tips and/or tricks for stubborn tires???

[IvonaDestroi]

Panaracer Duros? Yep, that's the tire. I've installed 2 sets of new ones. No problems. Enjoy you new found power.

Nope they're 'speedy arrow'. duro is the model. they're nylon. Made in china. Super thick and heavy - the shop said I'd probably never get a flat with these crazy things. they're a bit on the heavy side though, but worth the trade off cuz theres so much broken glass in our streets. Whenever I let someone borrow a guest bike they always come back with a flat tire

[IvonaDestroi]

If you have a rack bag. It is just a skosh too long to fit in a saddle bag.

If you are in Europe, the VAR Tyre lever works well on the road and is small enough for a saddle bag. But I haven't seen them from a US-based web site in years. (e.g., http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-V...-Lever-903.htm ). To order one from overseas you'd pay more in shipping than the lever itself.

ooooo ahhhh that's even better- darn it 30 bux???? really?! I want one... god knows i'd probably break it though. Hmmmm.... I think I still want one. I'm gonna google around...

[IvonaDestroi]

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...item_id=VR-425

$10 plus shipping, based in Oregon. Yey!

[DebW]

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...item_id=VR-425

$10 plus shipping, based in Oregon. Yey!

That tool is good mainly for narrow road tires. If you're dealing with heavy 700x35 tires or MTB tires, that tool may not be large enough. The Koolstop tool is big enough for those larger tires.

[Maxxxie]

SJS ship overseas. In fact, I just ordered one of the VAR levers yesterday. $30 AUD delivered to the land of Oz. That sounds like a lot for a tyre lever, and it is. But I'd rather spend the dollars and not have to waste another two hours of my life. The VAR levers will be for my saddle bag. I'm also going to order the Koolstop bead jack from Amazon. Inexplicably, they won't deliver it to Australia. So I'm having it sent to my dad in Illinois, and he'll send it on to me. So whether I'm at home, or on the road, I need never struggle with my #*^#%$ Gatorskin again!!

Max

Well, I got the VAR levers about a week ago, and put them into my saddle bag. Last night, I got a flat on the way home, so I got my first chance to try them out. I got the tyre off with my regular levers, changed the tube, and got it all fitted back onto the wheel (with the VAR lever) in under 15 minutes. That is an all-time record!!!!

VAR levers: $20
Postage: $10
Not spending 2 hours on the side of the road struggling with a tyre: Priceless

Max

[IvonaDestroi]

That tool is good mainly for narrow road tires. If you're dealing with heavy 700x35 tires or MTB tires, that tool may not be large enough. The Koolstop tool is big enough for those larger tires.

well 700 x 25, 100 psi, but I do see that thing breaking pretty easily with these particular ones, seeing as how they were so super tight in the first place. I think a total of 5 tire levers (the kind with steel reinforced insides) got broken on these tires between me and the shop guys. The bead is just way off for some reason. I really don't know how any of us managed to pull it off.

Luckily the tires are super tough. I've landed off of two curbs at a wierd angle already and where my old tires surely would have been tested, these have withstood the pressure quite well. And that yellow sidewall is absolutely gorgeous. But I'm not looking forward to that day...

For those who have tried the VAR levers, are they super solid?

[Maxxxie]

For those who have tried the VAR levers, are they super solid?

I wouldn't call them super solid, but they're not flimsy either. They bent a little when fitting my Gatorskin the other day. I adjusted the angle I had them at, and they were OK after that. For what it's worth, I'm running a 700x23 Conti Ultra Gatorskin (ideally at 110 PSI, but of course at 0 PSI on those occasions a tyre lever is needed )

Max

[Thorn]

VAR levers: $20
Postage: $10
Not spending 2 hours on the side of the road struggling with a tyre: Priceless

:-)

For those who have tried the VAR levers, are they super solid?

I've had my VAR lever since 1980-something. By now it should have turned into a brittle hunk of plastic, but it continues to work for me the once or twice a year i call on it when I flat. I'm using it on 700x23-28's, Panaracer Duros or Conti Gatorskins (both tight-ish fitting tires).

When assembling my S&S coupled bike, I use the Koolstop because it makes light work of things, never grumbles; the VAR is a little more work and distorts a little.

[[No, you normally don't need to remove the tires to pack an S&S bike, but my frame is rather tall and removing the tires makes fitting it all into the case a little easier. The Koolstop gives me the confidence that I can get tires on when I arrive.]]