What di i do if I cant get the bloody tyre off the rim?

[Bigtallfatbloke]

...Ok so my new Schwalbe marathons 28's arrived today...I fitted them with brute force...they are very hard to fit...I inflated the tyres to 95psi and wam...after all the blood sweat and tears of fitting them the front tube deflated...I'll put my house on it being those bloody presta valves again...they pull away from the tube far to easily....anyway after much cursing I am back inside trying to take the tyre off....BUT it has taken me an hour and t wo ruined tyre levers and it still wont budge...I am tempted to drive over to the LBS but before I do does anyone here have any neat tricks/suggestions for rem9oving this thing???

 

[ChrisKH]

Metal tyre levers.

 

[domtyler]

Yeah, sounds like crappy tyre levers to me, are they those cheap black plastic ones? Bin them, they are shoot!!

Buy some of the blue Park Tools ones or other quality type, or metal as suggested above, but make sure they are plastic coated metal or they will damage the rims.

 

[Brock]

Oh dear.. It is a struggle isn't it. The good news is that once on they really are as puncture proof as they claim. I have no real tips for getting them on and off, I ended up forcing one tyre lever round the rim once I'd got it under the bead, in a sort of whittling a branch between my legs stance.. ooer..
Have you tried a bit of talc or some other lube to help the bead slide over the rim?

I really don't think the presta valve is the problem, possibly you've pinched the tube in the fight to get the tyres on? Very easy to do..

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

yeah these are...erm...were...black plastic ones...I tried it with a blunt kitchen knife but it snapped....ok looks like a trip to the LBS is on the agenda.
Thansk.

 

[Brock]

Knife! Erk!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Have you tried a bit of talc or some other lube to help the bead slide over the rim?

no..but I will now ta.

 

[walker]

Is the tube completly deflated and are you pushing the tyre back far enough?

 

[RedBike]

Somethings not right here. Schwalbe marathons are normally quite easy to fit; and presta valves don't normally break away from the tubes.

I would get the LBS to fit them.

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

Halfrauds tubes are made from clingfilm, though less tear resistant. Get a quality brand - Spesh, Conti, Schwalbe - also make sure that the valve is short enough for the rim. Using long valved tubes on normal profile rims increses the chances of a valve tear as they waggle around more.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

..well I took the wheel up to the LBS...the bloke took one look at it and decided he wasnt going to get involved as it would be 'a bloody pig to git orf mate like'.....anyway he was happy to sell me some park levers and rush me out of the shop so he could get on with his real job of selling mtb's.

I lubed the rim with washing up liquid (cleaned the rims afterwards dont worry!) and using the park tools and a tableknife (it was the only thing that worked trust me) I eventually go the dam thing off and back on again. It is now inflated and all seems well....except my hands which are red raw.

I hope these things are bulletproof because I really would not want to have to change them on tour!

The LBS also tried to sell me some large metal levers which weighed ton and cost a mere £15!

Brock you were right about the cause of the puncture..it wasnt the valve this time, it was a nick in the tube.

Well...todays learning experience did not let me known..I feel more knowledgeable and experienced for it

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Brock]

Phew! Glad you're sorted mate. Do I win your house?
I've been commuting solidly since the beginning of last winter on these exact tyres and despite having to crunch my way over an old bridge that is always covered in broken alcopop bottles and burnt out car debris I've only ever had one slow deflation caused by a nasty thin little nail thing. Maybe you better start carrying that table knife just to be on the safe side though

 

[GrahamG]

Best ever tip is the one about pushing the bead of the tyre into the centre of the rim where is dips down around the spoke holes. Pushing the beads together around the rim can even make the difference between 'pig to get on/off' and 'managed it by hand without a lever'.

 

[dbg]

They weren't Campag or Fulcrum wheels by any chance?

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I dont know what kind of wheels they are...they are whatever came with the Daws Galaxy 2007.. I havent changed anything about the wheels.