Torelli Master rims, how I hate you

[Wilkinson4]

After another bloody knuckle battle where I pinch a tube just trying to get the tire on I had to vent. Torelli Master rims, you entice me with your classic box shape and yet torment me with your diameter. I hate you!!!

Ok, I'm done...

mIKE

[thwart]

We're here for ya.

I've heard those make your typical Campy rim look like child's play.

[Wilkinson4]

Thanks for the support. And, good news. Var tire lever, how I love you:) I hope I never flat b/c I will be walkin!

mIKE

[rodcad]

Agree all the way. They are beautiful, but you gotta run something like Gatorskins on them and maybe even have a shop install them. I use steel levers cause plastic ones will break, and I've seen shop guys use just their hands (no tools). I don't even carry a spare anymore, if I flat I call the wife to pick me up or bring me another bike!

[veloduffer]

When I had them, I used Vredstein Fortezzas which are one of the easiest tires to put on & off. I avoid Michelin and Conti tires because they're such a pain.

+1 on the VAR tool.

[xjoex]

I feel your pain, I have used that god awful tire the Vittoria Randoneur. I broke a ti tire lever getting it off the rim. Can you imagine the comobo of that tire and rim? You just throw them away when you got a flat...

-Joe

[shiftyfixedgear]

Schwalbes also were the answer for ease of installation on some Campy rims and other "shallow bed" designs without a "well" in the bottom center of the rim. They have some very nice race and training tires available.

I think that sort of style of rim (no well) was designed up in order to try and prevent a blown-out tire from EVER coming off the rim.
Sorta makes sense, but it sure makes installs a challenge.

[froze]

Old post, but for the record I used those exact Torelli Master Series rims for about 15 years and never had issues with tires being a pain to put on except for Specialized Armadillo All Condition tires, those were a big pain in the arse to put on and to take off; but any other tire not that big of a deal.

As a side note for anyone reading this, tires that are difficult to put on a rim is actually BETTER than tires that are too easy to put on, why's that you scream? because in the rare event of a sudden blowout the tire is less likely to come off the rim if it gave you some fits putting it on, and an aluminium rim on pavement is a bit of a traction problem not to mention damaging the rim.

[cnighbor1]

Maybe infate to say 140 psi and leave tires for a few days

[froze]

Maybe infate to say 140 psi and leave tires for a few days

With folding tires you don't need to inflate to 140 pounds, just normal psi levels will stretch (some people call it relaxing) the tire a bit over time, usually about 3 months; but with non folding tires you can inflate to 270 psi and leave it like that for a year and there will be no change due to the steel beading vs kevlar bead used in folding tires. The folding tire will not just keep stretching either, it may stretch about 1 or 2 mm (I'm guessing, but it's not much, just enough to make it a tad easier to remove and install when you have a flat).

If you are finding any brand of tires to be difficult to install then it's likely you're installing them wrong, or you're using the wrong rim tape, either it's too thick or to wide; another option is to use the next size smaller tube. If you're breaking tire irons then get a set of Soma Steel Core tire levers, these won't break even in the cold. Another tire lever that works extremely well for putting on the last inch or two of a very tough tire is the VAR, see: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/var-tyre-levers/?geoc=US I take the VAR when I tour because the wire beaded Schwable Marathon Greengard tire is extremely difficult to put on, but the VAR makes it rather simple. Another method of getting tight tires on is to heat them in an oven at the lowest setting, or set them in a closed car on a hot day for a few hours; with the oven trick you need to keep an eye and nose on them to make sure they don't start to melt or burn.

You could replace your rim tape with Velocity Veloplugs, this will buy you quite a bit of space but they are a bit expensive and they're easy to lose if you have flat because sometimes the just fall right out of the spoke hole.

See this video for helpful hints on how to put on a stubborn tire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWPUL67IJU0

Another thing that I learned is that Torelli got a bad batch of Master Series rims from Ambrosio that had a slightly taller bead wall that made putting on any tire a chore, but even that bad rim wasn't impossible just a lot of work and cussing. But before you blame the rim try all the above stunts I mentioned as well as the stunts that the video mentions.

[velofinds]

Old post, but for the record I used those exact Torelli Master Series rims for about 15 years and never had issues with tires being a pain to put on except for Specialized Armadillo All Condition tires, those were a big pain in the arse to put on and to take off; but any other tire not that big of a deal.

As a side note for anyone reading this, tires that are difficult to put on a rim is actually BETTER than tires that are too easy to put on, why's that you scream? because in the rare event of a sudden blowout the tire is less likely to come off the rim if it gave you some fits putting it on, and an aluminium rim on pavement is a bit of a traction problem not to mention damaging the rim.

For someone who isn't British (unless you're an expat?), I find your use of the word "aluminium" (as opposed to the American "aloominum" variant) rather curious :)

[Gummee]

Kool Stop Bead Jack /problem

I *gasp* had to use one yesterday to put a buddy's tire on his bike pre-ride.

I'm one of those guys that can usually put even a tight tire on with my hands, but had to bust out the tool for that one.

M

[froze]

For someone who isn't British (unless you're an expat?), I find your use of the word "aluminium" (as opposed to the American "aloominum" variant) rather curious :)

I don't know of anyone that uses aloominum or ever even seen that spelling anywhere in the US, and I've lived in several states, I am also 65 years old so even as a kid we were all taught to spell it aluminium, plus on recycle news sources it's spelled aluminium, I believe that spelling is nationwide. While different parts of the nation may pronounce it differently especially in the southern states but they still spell it the same. You can read about it more here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1l52kd/americans_of_reddit_why_do_you_pronounce_it/

But to say one state, or one country pronounces or spells it correctly over others is arrogant if you ask me. It's like I don't care if you spell a car tire (American spelling) or as tyre (British spelling), it's the correct spelling for whatever country you're in and however they want to spell it. I'm weird, some years back Americans got their panties all in bunch because we learned that the British ate horse meat...I was like, WHO FREAKING CARES what anyone eats! that's their culture leave it be, and if I starving to death and I needed food worse than I needed transportation I would eat a horse! Americans get all upset because Asians eat cat and dog meat, again I don't care what they eat that's their culture, and if I was starving to death and I needed food worse than a pet I would eat a cat or dog and think nothing of it except for how my belly feels!! People got to get over the fact that their culture shouldn't be expected to be followed in every country in the world.