Can't get tire off of rim
My only working bike is out of commission due to a slow leak in the front tire.
I struggled last night to get the tire off the rim and finally gave up; the frikkin' tire is so tight that once you get one lever under the bead, and pulled back into its hooked-to-spoke position, you absolutely can't get in under the bead anywhere else. I have several types of lever I've tried (including the orange ones with metal inside), and went at it with a large flathead screwdriver as well (on the fence about whether I want to re-use the tire) and couldn't budge the damn thing. I have above-average grip and pinch strength so I don't think weakness is a factor.
Any tips appreciated, even if it's things I already tried.
It's a 26" Sun CR-18 rim, for what that's worth.
Was kind of a nice change of pace walking to/from work today but this is a really stupid problem I'd like solved . . .
Views: 2307
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Michael A on
-
Another hint is to make sure you have broken the bead free from the rim all the way around the wheel on both sides of the rim, and that all the air is out of the tube. You can do this by pinching the tire just above the rim in sections completely freeing it from the rim bead. Ig you still have your Barry white 8 track tapes, I am worried about you.
-
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on
-
Some tire/rim combos have a terrible interface.
On bad ones you can sometimes get them off by starting two levers under the bead on two spokes adjacent to each other on the same side. Make sure they are good strong levers like Pedro's or the all metal ones like Park makes. Press on both levers at once and you *should* be able to get the bead to pop over. With that much bead off you should be able to start the tire off, or at least be able to get a lever in farther down once you pull one of them out.
Word of warning: If it comes off that hard it is going to be murder to get back on as well try to avoid using levers to remount it as they can pinch the tube and cause punctures. If it is very difficult try working it in from the valve stem to the opposite side of the rim and then working it in against a solid surface with the heel of your hand. If all else fails it is a good idea to invest in one of these:
It's a Kool-Stop bead jack and it is invaluable when it comes to mounting a tough tire/rim interface.Hope this helps.
-
Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on
-
I'm just reiterating what i agree with above: Pedros's neon levers x 2 at once.
Also - The Park plastic levers suck.
-
Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on
-
Put it in the tub, run some hot water over it (or use a hair dryer), run a bead of dish soap along the bead, and then start the fight. I do this when installing and removing my Gatorskins. I also keep a small vile of dish soap in my bag for the stubborn flat on the road.
-
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on
-
Tried and tried. Couldn't get two in at once.
I briefly attempted to cut the tire with a tin snips but it was ineffective enough that I quickly decided it was a bad idea.
Cameron Puetz said:Try putting two levers under the bead one to two spoke spacings apart and pull them back into the hooked to spoke position simultaneously. Or if you're not going to reuse the tire, just cut it off.
-
-
Ugh- the tire is -really- filthy and my bathtub is really white.
Will try the soap without the tub . . . thanks.
Joe Willis said:Put it in the tub, run some hot water over it (or use a hair dryer), run a bead of dish soap along the bead, and then start the fight. I do this when installing and removing my Gatorskins. I also keep a small vile of dish soap in my bag for the stubborn flat on the road.
-
-
Thanks. The bead is completely loose and free and the tube is empty.
My 8-track collection included Herb Alpert, Wings . . . and maybe Foreigner.
Michael A said:Another hint is to make sure you have broken the bead free from the rim all the way around the wheel on both sides of the rim, and that all the air is out of the tube. You can do this by pinching the tire just above the rim in sections completely freeing it from the rim bead. Ig you still have your Barry white 8 track tapes, I am worried about you.
-
-
Thanks, read and appreciated.
It sounds like you're saying the Kool Stop is for mounting, but not for getting difficult tires off?
notoriousDUG said:Some tire/rim combos have a terrible interface.
On bad ones you can sometimes get them off by starting two levers under the bead on two spokes adjacent to each other on the same side. Make sure they are good strong levers like Pedro's or the all metal ones like Park makes. Press on both levers at once and you *should* be able to get the bead to pop over. With that much bead off you should be able to start the tire off, or at least be able to get a lever in farther down once you pull one of them out.
Word of warning: If it comes off that hard it is going to be murder to get back on as well try to avoid using levers to remount it as they can pinch the tube and cause punctures. If it is very difficult try working it in from the valve stem to the opposite side of the rim and then working it in against a solid surface with the heel of your hand. If all else fails it is a good idea to invest in one of these:
It's a Kool-Stop bead jack and it is invaluable when it comes to mounting a tough tire/rim interface.Hope this helps.
-
-
I think I have the Parks (which are indeed useless) and the orange ones I described are the Pedros (less useless but not quite useful enough for this situation.)
Kelvin Mulcky said:
I'm just reiterating what i agree with above: Pedros's neon levers x 2 at once.
Also - The Park plastic levers suck.
-
-
yes, it is only for mounting but if they are that hard to remove it is going to be hard to get them on.
h' said:
Thanks, read and appreciated.
It sounds like you're saying the Kool Stop is for mounting, but not for getting difficult tires off?
notoriousDUG said:Some tire/rim combos have a terrible interface.
On bad ones you can sometimes get them off by starting two levers under the bead on two spokes adjacent to each other on the same side. Make sure they are good strong levers like Pedro's or the all metal ones like Park makes. Press on both levers at once and you *should* be able to get the bead to pop over. With that much bead off you should be able to start the tire off, or at least be able to get a lever in farther down once you pull one of them out.
Word of warning: If it comes off that hard it is going to be murder to get back on as well try to avoid using levers to remount it as they can pinch the tube and cause punctures. If it is very difficult try working it in from the valve stem to the opposite side of the rim and then working it in against a solid surface with the heel of your hand. If all else fails it is a good idea to invest in one of these:
It's a Kool-Stop bead jack and it is invaluable when it comes to mounting a tough tire/rim interface.Hope this helps.
-
-
Allright, I got off my ass and got it done, with about 25x more effort than I was willing to put into this, and a couple ruined documents on my kitchen table (Active Trans and LIB-- feel free to send me a few more renewal notices . . .)
Dish soap ultimately did the trick, along with more force than I could safely muster.
The levers I have are actually these suckers, not Pedros:
Sincere thanks for all the earnest help, and especially to the mensch who texted to offer a tire.I have a few new tires around ready to go when needed; I was tempted to keep that same tire but I was completely unable to find any evidence of the puncture or shards, and this type of leak just screams embedded glass/metal shard. At least I kept the old tube (which somehow survived the screwdriver and everything else.)
Groups
-
Chicagoland Beer Explora…
203 members
-
Chicago Ride of Silence
118 members
-
Critical Mass discussion
262 members
-
Chicago Randonneurs
269 members
-
Walk Bike Transit
63 members
© 2008-2016 The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.
Powered by
