j_young_80
30-10-2009, 04:07 PM
4. JIM'S TECH TALK
You Don't Need No Stinking Tire Levers!
Here's a trick that will impress your riding buddies by making you look like a pro mechanic.
It's removing & reinstalling clincher tires by hand only -- no levers. And it's not just a matter of showing off. No tools means faster flat repairs, a real advantage in winter to avoid cooling down or catching a chill. And hands-only avoids the risk of puncturing the new tube by pinching it with a lever.
You might think you'd need a gorilla grip to R&R a clincher tire without tools. But hand strength isn't important.
The secret is a simple mechanical principle designed into all clincher tires and rims.
If you look at a rim with the tire and tube removed, you'll see a channel in its center. This is called the "well" (where the rim strip sits).
The well is the part of the rim with the smallest diameter. That's the key.
No-hands Technique
A rim's sides keep the tire on when it's inflated. So to remove & reinstall a tire, you need to lift its edges over the sides of the rim. This is where the rim well comes in.
The reason most people think levers are necessary is because they work with the tire sitting up on the sides of the rim -- where it's designed not to come off. The sides with their slightly hooked top edge engage the tire so it won't blow off when inflated.
The trick is to position the tire so both of its bottom edges are in the rim well. Pinch the tire together all the way around as you pull up on a section with your other hand. Now almost the entire tire is in the rim's smallest diameter and this allows the last stubborn section to be pulled onto the rim for installation or up and over for removal. No levers needed!
3 Tips
For installation, it's easiest to mount one side of the tire at a time.
For removal, be sure to let all the air out of the tube and work as much of the tire as you can into the rim well before lifting it off.
To make R&R easier, don't use a tube larger than necessary. Use a 23-mm-wide tube for a 25-mm tire, for example.
It does take a little practice to master the hands-only technique, but it's mostly a matter of using the rim well. I know that some tires are a tight fit, but I've never come across one that couldn't be removed & reinstalled without levers.
Now that you know the secret, you can do it!
You Don't Need No Stinking Tire Levers!
Here's a trick that will impress your riding buddies by making you look like a pro mechanic.
It's removing & reinstalling clincher tires by hand only -- no levers. And it's not just a matter of showing off. No tools means faster flat repairs, a real advantage in winter to avoid cooling down or catching a chill. And hands-only avoids the risk of puncturing the new tube by pinching it with a lever.
You might think you'd need a gorilla grip to R&R a clincher tire without tools. But hand strength isn't important.
The secret is a simple mechanical principle designed into all clincher tires and rims.
If you look at a rim with the tire and tube removed, you'll see a channel in its center. This is called the "well" (where the rim strip sits).
The well is the part of the rim with the smallest diameter. That's the key.
No-hands Technique
A rim's sides keep the tire on when it's inflated. So to remove & reinstall a tire, you need to lift its edges over the sides of the rim. This is where the rim well comes in.
The reason most people think levers are necessary is because they work with the tire sitting up on the sides of the rim -- where it's designed not to come off. The sides with their slightly hooked top edge engage the tire so it won't blow off when inflated.
The trick is to position the tire so both of its bottom edges are in the rim well. Pinch the tire together all the way around as you pull up on a section with your other hand. Now almost the entire tire is in the rim's smallest diameter and this allows the last stubborn section to be pulled onto the rim for installation or up and over for removal. No levers needed!
3 Tips
For installation, it's easiest to mount one side of the tire at a time.
For removal, be sure to let all the air out of the tube and work as much of the tire as you can into the rim well before lifting it off.
To make R&R easier, don't use a tube larger than necessary. Use a 23-mm-wide tube for a 25-mm tire, for example.
It does take a little practice to master the hands-only technique, but it's mostly a matter of using the rim well. I know that some tires are a tight fit, but I've never come across one that couldn't be removed & reinstalled without levers.
Now that you know the secret, you can do it!