michelin + protons

[Samster]

does anyone out there know of a good way to get michelin pro-race tires onto campy proton wheels? i've already snapped two of those big yellow Pedro's tire levers trying. am about to toss the tires and wheels and switch back to tubbies.

[Birddog]

That's a real tough combination. Either get yourself some metal levers or switch to Vredesteins or Vittorias. As mentioned here the other day, you might also try a thinner rim strip if the rims have Velox or equivalent.

Birddog

[dsimon]

STERIODS, I HAVE PROTONS AND USE CONTI'S AND I ALSO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM BUT I JUST LOVE THE RIDE THE WHEELS HAVE :crap:

[dave thompson]

Every Michelin tire that I have mounted has been a tight fit, regardless of the rim. It seems that patience and strong but sore thumbs is the answer. And, if available, water as a lubricant.

[thwart]

I use ProRace2's on Protons (2005 model). I put them out in the sun for while (to heat up the rubber), make darn sure the bead at the opposite end of the wheel is in the lowest area of the rim during the tough part, and use plastic Park Tool levers (they have a little notch that's handy here) very carefully for the last section. I can't do these without levers.

I find that mounting tires, especially on Campy rims, requires a mindset of "I will get this done". And... strong hands help.

[tulli]

I use those cheap construction gloves from Home Depot and work em on with my palms.

[Sandy]

Forget about mounting them. What about taking them off if you get a flat? I use Nimble Spider rims. I tried Michelin Pro2 Race 700x25 tires (which unlike most cyclists, did not like). I own no tire levers, as I normally do not have too much trouble initially mounting tires and very little trouble changing flats without tire levers. However, after deciding the Michelin tires were not for me, I decided to take the tires off my Nimble rims (and replace them by Continental 700x25 GP 4000 tires, which I love). I was almost amazed by how REALLY difficult it was for me to take those suckers off. The most difficult time I have ever had (except after meeting Kevan).

If I were using Michelin Pro2 Race tires on my Nimble rims, I would probably carry some C4 explosives to use to dismount those Michelins.


The Michelin Man

[woolly]

Every Michelin tire that I have mounted has been a tight fit, regardless of the rim. It seems that patience and strong but sore thumbs is the answer. And, if available, water as a lubricant.

If you're changin' them in the garage you can also use a little Armor All instead of water to lube it. Just put some on a rag & rub it on the edge of the rim.

[Sandy]

does anyone out there know of a good way to get michelin pro-race tires onto campy proton wheels? i've already snapped two of those big yellow Pedro's tire levers trying. am about to toss the tires and wheels and switch back to tubbies.

Why not use other clinchers such as Vittoria, Veloflex, Vredestein, and Continental? Personally, I like all of them better, but I am probably in the minority. They all should be much easier to use than the Michelin.


Sandy

[SoCalSteve]

In all honesty, its the Campy rims. (please, no flame wars)

I use Michelin Pro Race2's on all my bikes and NEVER have a problem mounting or dismounting them.

I use Mavic CXP-30's, CXP-33's, DT RR 1.1, DT RR1.2 and Velocity Aeroheads.

Bar none, all these rims work just fine with Michelin Pro Race2's.

Try a different wheelset and see if you have better results.

Good luck!

Steve

[mike p]

In all honesty, its the Campy rims. (please, no flame wars)

I use Michelin Pro Race2's on all my bikes and NEVER have a problem mounting or dismounting them.

I use Mavic CXP-30's, CXP-33's, DT RR 1.1, DT RR1.2 and Velocity Aeroheads.

Bar none, all these rims work just fine with Michelin Pro Race2's.

Try a different wheelset and see if you have better results.

Good luck!

Steve


Agreed, I use PR-2's on mavic rims all the time never had a problem.

Mike

[Tom]

with the Michelins on various Mavic rims.

I'll tell you how it goes... in a couple weeks I'm going to get my grubby paws on a set of Neutrons.

The inevitable tangent... so what should I do this summer? Jump in all the local race cat 5 fields, get taken out by some idiot (likely me) and break a collarbone or build up to September where I run the Highlander as fast as I can, a couple loops of the Adirondack 540 and Vermont north to south in a day on Route 5 (or Route 100 if I can talk my silly sister-in-law into it - "Route 5's easier" she says. Yeah, yeah.)

[Samster]

Forget about mounting them. What about taking them off if you get a flat? that argument just might be the clincher.

[Samster]

that was an entirely accidental pun. honest.

[Grant McLean]

What rim strips are you using? Toss away those plastic things,
and get some of the really thin tape or velocity plugs.

I have michelins on several campy wheels - no issues, no levers.
Also, the tires will stretch after inflating. If you have another set
of rims that you can inflate the tires on, try that too, then go back
to the protons.


g

[Samster]

What rim strips are you using? Toss away those plastic things,and get some of the really thin tape or velocity plugs.

I have michelins on several campy wheels - no issues, no levers.
Also, the tires will stretch after inflating. If you have another set
of rims that you can inflate the tires on, try that too, then go back
to the protons.

gi'm using electrical tape for rim strips. but my issue is getting the kevlar bead over the rim lip on the mount, not getting the bead off the rim (yet.) is rim tape still a factor getting the tire on (as opposed to off)?

this is all too much work. the michelins are old, already have about 500 miles on them. i was just tring to save a buck. but given the labor involved, i'm just going to buy some specialized tires. they seem to work best on my two sets of campy rims.

thanks for the advice everyone.

[Erik.Lazdins]

I use a glove on my right hand and a tire lever to guide the tire on. It's tight but a steel core lever and a glove works like a champ.

[shinomaster]

i'm using electrical tape for rim strips. but my issue is getting the kevlar bead over the rim lip on the mount, not getting the bead off the rim (yet.) is rim tape still a factor getting the tire on (as opposed to off)?

this is all too much work. the michelins are old, already have about 500 miles on them. i was just tring to save a buck. but given the labor involved, i'm just going to buy some specialized tires. they seem to work best on my two sets of campy rims.

thanks for the advice everyone.

Electrical tape? That is MP, and it will eventually fail--especially the rear. There have been plenty of times when I have wanted to heave my Neutrons into the Willamette river, when I couldn't change a tire withought breaking off my thumbs.

[Samster]

I use those cheap construction gloves from Home Depot and work em on with my palms.this trick worked. keeping my fingers crossed to not flat again... ever.

[woolly]

Electrical tape? That is MP, and it will eventually fail--especially the rear. There have been plenty of times when I have wanted to heave my Neutrons into the Willamette river, when I couldn't change a tire withought breaking off my thumbs.

Fiberglass reinforced strapping tape - sure, in a pinch. Electrical tape? That's just askin' for problems.

[Sandy]

In all honesty, its the Campy rims. (please, no flame wars)

I use Michelin Pro Race2's on all my bikes and NEVER have a problem mounting or dismounting them.

I use Mavic CXP-30's, CXP-33's, DT RR 1.1, DT RR1.2 and Velocity Aeroheads.

Bar none, all these rims work just fine with Michelin Pro Race2's.

Try a different wheelset and see if you have better results.

Good luck!

Steve

Try Nimble Spider rims. You will have a problem, not in mounting them but in dismounting them. Trust me......as they say....


Sandy

[thwart]

Fiberglass reinforced strapping tape - sure, in a pinch.
Let me tell you a story... last summer after struggling to mount a pair of Vittorias, with the aid of levers, on an older set of Protons I had purchased used (which came with the above mentioned tape used as a rim strip), I'm working in my garage doing something else. Suddenly...ssssssssssssss from the bike. Back tire is flat as a pancake. So I figure I must have caught that tube with the lever... so off with the tire, put on new tube, etc... and I get back to work in the garage.

Yep, you know what's coming... 30 min later... sssssssssssssss. Same sickening sound. Damn!!!

Finally I figured out (I am a little dense) it was the strapping tape being asked to do what it just can't. Change to real rim strip and... problem solved.

Hey, it did give me a chance to practice my Campy flat tire changing...

[shinomaster]

Let me tell you a story... last summer after struggling to mount a pair of Vittorias, with the aid of levers, on an older set of Protons I had purchased used (which came with the above mentioned tape used as a rim strip), I'm working in my garage doing something else. Suddenly...ssssssssssssss from the bike. Back tire is flat as a pancake. So I figure I must have caught that tube with the lever... so off with the tire, put on new tube, etc... and I get back to work in the garage.

Yep, you know what's coming... 30 min later... sssssssssssssss. Same sickening sound. Damn!!!

Finally I figured out (I am a little dense) it was the strapping tape being asked to do what it just can't. Change to real rim strip and... problem solved.

Hey, it did give me a chance to practice my Campy flat tire changing...


This happened to my bozo brother on every ride we used to do, because he was either to dumb, lazy or poor to get real rim strip. It would drive me crazy...I have never had a problem with that plastic stuff they come with.
The problem with the ocr rear rim is that the spoke holes are so close to the edge that it's hard to cover them with a flimsy material.

[thwart]

he was either to dumb, lazy or poor to get real rim stripA few days after this fiasco I was talking with my LBS owner (Dan Atkins, Atkins Verona Bicycle Shoppe---a smart and honest guy). He theorized that the previous owner of the Protons was looking for every little fraction of a millimeter to help with tire changes. The strapping tape was thinner than a real rim strip...

[shinomaster]

A few days after this fiasco I was talking with my LBS owner (Dan Atkins, Atkins Verona Bicycle Shoppe---a smart and honest guy). He theorized that the previous owner of the Protons was looking for every little fraction of a millimeter to help with tire changes. The strapping tape was thinner than a real rim strip...

Hmmm...not my brother.

[Samster]

... he was either to dumb, lazy or poor to get real rim strip. hey, watch it. i resemble that remark. i double layer and have yet to have a problem in the 3 years i've used the electrical tape. tho to be honest, i did it in a pinch when i had no real rim tape and had a ride coming up. just never got around to changing it out.

[Ramjm_2000]

+1 on switching to Vittorias. I've used diamante and rubino pros with great success. No issues on my 06 protons (with campy strips). I'll also recommed the Soma steel core levers. They rock!

[sg8357]

Try the VAR tire lever/ bead jack.


<http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=858064284506&d=single&c=Tools&sc=Tire-and-Tube&tc=Tire-Levers&item_id=VR-425>

Scott G.

[Russell]

does anyone out there know of a good way to get michelin pro-race tires onto campy proton wheels? i've already snapped two of those big yellow Pedro's tire levers trying. am about to toss the tires and wheels and switch back to tubbies.

lots of tequila so to not notice how much your thumbs hurt. don't give up, if i can do it anyone can. seriously, i've got little baby hands. i love my michelin/proton setup.

[soulspinner]

Try Nimble Spider rims. You will have a problem, not in mounting them but in dismounting them. Trust me......as they say....


Sandy

Other than mounting tires, do you like these rims?

[Sandy]

Other than mounting tires, do you like these rims?

The problem wasn't with the rim, but with MichelinPro2 Race tires. It was brutally difficult to dismount the tires. I have no such problem with numerous other tire brands that I have used.

I really do like the rims. I have had no problem with the rims, and the wheels, built by Jeremy, have held up extremely well. No broken spokes, and very minimal truing ever needed.


Spiderman Sandy

[nicrump]

does anyone out there know of a good way to get michelin pro-race tires onto campy proton wheels? i've already snapped two of those big yellow Pedro's tire levers trying. am about to toss the tires and wheels and switch back to tubbies.

I have been mounting these on my protons with bare hands for years (700x20) but recently it has become very difficult. Last week I broke two platic levers and then proceeded to wrap a steel lever 180d around the damn rim.

Something changed at Mich. I am having better luck with 700x23s.

[LegendRider]

Zipp makes a very thin rim strip that I recently started to use with a set of wheels that I was having tire mounting problems with. The switch from Velox to the Zipp product made a big difference. Worth trying.

[chrisroph]

you guys are wimps. if you want to try something hard, try mounting a new sprinter for the first time. even prestretched, it can make your thumbnails bleed.

[MarcusPless]

Try the VAR tire lever/ bead jack.


<http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=858064284506&d=single&c=Tools&sc=Tire-and-Tube&tc=Tire-Levers&item_id=VR-425>

Scott G.

The steel core tire levers (http://www.somafab.com/tirelevers.html) from SOMA Fab. will also work wonders.

[Samster]

Electrical tape? That is MP, and it will eventually fail--especially the rear.shino... you were right. *sigh*