Tire tools I can carry with me for stubborn tires?

[spoonrobot]

You need a bead-breaker, which doesn't exist for bicycle tires. I've seen people recommend the Cyclus tire tools or the Park PTS-1 but these were hit or miss when I've used them. Not really something you can take with on a ride.



The only other alternative I've found that works every time, is this specifically in this size:


Put enough air in the tire to have it keep shape just a little and then grip it and lever the bead away from the seat. Done right it doesn't seem to damage the tire, bead, or rim.

Also not something you can take on a ride.

I think a small 5" tongue and groove may work (sometimes) on the road but I would be hesitant to recommend since damage to the tire is more likely.

Honestly I think the best option is to try different tires, or a different production batch of the same tires.

As you are aware since you are running tubes, this is not a sealant issue. I suspect there is something changing in the rubber or bead material that causes it to constrict over time. I had a set of tires (ridden only with tubes) that were easy to install and to break the bead but after the wheels sat in a garage ridden sparingly for several months the bead was locked in place. Wound filaments can "shrink" or constrict in strange ways, as can rubber products.

On my rims I could not move the bead enough to get a razor blade between rim and tire bead and had multiple people attempt to break the bead with hands, feet, and other types of clamps. Only using the large tongue and grove pliers above as a lever worked.

People ask this question a lot and most often never report the resolution. I suspect the most common solution is to cut the tire and then carefully cut the bead until tension releases.

[MikeD]

Putting the wheel at a low angle to the ground and stepping on the tire with your foot might work to pop the bead to the center. I haven't tried that though. I wouldn't use pliers or vice grips unless you don't care about damaging the tire. In a Park video, they used the jaws of a repair stand clamp to break the bead, but that's a garage/shop procedure.

[RoosterCogset]

I think others have said they just use a pair of locking vice-grip pliers. Maybe something along these lines:

[accordvsick]

Originally Posted by RoosterCogset

I think others have said they just use a pair of locking vice-grip pliers. Maybe something along these lines:

I might pack one of these , was hoping there exists a lighter solution. Good news is after popping on and off the tire a couple of times with the park stand the tire seems to have loosened up a bit and I am able to squeeze the tire away from the rim hook now with my thumbs. Hopefully they stay this way.

For the folks wondering about the var tool they are well worth the money if you have problems with getting the tire bead over the rim.

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by MikeD

Putting the wheel at a low angle to the ground and stepping on the tire with your foot might work to pop the bead to the center. I haven't tried that though. I wouldn't use pliers or vice grips unless you don't care about damaging the tire. In a Park video, they used the jaws of a repair stand clamp to break the bead, but that's a garage/shop procedure.

I have used this method with stubborn tires before. Typically fat bike and MTB tires. I will set the rim on the ground without a skewer and put the arch of my foot along the rim bed and step on the tire. I leave a little air in as well. Once the tire breaks from the bead I push the bead to the channel in the middle of said rim and get a lever under it. Repeat this with the opposite side if it's still being stubborn!

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[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by accordvsick

I switched over to light bicycle carbon wheels along with pirelli pzero road tires a while back. I am running tubes and when I first installed the tires I remember they were pretty challenging to get the last section of bead over the rim...

OP, if your wheels are tubeless ready, I urge you to think in a new direction. Previously, I vowed to NEVER convert to road tubeless. But after the industry pretty much switched all new wheels to tubeless ready, and tires followed suit, it became such a miserable experience to change a flat on the side of the road that I reconsidered. Now, I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I'm not talking about better rolling resistance or weight reductions or road feel. Just ease of roadside maintenance. I simply carry a dynaplug racer pro in my pocket (it's half the size of a cheap ballpoint pen) and forget about it. No tools, no worries.

[fourflys]

to each their own, but I'd probably get different tires that easier to deal with.. back when I first started riding regularly back around 2007, I started out with Gatorskins and then moved to GP4ks.. after some issues getting the last bit of tire back on the rim on the side of the road, I said nope.. went and found some Vittoria tires that were much easier to get on and off.. this was especially apparent on a certain set of DTSwiss wheels I had.. if you are running a tube, I see no reason to have to deal with that on the side of the road IMHO..

[unterhausen]

When it's convenient, I put tubeless tape on my rims instead of rim strips. Most rims nowadays are tubeless ready, or at least they have the same profile as tubeless rims. That means that normal rim tape is too thick.

Last I looked there weren't any really good youtube videos about how to get a tire off. Boyd had one that was close, but it wasn't all that clear. Here is the procedure:
Rest the side of the wheel with the valve on the ground or on your feet. Ensure there is as little air in the tube as possible. Starting at the top, push the beads to the center of the rim. Keeping downward tension on the tire towards the valve, push the beads towards the center of the rim. By the time you get to the valve, there should be a decent gap between the rim and the beads. At this point, I snag one of the beads with a tire iron and remove. The second side is almost always easier, but sometimes you have to go back and move that bead towards the center of the rim and repeat. The beads want to sneak out of the center channel, so make sure there is a decent amount of tension.

[accordvsick]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

When it's convenient, I put tubeless tape on my rims instead of rim strips. Most rims nowadays are tubeless ready, or at least they have the same profile as tubeless rims. That means that normal rim tape is too thick.

Last I looked there weren't any really good youtube videos about how to get a tire off. Boyd had one that was close, but it wasn't all that clear. Here is the procedure:
Rest the side of the wheel with the valve on the ground or on your feet. Ensure there is as little air in the tube as possible. Starting at the top, push the beads to the center of the rim. Keeping downward tension on the tire towards the valve, push the beads towards the center of the rim. By the time you get to the valve, there should be a decent gap between the rim and the beads. At this point, I snag one of the beads with a tire iron and remove. The second side is almost always easier, but sometimes you have to go back and move that bead towards the center of the rim and repeat. The beads want to sneak out of the center channel, so make sure there is a decent amount of tension.

This actually isn’t the problem I have. I was having issues with breaking the bead off the rim. Once it’s off the rim I can get the bead towards the center channel to pop off relatively easily with my var levers.

[accordvsick]

Originally Posted by fignon's barber

OP, if your wheels are tubeless ready, I urge you to think in a new direction. Previously, I vowed to NEVER convert to road tubeless. But after the industry pretty much switched all new wheels to tubeless ready, and tires followed suit, it became such a miserable experience to change a flat on the side of the road that I reconsidered. Now, I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I'm not talking about better rolling resistance or weight reductions or road feel. Just ease of roadside maintenance. I simply carry a dynaplug racer pro in my pocket (it's half the size of a cheap ballpoint pen) and forget about it. No tools, no worries.

Thinking I might do that. I was thinking the same about road tires (have tubeless on my gravel and mtb. Have you had to deal with any flats with the road setup?

[shadco]

Pro Tip

Leave the stubborn tires in the store.

.

[iPaul]

What’s worked for me in the past on tires that lock super hard to the bead is the use of a wooden block. Lay the block up to the bead and step on it with your foot. It will pop and the rest is cake. For portable use, I printed a curved part that’s small enough to carry but still effective.

https://www.printables.com/model/451...beless-bicycle

[benb]

Yah if you've gotta carry some kind of big special tool to change a tire you've got the wrong rim, or the wrong tire, or whatever. Carrying a bunch of extra stuff cause you've got an impossible tubeless setup probably negates any advantage of tubeless.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

I did also just recently came across this Tyre Monkey thing recently, and it looked even more tempting than the VAR...so much so that I ordered one from Amazon. Should arrive next week. I'll post back if it's a gamechanger; I'll send it back if it isn't.

Just closing the loop: This Tyre Monkey only works as advertised on very compliant tire beads; e.g., the sort that you'd be able to get over a rim without any special tools. On stubborn beads it's useless. So I guess I'm resigned to continue hauling a KoolStop bead jack with me, at least whenever I'm riding with my wife.

[C40_guy]

Two never fail tools:

May not get *every* tire off, but when you're in reclining in the luxury of the UberXL, and the bike is in the trunk, who cares.