fitting 16 inch tyres

[steveu]

I've ridden 26/27 inch wheel bikes all my life and am well-experienced in removing and re-fitting tyres to these (usally re-fitting by hand, ie without tyre levers).

I now have a folding bike with 16 inch wheels and discovered how much harder it is to remove and re-fit tyres. Is there a good technique for doing this? I have used tyre levers but wince at the force having to be applied to the tyre bead, fear that i shall damage the tube (or tyre) with the levers and have ended up scratching the rim. Plastic tyre levers are not strong enough so have to use metal ones.

I do have 'punture proof tyres' to minimise the need to remove/refit but you still have to do it occassionally!

Any good ideas from those more experienced with small wheels?

 

[xpc316e]

I find that it is the tyre brand that really makes the difference; some of my 20" tyres can be easily removed by hand, while it took a considerable amount of force today to take a 20" tyre off my recumbent. I use plastic-coated steel levers and they seem to do the trick without damaging anything.