Tubeless tires and stretching

[weaponsgrade]

After the better part of the night, I was finally able to wrestle a set of Hutchinson tubeless tires onto my D/A 7850sl wheels. I was planning on running these w/o sealant and just carry a tube in case of flat, but the difficulty of mounting these tires is giving me second thoughts. Will these tires stretch out a bit and be easier to remove/mount over time?

[dekindy]

You should have no difficulty removing a Hutchinson road tubeless and reinstalling it on a hot, Summer day. No more difficulty than normal that is. No clincher has ever been easy for me. You can put the tires in a dryer or set them so that the Sun shines on them through the window to get them warmer and more pliable in the Winter. I was able to install a tube and get the bead back over the rim on a hot, hilly ride that had made me very tired. The flat was a brand new Intensive model that I had installed the night before and had only ridden 40 miles. I was dreading it but was able to do it without any more difficulty than normal.

Did you start opposite the valve stem when installing the last bead? Make sure that the beads were in the center of the rim to give maximum slack to get the last part of the bead installed? Here is a conversion installation video. Mine never go on this easy but this is the proper technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCb8_PP-8O4

[BillG]

Did you start opposite the valve stem when installing the last bead?

This is crucial.

[martinrjensen]

It has to be the rim. The first time I installed the same tire on my rims I used tire irons.
I got a flat recently and I was not only able to easily remove the tire without tools, but to reinstall it also. Did the same with another rim running Conti GS4000s tires too.
Maybe I just learned how to take them of and on, I don't know. I do know that I never could do this until I watched a guy at a bike shop just whip them off by hand one time. After that, copying his method, I could do it too. Kind of like the 4 minute mile, once you know it's possible, you can do it.
I'm thinking that my rims may be a tad smaller in diameter than yours.

[crownjewelwl]

in my experience the bead doesnt stretch with time. actually i found the initial mount to be the easiest. perhaps it was because it was in the comfort of my garage. the bead has to be tight to create the seal.

i think tubeless ride quality is awesome, but i couldnt deal with flats on the road.

good luck!

[weaponsgrade]

I think the guy in the video must've have a 26" wheel or there was some trick photography going on. Yeah, I started opposite the valve. Good to know others have been able to do removal/install on the road. It was pretty cold last night so that was probably a big factor. That idea on making sure the bead in the middle is a good idea. Thanks. My hands are still sore. Now if it would only stop raining I could give these wheels a go.

[bobswire]

Bingo, if possible warm the tires. On the road using some form of lubrication helps a lot even water (saliva). I'm able to install mine by hand pretty easily now (with practice) but still need a lever to get it started taking them off,I'm careful not to harm the bead by pinching the tire away from the rim to get the lever in.
A worthwhile enough effort considering the advantage over regular clinchers.

[Vancouverdave]

You're getting some good advice, and I'll add to try a VAR "wishbone" tire lever; it allows you to pry a tight tire onto a rim without aiming the point or edge of anything into a delicate spot. It's a hand saver and a tube saver.