Quote Originally Posted by Boudicca View Post

I have Continental Grand Prix 700/23 tires, and Fulcrum Racing 7 rims. Rim tape was new at the end of last season, after a series of flats, but the tires probably have several thousand miles on them. I'm thinking of switching to Gatorskins to reduce the propensity of the tires to flat.

So my questions:

Is there a tire that won't break my wrists or bend my tire irons when I try to force it back on a relatively deep rim?

Does anyone have any favorite tire irons that actually work?

Will Gatorskins help, or will it just be even harder to get the tires back on?

And why is it always the rear tire that flats?

Welcome any and all insight.
Conti tires are all tight -- the Gatorskins and the GP4000s are about the same pain in the hands, in my experience (I have A23 rims, but have run both on them). I have one of those VAR levers as well, but for roadside fixes it's usually getting the tire off that I can't do. (The bead jack is great for the first time putting a new tire on, though. And if you're carrying a spare tire, even if you want to carry a new-ish one, make sure it's spent a little time on your rim so that it's not as hard to get on again.)