Quote Originally Posted by Pedal Wench
Lise, you are NOT crazy, a moron, or even mildly unsure of how to change a tire!

Campy wheels are NOTORIOUS for being a complete pain in the a$$ to change. Numerous threads on bikeforums.net of big, beefy guys who struggle with them. THEY'RE REALLY HARD TO CHANGE! I spent a good hour trying to remove my first tire, and a good 30 minutes trying to put it back on. Speed levers will crumble instantly with these wheels. I can only use steel or Pedro's stubby yellow levers. They're the only ones that you can really get enough strength behind them to get the bead off/on. I just have to use more power than you would ever imagine.

It's not you! Trust me on this!

Edit: It gets easier as the tires stretch out!
Thank you SO MUCH for telling me that!!! That will help me sleep tonight. I was on the verge of doing it all over again to figure out what was wrong, but my thumbs are so sore from lifting that last 6" of tire back on to the rim that common sense over came me, and I stopped. It was like my entire triathlon career was on the line. Lise vs. Tire. I will be interested to see what the problem is. Tire valve? Dunno. In the meantime, I am glad this happened at home, and NOT on the road. I must have the tools to do this on the road. These little plastic tire levers are not sufficient. One just snapped. The other two held, and I did get the tire off and back on again...imagine the frustration when, after all that, the tire gauge on the pump reads "120 psi", and the tire is still completely flat. I'll bring the update tomorrow post-LBS.

Thanks you guys. L.