fighting with tyres

[georgesgiralt]

Hello !
I spend a lot of time this past two days fighting Mr Bibendum Pilot Activ tires.
It is not so cold in the shop (around 8~10 °C) but I had an hell of a time first putting the front tire on (90/90-18)  and then making t to bead in.
The rear tire (4.00-18) was easier to put on but worse beading.
So I would like to know if you have some tricks with stubborn tires ?
And that fat figure on the tire looking at me with it's smile made the whole lot worse !
And, please do not start a tire choice thread.... Or I discuss my oil choice problem ;-)
Enjoy your day !

[mrclubike]

I got rid of the tubes and I use a good tire lube
But I have heard the PA's can be difficult to mount
I use the Avon's  and they go on fairly easy
Getting rid of the tubes makes mounting a breeze but seating is about the same 

Did you try  cleaning  the bead area of the rim with a fine abrasive 

I have done 10 tire changes in the last 3 years so the last thing I want is difficulty changing the tires 

[Justin B.]

I bought a pair of these for my R100RT but have not put them on yet.  I ran the Michelin Macadam 50 tires for several years and remember that I had to put a lot more air than I felt comfortable with to get the beads to seat on those - maybe it's a Michelin thing?  Normally the usual suggestion is to let them sit out in the sun and warm up but not sure how valid that is in the middle of winter!

[Tony Smith]

And, please do not start a tire choice thread.... Or I discuss my oil choice problem ;-)
Enjoy your day !

Here are the two things I use to make tyre changes bearable.

I regard three tyre levers as essential so that you can use the third to "walk" the bead onto the rim progressively. The curved levers give you more leverage options.

The "bead buddy" stops the annoying situation where as you wok hard to chase the tyre onto the rim, the blasted thing pops off opposite to where you are working.

Before fitting a new tyre I give the rim a good scrubbing and, if necessary, dress the edge with sandpaper to get rid of adhered rubber, areas of surface corrosion etc.

I then use some tyre-fitting paste on the tyre and walk it on as far as possible before resorting to levers. I make the observation that the tyre fitting lubricant makes an enormous difference to the ease of the job, far beyond what you might expect.

Now, about that oil thread you are interested in starting? :-)

[georgesgiralt]

Thanks, but where did you get those bead buddy ?

[Tony Smith]

Thanks, but where did you get those bead buddy ?

From a firm called Torpedo7. They no longer carry that brand I bought, but they do have this one which looks equally good.

https://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7TO4N0BB/title/torpedo7-off-road-bead-buddy

I did however accidentally discover a source for tyre levers like mine

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorbike-Tyre-Lever-Curved-380mm-OR-Straight-400mm-Motorcycle-Levers/252512462638?hash=item3acaea672e:m:m6jutyVMsuQAOwoqNUgTBIg&vxp=mtr

The other reason I like these levers is that I do not need a bead breaker - simply insert the lever between rim and tyre and use a shifting spanner to rotate the lever 90 degrees - works every time.

Alternate source of the levers I use
https://www.thirdgear.com.au/michelin-style-tyre-lever/


And lastly, this one saves many barked knuckles and much bad language
https://www.thirdgear.com.au/air-valve-puller-red/

[Tony Smith]

Found one

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Bikeservice-Tools-Tyre-Bead-Holding-Clamp/352219301505?hash=item5201e80681:g:7e0AAOSwYxBaGcGJ

[georgesgiralt]

Thanks Tony,
In the mean time I've done my homework.
https://www.ebay.fr/itm/3Pcs-Tire-Roue-Pneu-Change-Bead-Drop-centre-Depressor-Clamp-Outil-reparation/232409093108?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908131621%26meid%3Dcb169e73f4524533a726ec88ed71280d%26pid%3D100678%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D232409093108&_trksid=p2481888.c100678.m3607&_trkparms=pageci%253A24c46832-00cc-11e8-a604-74dbd1806b4d%257Cparentrq%253A26c2977a1610aa12f493e8b9fffd1ad2%257Ciid%253A1
To replace your metal similar device;
And there is also this :
https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Auto-Tire-Roue-Pneu-Change-Demontage-Demonte-Bead-Rim-Clamp-Drop-Center-Outil/132327753673?_trkparms=aid%3D777001%26algo%3DDISCO.FEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160801204525%26meid%3D9cc15ebcc76349beb603f77b2bcec86b%26pid%3D100651%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26&_trksid=p2481888.c100651.m4497&_trkparms=pageci%253A24c46832-00cc-11e8-a604-74dbd1806b4d%257Cparentrq%253A26c2977a1610aa12f493e8b9fffd1ad2%257Ciid%253A1
I'll buy a set of the plastic simple devices and give them a try.
As per the levers, I've a set of Michelin designed ones. They have  a small stop on one side to limit their insertion in the war zone.
Useful ...
BTW someone tested this ? : http://tiremountingtool.com/store/tmt/ or this http://www.bajanopinch.com/shop/ ?
Have a bright day.

[georgesgiralt]

I've a question for you.
Have you tested this ?
European version : http://tiremountingtool.com/store/tmt/
American version : http://www.bajanopinch.com/
And if yes, do you know how it compare with : https://www.mojotiretools.com/mojoweb.htm
Thanks for your help !

[Justin B.]

I use one of these...

https://www.nomartirechanger.com/YellowThing_Tire_Tool_p/ac-yellowthing.htm

And one of these on my Harbor Freight "tire changer" stand...

https://www.nomartirechanger.com/Mount_Demount_Bar_p/tc-mdbar.htm

[Tony Smith]

I've a question for you.
Have you tested this ?
European version : http://tiremountingtool.com/store/tmt/
American version : http://www.bajanopinch.com/
And if yes, do you know how it compare with : https://www.mojotiretools.com/mojoweb.htm
Thanks for your help !

No, No & No.

I have watched videos of the first device in action and it undoubtedly works, but any advantage it may have over traditional levers is (in my opinion) nullified by the price - better to learn to use the traditional tools properly.

[georgesgiralt]

Tony,
A few years back, I've would have said like you. But I'm getting older and weaker so all the help I can get is welcome.
I think the front tires are harder and harder to put on. And I've to use so much force that I end up pitching tubes.

[Tony Smith]

It will not surprise me if I change my tune as I too get older.  There are things that only a few years ago I would have done without thinking that now require careful planning. As my wife and I quietly celebrated my recent 60th birthday I said that I thought it was an absolute bitch the way things caught up with you and suddenly you couldn't do things anymore. She replied that the problem is that we have never been old before and simply do not know what to expect.

I think she is right.

[wilcom]

She replied that the problem is that we have never been old before and simply do not know what to expect.

I'm going thru that as we type............

I've always said, " If I can get hold of it, it will move",  lately I have found that to be no longer true. I think it has been a lie for a few years but with the experience I have gained over the years I had been getting by(levers are your friends).

[georgesgiralt]

I've a question for you.
Have you tested this ?
European version : http://tiremountingtool.com/store/tmt/
American version : http://www.bajanopinch.com/
And if yes, do you know how it compare with : https://www.mojotiretools.com/mojoweb.htm
Thanks for your help !

I've done some searching and found that the Baja no pinch tool is a badly done copy of the European tool. Advrider is full of complaint about the Baja impossible to mount because of bad soldering or breaking loose at first try. This plus the stolen design send me direct to the Latvian fellow...