I have never known a tyre to be such a pain in the rear to put back on a rim!!!
It’s an extremely tight fit just to get it all within the rim to start with, but that’s not the main problem.
The main problem is a little lip that sits on the rim, while the rest sits inside. What generally happens is a section of this lip goes inside the rim rather than on it, and so somehow has to be persuaded to get sit on the outside.
I’ve been battling it for well over an hour now, and I’m no nearer than when I started.
Are all tyres like this? Are all Contras like this? Because this is extremely frustrating. Unless there’s a better way there’s no way you could change a puncture mid-ride if it takes this long.
Most (all?) downhill tires with thick sidewalls are like that. The rim is also a factor. Some rims are easier to install a tire on than others.
Use metal tire levers or very stout plastic ones. I usually use a metal lever and a Quik-Stik plastic lever, along with some strong laguage to put a Gazz tire back on the rim.
When the tire is almost on and you are trying to get the last bit of the bead in the rim move the bead on the opposite side of the wheel into the middle of the rim. The middle area of the rim is a smaller diameter than the edges and those few millimeters will give you a little bit more to work with when trying to pry and lever the last bit of the tire over the rim.
But then the problem remains for the other side, and so it goes on…
I’ve finally got the thing back together through the use of a victi^H^H^H^Holunteer to hold the wheel horizontally while I pumped it up extremely slowly while pulling the tucked-in parts out.
Although after all that, I probably won’t get to use it tomorrow as planned as it’s been raining all evening, and my newly found forest will be even more flooded than last time…
After the tire has been used a bit it will be easier to take off the rim and put back on. It’s when they are new and the bead hasn’t stretched out and the sidewall is still ultra-stiff that the DH tires are especially hard to put on.
That’s weird that the tire was folding under itself and was so hard to get unfolded before inflating. Did you use talc powder on the tire and tube? Talc may have helped to slide on the rim and unfold itself. Generally the heavy sidewalls don’t like being folded over so they will unfold on their own if they get tucked in like that.
The tube has chalkdust on it, but I have no talc to try on the rim. Either way, it’s on now, and I think I know how to get it back on when I have to do it again.
Putting the tyre on while holding the wheel vertically meant that gravity was making the wheel sit inside the rim, so when it was all on the rim it was tight enough to hold it there, rather than on the edge of the rim. Holding the wheel horizontally means this didn’t happen.
This is I think the fourth or so time I’ve put the tyre on, it’s about 3/4 of a year old. I don’t think it’s going to get much easier before it needs replacing…
When installing a large new tire, it is best to have the tire warm as this will make it more pliable. When I was racing dirt-bikes, we always left the tire (4.25 to 5.10) laying out in the hot Texas sun for a while before mounting it. Since there are no hot days right now, I’d advise leaving it a warm room somewhat near the furnance. You would be amazed how much easier it will be to install it on the rim.
unfortunatly very few british house have furnaces,(none that i’ve seen) let alone basments to put them in.
however nearly all of us have central heating of some sort. so we’ll just have to leave them beside heaters.
I could never get tyres on / off without hassle until Leo told me the secret formula like John Childs said, push all of the bead on the other side of the tyre right into the middle of the rim and then you should have no problems getting the tyre on. I can put a gazz on without levers now, although I haven’t achieved true Jedi status of being able to remove them without levers.
For the problem you’re having, have you put a bit of air in the tube before putting the tyre in, I always got told to do that and it seems to help. For downhill tubes you might need a bit more air than you expect. Don’t put in too much or else you’ll pop the tube putting the tyre on.
>The main problem is a little lip that sits on the rim, while the rest
>sits inside.
Would it help (I’m just theoretisizing (SP?) here) if you lubricated
the tyre bead and rim, or would it evoke a risk of the tyre popping
off the rim on under certain riding conditions if it folds over
sideways? Also, the rubber might not like lubricants, chemically
speaking…
Phil, on a different note: have you gotten any info re comparison of
Halo vs Gazz?
Re: Re: I am beginning to really dislike my Halo Contra
I doubt that would help… it’s the fact that I think the tyre is slightly kinked for some reason, coupled with it being so tight to start with, that’s holding it inside. I found getting the tyre on properly while holding it horizontally is the way forward.
Sadly no. I even tried asking in a biking forum, but no-one there had used a Gazz larger than 2.6".
Maybe when this tyre eventually wears out I’ll try a Gazz and see what all the fuss is about.
I forgot to mention one other method that I had used when fighting with BIG tires on my dirtbike. Try warming the sidewall of the tire with a hair dryer prior to and during the process of removing it from the rim.
(a) it’s nowhere near long enough to make a hairdryer worth the effort - it dries itself in five minutes
(b) just… well… a hairdryer! We don’t need no stinkin’ namby-pampy hairdryers!
That’s one advantage of being married, my wife can’t live without her hair dryer, but she’s not to fond of me using it to mount tires and using it to dry out wet MX boots!!! hehehe
