Blood, sweat and tires

[Boudicca]

Sunday was my first long ride of the year in this part of the world, and my all-time worst record on fixing a flat, and I blasted through four new tubes, two CO2 cartridges and a pump before finally getting back on the road. It was a combination of bad patch job (my patched spare tube), dud inner tube (biking buddy's spare), incompetence with CO2 cartridge (my fault again) and general ineptitude at getting very tight tire back on a fairly deep rim without pinch flatting (both my fault, and the fault of the super nice racer dudes who offered up their own spare tubes and then stopped to help). I even managed to mess up my pump when the valve stem broke off inside it and refused to be dislodged, so had to borrow a pump as well, to complete the catalog of errors. I ended up repatching the dud patch job, and then replacing the tube for the 4th time and (for the first time) sliding the tire back on the rim as though I had been doing it all my life. But I have little confidence in my ability to do the same next time.

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.

[ny biker]

I've never had Grand Prix tires, but I've worn out several pairs of Gatorskins and I find them to be very flat-resistant.

I have a Kool Stop tire bead jack and a VAR tire lever. Both are great tools for getting a tire back on the rim. I think the Kool Stop is easier to find these days. I got mine years ago as a special order from REI. The VAR lever is smaller so it fits in a smaller bike bag, both are lightweight plastic.

http://www.koolstop.com/images/Accessories/TBJ.jpg

http://randonneurextra.blogspot.com/...ire-lever.html

I saw some tire levers at the LBS recently that had a special curve at one end to help you get the tire back on the rim, but I didn't notice the brand. They were red and kinda wide. Looking over the tools for sale on the shop's web site, I think they were these from Bontrager:

http://thebikelane.com/product/bontr...s-195716-1.htm

[rebeccaC]

My campy rims are hard to get tires on. A friend showed me a technique that’s worked well. When I get to the last hard section to get on I’ll start on the left of it on the bottom of the rim and push the tires beads into the well of the rim to give a little slack and use my fingers to roll what I can on. Then I repeat on the right bottom and roll what I can on the right. I repeat left and right until the very last section is rolled on. Finally you can push the tire in all the way around to see and make sure the tube isn’t trapped. I also keep a Visine bottle with a soapy water solution in my seat bag.

[Boudicca]

Amazon has the lever, and also steel cored tire irons. Tempted to buy both. I need to practice the roll on scenario though.

[antimony]

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.)

[azfiddle]

I have used Gatorskins for about 4 years and have ridden at least one set- front and rear - for 4000 miles without a flat. Usually, not quite so lucky but they are very puncture resistant. I now use the foldable version, $5 more, but I am not strong enough to get new regular Gatorskins onto my rims (Fulcrum 6) by myself. The foldable is definitely easier.

Sharon

[Boudicca]

LBS just recommended this gizmo, so I bought it, and will have to see whether it actually works. It's supposed to make it easier to get the tire back on the rim.

I also hope I don't have to try it out for a while. Still feeling traumatized at the memory of Sunday's adventure.

[Boudicca]

Got another flat -- second in four rides -- and the gizmo helped a little. I did manage to fix the flat the first time, and a group of fellow riders showed up just as I was finishing and offered moral support.

Getting back I went for a good inspection of what might have happened, and it seems the rim tape was a tiny bit too narrow for the rims, so I suspect that -- over time and distance -- wore a little hole on the inside of the tube. So (with help from the spouse), I changed out the rim tape, and then put the new Gatorskin tire on for good measure. Now I just have to hope for no more flats, because there is no way I will ever get that sucker off and on again.