Swapping tyres - tips & tricks

[hab1966]

I have a set of Park Tool TL1C Tyre Levers.

This weekend, I spent a lot of time cursing and having the levers come off the wheel when i tried to swap my wife's tyres from MTB tyres to road tyres for the upcoming road charity rides we are riding.

I don't remember struggling like this before, same tools too, but i'd hate to be doing this at the side of the road as opposed to at home with a beer close by!

What tips and tricks do people use for this supposedly simple task? Are there better tools than the Park ones i have?

[syko89]

Some tyre / rim combo's are worse than others, and new tyres will always be a little 'tighter'.

When putting the tyre on, make sure the tyre bead is sat in the central channel in the rim when popping the rest of the tyre on. This will give you a bit of slack.

[Runes]

Smearing some washing up liquid on the edge of the rim helps, I find.

[P9DH]

Pedro's DH tyre lever is my secret weapon... also really good for popping fork seals if that way inclined DIY service wise.

[counterofbeans]

VAR lever.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/var-tyre-levers/

[WinstonWolf]

hab1966 said:

I have a set of Park Tool TL1C Tyre Levers.

This weekend, I spent a lot of time cursing and having the levers come off the wheel when i tried to swap my wife's tyres from MTB tyres to road tyres for the upcoming road charity rides we are riding.

I don't remember struggling like this before, same tools too, but i'd hate to be doing this at the side of the road as opposed to at home with a beer close by!

What tips and tricks do people use for this supposedly simple task? Are there better tools than the Park ones i have?

Your tools are fine, make sure the bead opposite where you're working is fully in the well of the rim before you start working the tyre off.

[millen]

counterofbeans said:

VAR lever.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/var-tyre-levers/

I often struggle with tight tyres on carbon ribs. I find the fairly wide flat Zefal levers suit me best. I bought a VAR but it broke the first time I used it! The thin end that goes under the tyre and pivots on the rim cracked under strain.

I've seen good reviews of https://www.tyrekey.com/ but not indulged in one yet.