Choice of tool for removing tyres

[stevie_b]

I recently struggled to get a Cheng Shin tyre off of a Vuelta Airline 1 MTB rim. The usual stubby plastic tyre levers didn't even come close to getting the job done. I took it to my LBS for them to change the inner tube and they said it was indeed a tight one, and recommended getting some steel tyre levers for future purposes.

The thing I hesitate about with steel tyre levers is the risk of rim damage. I also think that maybe there are better tools out there that can better use whatever leverage they can get, in order to get the tyre off. So after a bit of googling I came across these:
http://www.dotbike.com/p/3845
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=42811

They both have good reviews, so does anyone here recommend one over the other (or something else I haven't considered)? The Simson has lots of glowing reviews but I wonder if the long Cyclo one would give better leverage?

 

[PpPete]

The Simson one looks like it might be good for getting tyres on, but if I read your post correctly your problem was with getting old tyre off.
VAR levers are often held up as being good for recalcitrant tyres, but again, may be better for getting tough tyres on than off.
Have to say my fingers have occasionally hovered over the buy button on the Lezyne Saber levers (with the built opener for the beer you are going to treat yourself to after successfully changing tyres)

Oh - and Cheng Shin tyres ?.... best tool for removal would be:

 

[Milo]

As cheap tyres go I have found cst not that bad tbh. Mine have been going good for about a year now with only one puncture maybe i'm lucky. Kenda on the other hand are truly poo.

 

[Dommo]

I've found that eventually you'll win out against pretty much any tyre even with the plastic tyre levers. It's just a matter of time! I have 1.125" width Gatorskins on 26" wheels on my hybrid and pretty much everyone I've ever shown them to has been shocked at how hard they are to get on/off. I bought a Pedro's Tools metal tyre lever which does the job at home but when on the road I have to rely on the plastic jobbies. One slight issue I found to watch out for was that when I used the spoke clip on the far end of the tool I found my wheel wasn't true anymore as it had pulled so hard on the spoke!

I guess the main point is that whatever tool you buy, you need to make sure it's something you can carry with you!

Dom

 

[Davidc]

I've been using steel ones for the past 50 years and have never damaged a rim yet. I was taught how to do it properly though, and that's probably why.

I do have two sets of good quality resin ones which stay in my on-bike toolkits, both have been used and survived.

As for cheap tyres - I tried out a hard plastic tyre lever from a supermarket repair kit on a Kenda Kwest tyre on my wife's bike (3 tyres for £10 about 3 years ago). The plastic broke and the sharp end went straight through the tyre. There was the third Kwest though. I put that on and the two tyres have now done about 1000 miles. Don't think they'll make it to 1500 miles, the rubber's too soft. That makes them more expensive than if I'd bought a couple of Marathons at the time. False economy.

Dommo - I did that clip to spoke trick once and the same happened. When I was originally shown how to use levers I was told never to do it (tutor owned the LBS!) and it was right.

 

[Fnaar]

Plastic levers struggle with my MTB tyres, so, as I usually have a pannier on it, I keep a couple of dessert spoons in there! Just like the olden days.

 

[jowwy]

two spoons - job done

 

[andrew_s]

I've been using steel ones for the past 50 years and have never damaged a rim yet.

Likewise (well, 35 years anyway).

The Lezyne Saber levers are the best I've come across, though a bit big for taking out on the bike.
Of the cheap ones, Flat ones like these are best, or at least with a curve on the tyre end. Some of the squashed round bar steel levers can be very crude with sharp bits on the end, and ones with completely flat ends are harder to get under the bead to get started.

I've found that plastic levers that are strong enough are thick enough to add significantly to the difficulty of getting a tight tyre off, and ones that are no thicker than steel levers just bend.

The Simson and VAR tools are for getting tight tyres back on. The Simson is no good at all for removal, and the VAR is standard thin plastic so if you can get a tyre off using it, you won't need it for refitting.

 

[defy-one]

Are we really going to talk about tyre levers?????
carry a flat blade if it helps!!!
Jeeeeeeez

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

two spoons - job done

Same here, although we do seem to have aquired a few bent ones in the last year or so

 

[Saluki]

Plastic levers struggle with my MTB tyres, so, as I usually have a pannier on it, I keep a couple of dessert spoons in there! Just like the olden days.

Thank heavens, I thought it was just me who used dessert spoons.

My Dad had an LBS until the late 80s, early 90s and he said that a couple of dessert spoons were way better than tyre leavers any day.

 

[middleagecyclist]

I got shown a tip on a bike maintenance course which allows tyres to be removed with just bare hands. I do prefer metal tyre levers but it does work and has been used once for real. Luckily, I rarely have visits from the p******e fairy!

 

[sittingbull]

Soma plastic coated steel core levers - best of both worlds

Around £7 for a pair (posted), prices vary and I find one sufficient in combination with other plastic/resin levers - they are available individually.

Numerous outlets including here.

 

[stevie_b]

Thanks for the help folks, much appreciated. It's easy to spend a fair bit of money on tools that either aren't up to the job, or will buckle your rims if you're inexperienced in their use (and by definition, when you first buy them you're inexperienced in their use). That's where real-world views like this really come into their own.

Are we really going to talk about tyre levers?????
carry a flat blade if it helps!!!
Jeeeeeeez

If you're not interested, don't read the thread. Jeeeeez.

 

[fossyant]

Decathlon's own are good. Best I've found for really hard to remove tyres (Schwalbe) are Pedro's tyre levers.