tire levers & slime

[Random User]

Hello,

I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
rims. I
am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:

1 the Park Tool TL-10,
2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,
3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and
4 the Quick Stick.

Another question. Do tubes made by Slime work well in minimizing
punctures?

TIA.

-Mike

 

[Hank Wirtz]

Random User wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
> rims. I
> am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:
>
> 1 the Park Tool TL-10,
> 2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,
> 3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and
> 4 the Quick Stick.
>
> Another question. Do tubes made by Slime work well in minimizing
> punctures?
>
> TIA.
>
> -Mike

I can only speak to #4. The Quik Stik is great for mountain bike
wheels, but well-nigh impossible to use on narrow road wheels. The head
is just too big to fit between a tight bead and the seat of the rim.
Once you do finagle the head under the bead, excessive pressure will
tear the head right off.

The Crank Bros. lever looks cool and seems to be smartly designed, but
I haven't used it.

Best tire levers I can recommend are the cheap Dutch-made "Sport"
levers, the black ones in the red slide case, marketed in the US by
Kool-Stop. Use them in a set - get one under the bead but don't try to
flip it over. Once you have the second one under the bead, flip them
both over together and clip one to the spokes, and slide the other one
around the wheel. Works every time for me, on the tightest beads I've
encountered.

Although I would be interested to try the Soma steel core levers...

 

[Michael Press]

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

> Hello,
>
> I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
> rims. I
> am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:
>
> 1 the Park Tool TL-10,
> 2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,
> 3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and
> 4 the Quick Stick.
>
> Another question. Do tubes made by Slime work well in minimizing
> punctures?

No.

--
Michael Press

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <[email protected]>,
Random User ([email protected]) wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
> rims. I
> am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:
>
> 1 the Park Tool TL-10,

Haven't seen one of those before, but as they say "Not a take-along tire
lever, the TL-10 is a heavy-duty tire tool designed for use in the
shop" it's of limited use when the P+nct+r+ Fairy strikes in the middle
of the night.

> 3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and

Had one. It broke. Not impressed.

I've recently acquired one of these:

<URL:http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/graphics/var%20Tool.th.jpg>

as the Schwalbe Marathon Slick / Alex DV15 combo on my trike are the
most recalcitrant tyres to fit that I have ever encountered.
Fortunately I haven't yet been obliged to use it.

> Another question. Do tubes made by Slime work well in minimizing
> punctures?

I Slimed the trike's tubes back in January and have not had to fix a
p+nct+r+ since. And the green goop has definitely sealed at least one.
With Schwalbe Presta valves, the core is removable, so
one isn't tied to Slime's own-brand.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger
Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:03:57 +0100, Dave Larrington
<[email protected]> wrote:


>Had one. It broke. Not impressed.
>
>I've recently acquired one of these:
>
><URL:http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/graphics/var%20Tool.th.jpg>

That tool is great.

>
>as the Schwalbe Marathon Slick / Alex DV15 combo on my trike are the
>most recalcitrant tyres to fit that I have ever encountered.

I read on a website selling the Schwalbe Marathon that they get a
little looser after being on a rim for awhile. Have you noticed that?

JT




****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

 

[Earl Bollinger]

"Random User" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello,
>
> I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
> rims. I
> am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:
>
> 1 the Park Tool TL-10,
> 2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,
> 3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and
> 4 the Quick Stick.
>
> Another question. Do tubes made by Slime work well in minimizing
> punctures?
>
> TIA.
>
> -Mike
>
I think when I first started pulling or putting tires on my wheels, it was
harder than I thought. But after a while it got a lot easier.
There is probably something in your technique that is missing, needed or not
being done per se.
But I don't know what you might be doing or not doing.
Later it will become a lot easier. Heck for some tire rim combinations you
don't even need tire levers.
I had to put new700c32 tires on my commuter bike this last Sunday, and I
didn't even need to use levers. But I discovered that one of the front brake
arm springs had broken, so i had to jury rig it until I can get a new set of
front brakes for the commuter bike. But that is another story.

Anyway, Slime sort of maybe works. Basically if you ride on lower pressure
tires and live in a area where there are lots of thorns or goatheads, it
does make it work like you have a slow leak, so you can just pump up the
tire more often. So it works on little tiny holes, not big ones, and it
doesn't work well at all under high pressures, say over 50psi. The next
major problem is they use something like ethyline Glycol (antifreeze stuff)
as a solvent for the SLIME like stuff. The solvent dissolves the glue used
to hold on patches if you can even get the patch to stick on to where the
slime was oozing out of the tube. Thus patches don't work on tubes with
Slime in them.

If you ride in a area where you have a severe goathead problem or lots of
glass, sharp debris and such things, it may be worth it to consider the
airless tubes, or AirFree Tires instead. These are solid tubes and or tires
that cannot go flat from punctures. they have their own disadvantages, but
in such conditions the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <[email protected]>, John Forrest
Tomlinson ([email protected]) wrote:

> I read on a website selling the Schwalbe Marathon that they get a
> little looser after being on a rim for awhile. Have you noticed that?

The previous set got to the stage where I could /just/ get the rear one
back on by hand, but the right one continued to need persuasion until
the day it died. The left was unvisited by the P+nct+r+ Fairy for the
duration of its career.

On the current set; one p+nct+r+ after ~400 km and no call to remove any
of them since (~1500 km since then).

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Three blind mice, see how they run. Is this /really/ the best way to
test shampoo?

 

[Werehatrack]

On 24 Apr 2006 21:11:46 -0700, "Random User" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
>rims. I
>am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:
>
>1 the Park Tool TL-10,
>2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,
>3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and
>4 the Quick Stick.
>
>Another question. Do tubes made by Slime work well in minimizing
>punctures?

I've tried the Crank Bros Speed lever; it works well for me,
particularly if the tire bead it wet.

Slime-equipped tubes get punctured just as easily and often as any
other; they just mask many of the punctures via the sealant. If what
you seek to avoid is flats, then Slimed tubes can help, but be aware
that they can be a challenge to reinflate; sometimes the fibers in the
Slime will foul the valve.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Werehatrack]

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 07:05:32 -0500, "Earl Bollinger"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>If you ride in a area where you have a severe goathead problem or lots of
>glass, sharp debris and such things, it may be worth it to consider the
>airless tubes, or AirFree Tires instead. These are solid tubes and or tires
>that cannot go flat from punctures. they have their own disadvantages, but
>in such conditions the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Sometimes, for some people; your mileage may vary. (I have it on
personal reference from one who lives in such an area that in his
opinion, the hassles he encountered with the foam tube replacements
made fixing flats seem like a positively enjoyable experience.)
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <[email protected]>, Werehatrack
([email protected]) wrote:
> On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 07:05:32 -0500, "Earl Bollinger"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >If you ride in a area where you have a severe goathead problem or lots of
> >glass, sharp debris and such things, it may be worth it to consider the
> >airless tubes, or AirFree Tires instead. These are solid tubes and or tires
> >that cannot go flat from punctures. they have their own disadvantages, but
> >in such conditions the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
>
> Sometimes, for some people; your mileage may vary. (I have it on
> personal reference from one who lives in such an area that in his
> opinion, the hassles he encountered with the foam tube replacements
> made fixing flats seem like a positively enjoyable experience.)

Quite. I read one review of one variety of airless tyre which went
something like:

"I would rather have three flats a week for the rest of my life than
have to go through the the effort of fitting those things again"

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
The sixth student said, "I ride my bicycle because I want people to look
up to me and say 'Wow! He looks really good up there!' The teacher
replied: 'Go away, Fabrizio!'"

 

[Alex Rodriguez]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
>
>Hello,
>
>I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
>rims. I
>am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:
>
>1 the Park Tool TL-10,
>2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,
>3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and
>4 the Quick Stick.
>
>Another question. Do tubes made by Slime work well in minimizing
>punctures?

What does work are VAR tire levers.
http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=79386658826&d=single&c=Tools&sc=Tire%2
0and%20Tube&tc=Tire%20Levers&item_id=VR-425

----------------
Alex

 

[[email protected]]

nylon

 

[Richard]

"Earl Bollinger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Random User" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
> > rims. I
> > am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:
> >
> > 1 the Park Tool TL-10,
> > 2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,
> > 3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and
> > 4 the Quick Stick.
> >
> > Another question. Do tubes made by Slime work well in minimizing
> > punctures?
> >
> > TIA.
> >
> > -Mike
> >
> I think when I first started pulling or putting tires on my wheels, it was
> harder than I thought. But after a while it got a lot easier.
> There is probably something in your technique that is missing, needed or
not
> being done per se.
> But I don't know what you might be doing or not doing.
> Later it will become a lot easier. Heck for some tire rim combinations you
> don't even need tire levers.
> I had to put new700c32 tires on my commuter bike this last Sunday, and I
> didn't even need to use levers. But I discovered that one of the front
brake
> arm springs had broken, so i had to jury rig it until I can get a new set
of
> front brakes for the commuter bike. But that is another story.
>
> Anyway, Slime sort of maybe works. Basically if you ride on lower pressure
> tires and live in a area where there are lots of thorns or goatheads, it
> does make it work like you have a slow leak, so you can just pump up the
> tire more often. So it works on little tiny holes, not big ones, and it
> doesn't work well at all under high pressures, say over 50psi. The next
> major problem is they use something like ethyline Glycol (antifreeze
stuff)
> as a solvent for the SLIME like stuff. The solvent dissolves the glue used
> to hold on patches if you can even get the patch to stick on to where the
> slime was oozing out of the tube. Thus patches don't work on tubes with
> Slime in them.
>
> If you ride in a area where you have a severe goathead problem or lots of
> glass, sharp debris and such things, it may be worth it to consider the
> airless tubes, or AirFree Tires instead. These are solid tubes and or
tires
> that cannot go flat from punctures. they have their own disadvantages, but
> in such conditions the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
>
>
>

I use slime all the time. Run over 50 PSI, never had a patch come loose, or
had any problem getting patches to stick.

 

[Bill]

"Random User" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello,
>
> I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
> rims. I
> am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:
>
> 1 the Park Tool TL-10,
> 2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,
> 3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and
> 4 the Quick Stick.
>
> Another question. Do tubes made by Slime work well in minimizing
> punctures?
>
> TIA.
>
> -Mike
>
I'm in the Quick Stick camp. I use them with several bikes, MTB, Cross and a
couple of road bikes. One in each bike bag and one on the work bench.
Occasionally a very tight road tire can be a challenge to get started but
after lots of years of using the Quick Stick I don't seem to need anything
else.
***Some rim and tire combinations may simply be almost impossible regardless
of technique or tool. If it is so difficult that it would break a quick
stick then it's not a combination that I would leave home with.
Bill

 

[[email protected]]

search for - DIY Tire Removal 2 - tech archives using the search box
at upper right.

slime tubes work with slime liners but not as well without liners as
liners mate flat with tubes and capture ooozing ahhh
oooooooooooooziiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg slime real flat film like
thus definitely enhancing the flatproofness.
the tube/liners can save you from a bad hi speed crash
search for - specialized from google, pick components or parts then
tubes.
wal's slime tubes work well but are flimsy in the rubber.
crc silison spray before mounting works well for mount-dismount and
lubes the up and down at the tire/rim intresection

 

[Greg Estep]

Random User wrote:

> I am frustrated by flat tires and struggling to mount tires on (narrow)
> rims. I
> am wondering if the following fancier tire levers will help:
>
> 1 the Park Tool TL-10,
> 2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,
> 3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, and
> 4 the Quick Stick.

I never leave home without a Quick Stick, but what do I know? I grew up
using whatever was handy, be it a finger[1], screw driver, chisel,
wooden stick[2], valve stem from an old tube, etc. I also don't get a
whole lot of punctures. Some say that the Quick Stick is too hard for
various road tire/rim combinations. That may be true but, I say that
even in this worst-case scenario you will realize that you have a
problem while mounting a new tire in the safe and secure confines of
your workshop. You won't be surprised by the issue when it leaves you
stranded beside the road. I suppose that if you mount a new tire on a
hot day, and then get a puncture on a cold day, the use of a Quick Stick
might become more difficult, but the same could be said about any tire
removal "tool".


[1] No pun intended.

[2] I don't actually recall, or recommend, using a stick, but I thought
I might as well mention it as a possibility.
--
Greg Estep

 

[[email protected]]

the big deal here is not tearing out the rubber or whatever the
manufacturer spread on the tire bead when forcing the bead out over the
rim's edge
not speed but careful tender gentle coaxing dismounting
the silicone premount lube helps avoid ripout on your new $35 roadrunner

 

[Werehatrack]

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:12:58 GMT, "Bill" <[email protected]> wrote:

>***Some rim and tire combinations may simply be almost impossible regardless
>of technique or tool. If it is so difficult that it would break a quick
>stick then it's not a combination that I would leave home with.

Now, *there* is a rational approach.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Art Harris]

Mike wrote:

> 2 the Kool Stop Bead Jack,

I have one of these and it is the ultimate for mounting really tight
tires. It doesn't remove them.

> 3 the Crank Brothers Speed Lever,

I have this one, too. It's ok for normal tires, but too flimsy for
really tight ones.

Art Harris

 

[Earl Bollinger]

"Dave Larrington" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Werehatrack
> ([email protected]) wrote:
>> On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 07:05:32 -0500, "Earl Bollinger"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >If you ride in a area where you have a severe goathead problem or lots
>> >of
>> >glass, sharp debris and such things, it may be worth it to consider the
>> >airless tubes, or AirFree Tires instead. These are solid tubes and or
>> >tires
>> >that cannot go flat from punctures. they have their own disadvantages,
>> >but
>> >in such conditions the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
>>
>> Sometimes, for some people; your mileage may vary. (I have it on
>> personal reference from one who lives in such an area that in his
>> opinion, the hassles he encountered with the foam tube replacements
>> made fixing flats seem like a positively enjoyable experience.)
>
> Quite. I read one review of one variety of airless tyre which went
> something like:
>
> "I would rather have three flats a week for the rest of my life than
> have to go through the the effort of fitting those things again"
>
> --
> Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
> The sixth student said, "I ride my bicycle because I want people to look
> up to me and say 'Wow! He looks really good up there!' The teacher
> replied: 'Go away, Fabrizio!'"

I know several riders who commute regularly and they swear that the airfree
tires are god's gift to cyclists.
I don't know about the tubes though.