MA rims torture me

[Jeff]

Is mounting tires on MA/MA2 rims incredibly difficult? Or am I doing something wrong?

Long ago I used MA2 rims and Specialized Armadillo tires. Tires were long-lived, so changing tires
was infrequent. But TRAUMATIC! It's like I was trying to put 650c tires on a 700c rim! Awful,
awful, awful.

That was forgotten, I have been using different rims and tires for years.

Today a Mavic MA wheel comes into my life, and I attempt to mount a Continental Ultra 2000. THREE
pinch-flats later, I give up. The wheel is for sale. It's the devil in circular form. Shiny MA +
Shimano 105, if you are interested check eBay.

 

[Tbgibb]

In article <[email protected]>, "Jeff"
<[email protected]> writes:

>Long ago I used MA2 rims and Specialized Armadillo tires. Tires were long-lived, so changing tires
>was infrequent. But TRAUMATIC! It's like I was trying to put 650c tires on a 700c rim! Awful,
>awful, awful.
>
>That was forgotten, I have been using different rims and tires for years.
>
>Today a Mavic MA wheel comes into my life, and I attempt to mount a Continental Ultra 2000. THREE
>pinch-flats later, I give up. The wheel is for sale. It's the devil in circular form. Shiny MA +
>Shimano 105, if you are interested check eBay.

Have you tried squeezing the beads together and working that around toward the top where the tire
is waiting for those last inches? Squeezing the beads together makes it much easier to get them
off as well.

Tom Gibb <[email protected]

 

[Andresmuro]

There is a technique. You need to massage the tire bead to the center of the rim. The center is
deeper, so it creates a tiny bit of slack. The slack should be sufficient so that you can force the
rest of the tire into the rim. Once I learned this technique, I can remove tires and put them back
on a wheel w/o using tire levers.

If the tire is really really stubborn, you can use plyers to pinch the tire, lift it and applying
some leverage mount it. There is actually a tool for this purpose, but it is a sophistication that
nobody has, and you don't need it.

Try the massaging the tire bead to the center technique which works great.

Andres

 

[Tim McNamara]

In article <[email protected]>, "Jeff"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Today a Mavic MA wheel comes into my life, and I attempt to mount a Continental Ultra 2000.

I use this combination (well, MA2 and I don't know if yours is an MA or an MA2). I have no trouble
mounting the folding bead 700 x 28 Ultra 2000s without tools.

 

[Richard Brockie]

Tim McNamara wrote:
>>Today a Mavic MA wheel comes into my life, and I attempt to mount a Continental Ultra 2000.
>
> I use this combination (well, MA2 and I don't know if yours is an MA or an MA2). I have no trouble
> mounting the folding bead 700 x 28 Ultra 2000s without tools.

In the past, I have had several unnecessary fights with Conti tyres on MA2 rims, one of the reasons
I don't use Conti tyres anymore.

--
R.

<> Richard Brockie "Categorical statements <> The tall blond one. always cause trouble." <>
[email protected]

 

[Jeff Wills]

[email protected] (AndresMuro) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> There is a technique. You need to massage the tire bead to the center of the rim. The center is
> deeper, so it creates a tiny bit of slack. The slack should be sufficient so that you can force
> the rest of the tire into the rim. Once I learned this technique, I can remove tires and put them
> back on a wheel w/o using tire levers.
>
> If the tire is really really stubborn, you can use plyers to pinch the tire, lift it and applying
> some leverage mount it. There is actually a tool for this purpose, but it is a sophistication that
> nobody has, and you don't need it.
>
> Try the massaging the tire bead to the center technique which works great.
>
> Andres

After all of the above, re-examine the rim strip. If it's thick Velox tape, it might help to switch
to a thinner strip or even several layers of fiberglass-reinforced packing tape.

The Specialized Armadillo is a very stiff tire, which compounds the problems. When I was using them,
they were very, very hard to mount on my MA-40 rims. I've switched to IRC tires, which are easier to
mount, with no increase in flat frequency (he says with his fingers crossed behind his back).

Jeff

 

[Jay Beattie]

"Jeff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Is mounting tires on MA/MA2 rims incredibly difficult? Or am I doing something wrong?
>
> Long ago I used MA2 rims and Specialized Armadillo tires. Tires were long-lived, so changing tires
> was infrequent. But TRAUMATIC! It's like
I was
> trying to put 650c tires on a 700c rim! Awful, awful, awful.
>
> That was forgotten, I have been using different rims and tires for
years.
>
> Today a Mavic MA wheel comes into my life, and I attempt to mount a Continental Ultra 2000. THREE
> pinch-flats later, I give up. The wheel
is for
> sale. It's the devil in circular form. Shiny MA + Shimano 105, if you
are
> interested check eBay.

Too bad. That is a great budget wheel. I have been using MA2s and MA3s with various tires including
the Ultra2000 (most recently on an MA3). This is the wire bead version, and I was surprised at how
tight it was, but it certainly was not unmountable, and probably took only an additional 30 seconds
to get on. You should not be having this much trouble, even with the tightest tires. Make an
investment in some of those new-fangled tire irons. I have an old VAR lift-on tire iron that was
marketed back in the late '70s early '80s when the really tight Turbos were first marketed and
nobody except Olympic thumb wrestlers could mount a tire without help. Something like this would
allow you to mount anything without a whole heck of a lot of work. -- Jay Beattie.

 

[Bfd]

"Jay Beattie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> "Jeff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Is mounting tires on MA/MA2 rims incredibly difficult? Or am I doing something wrong?
> >
> > Long ago I used MA2 rims and Specialized Armadillo tires. Tires were long-lived, so changing
> > tires was infrequent. But TRAUMATIC! It's like
> I was
> > trying to put 650c tires on a 700c rim! Awful, awful, awful.
> >
> > That was forgotten, I have been using different rims and tires for
> years.
> >
> > Today a Mavic MA wheel comes into my life, and I attempt to mount a Continental Ultra 2000.
> > THREE pinch-flats later, I give up. The wheel
> is for
> > sale. It's the devil in circular form. Shiny MA + Shimano 105, if you
> are
> > interested check eBay.
>
> Too bad. That is a great budget wheel. I have been using MA2s and MA3s with various tires
> including the Ultra2000 (most recently on an MA3). This is the wire bead version, and I was
> surprised at how tight it was, but it certainly was not unmountable, and probably took only an
> additional 30 seconds to get on. You should not be having this much trouble, even with the
> tightest tires. Make an investment in some of those new-fangled tire irons. I have an old VAR
> lift-on tire iron that was marketed back in the late '70s early '80s when the really tight Turbos
> were first marketed and nobody except Olympic thumb wrestlers could mount a tire without help.
> Something like this would allow you to mount anything without a whole heck of a lot of work.

Yes, the VAR tire lever is fantastic, I have NEVER had a problem mounting tires with this lever, and
still available either through your LBS or if online here:

http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/tools/19045.html http://www.terrybicycles.com/BPA/7400000.lasso

 

[Mark Janeba]

Jeff Wills wrote:
> After all of the above, re-examine the rim strip. If it's thick Velox tape, it might help to
> switch to a thinner strip or even several layers of fiberglass-reinforced packing tape.

About the packing tape: been there, done that. In the short term, it works great - and maybe even
the long term, though I seem to remember some failure at sharp edges of un-grommeted spoke holes.

The real problem is: If you leave it for a long time, and then try to remove it (say to change a
spoke), the tape disintegrates during removal, leaving a horrible mess of loose fiberglass strands.

A year or so ago, someone here suggested using a single layer of vinyl(?) electrical tape underneath
the strapping tape to aid removal. I haven't tried this, but it sounds like it would help a lot.

Thinking about a thinner strip myself - Velox, Michelins, and older Campy aero rims are a tight
combination too!
--
Mark Janeba remove antispam phrase in address to reply

 

[Michael]

> Yes, the VAR tire lever is fantastic, I have NEVER had a problem mounting tires with this lever,
> and still available either through your LBS or if online here:
>
> http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/tools/19045.html http://www.terrybicycles.com/BPA/7400000.lasso

How do these things work? What makes them so much better than regular levers?

 

[A Muzi]

"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > Yes, the VAR tire lever is fantastic, I have NEVER had a problem mounting tires with this lever,
> > and still available either through your LBS or if online here:
> >
> > http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/tools/19045.html http://www.terrybicycles.com/BPA/7400000.lasso
>
> How do these things work? What makes them so much better than regular
levers?

A "wishbone" shaped nylon wedge. One leg presses down on the offside of the rim and lifts the tire
up away from you when you press against the top. Clever and inspired. It often looks about to break
in use but they don't.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971