider]

zipp rimstrips did the trick for me. the difference in thickness between zipp and velox is remarkable.

[Ken C]

I had the same difficulties until I changed to Rox rimstrips, as suggested by Steve Hampsten. Now, no troubles at all! I think Excel Sports Boulder sells 'em.

I also switched from Velox to Rox and it really helped. Some people have had problems with Rox, but I have never had a problem. It is usually due to poor wheel construction or poor installation of the strip. You have to pull the strip tight as you go and just put it on carefully. No big deal. I have also heard good things about the Zipp rim strip as well.

[FMS_rider]

zipp rimstrips did the trick for me. the difference in thickness between zipp and velox is remarkable. My wheels with R1.1 rims came with Velox strips and switching to Zipp strips made a significant difference in mounting both Pro2s and GP4000's, although it is still much harder than any other combination I have encountered. I really like the Zipp strips --unlike some other plastic snap-on strips they are easy to remove and even though the ~500 miles I have on them doesn't prove anything, I expect them to last forever because of the internal glass fiber reinforcement.

However, what made the biggest difference for me was a pair of the new thin and wide Park levers http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=17&item=TL-4 . I have quite a collection of levers and those are the only ones that make it relatively easy, even though they have no spoke-hook and come as a pair rather than a trio. With those levers I am no longer concerned about fixing a flat on the road as I was initially. The Crank Bros speed lever helps a bit but it takes so much force that it feels like it is on the verge of breaking.

I am quite sure I know why it is much harder to mount tight-fitting tires on the R1.1 rim -- there is no central channel. I can mount both Pro2's and 4000's on Open Pros with my hands if I work toward the valve, but only when the beads on the opposite side are in the channel. The Crank Bros speed lever makes mounting both of these tires completely effortless on Open Pros.

Regarding why the Pro2 and GP4000 tires are a tight fit and others are not, I suspect that it is because the beads are less elastic, since I presume they are not smaller in diameter (pure speculation, however).

Lew