Tires extremely tight on Mavic Module 3 <Chalo>

[Luke]

I'm not absolutely certain whether this 48h rim[1] is a Module 3 - it
definitely is a Mavic. In a previous thread Chalo opined that it
appeared so; so I'll proceed on that assumption.

There is one aspect of this rim that's always been troublesome:
mounting tires, usually budget wire bead Continental Ultra Sports, is
*very* difficult. Mounting the same tires on my other rims (Weinman,
Sun, Mavic, Ambrosio) is not problematic.

I've always dreaded the prospect of a puncture with this wheel and,
since this wheel is back in service, am considering switching to
another tire - kevlar or metal bead I don't care - just to mitigate the
effort required to fix a flat.

Are kevlar beads more prone to stretching than those of metal? Is the
Mavic Module X rim known for a tight fit?

Luke

1.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96622004@N00/sets/72057594051095855/

 

[Luke]

In article <020320060137128007%[email protected]>, Luke
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm not absolutely certain whether this 48h rim[1] is a Module 3 - it
> definitely is a Mavic. In a previous thread Chalo opined that it
> appeared so; so I'll proceed on that assumption.
>
> There is one aspect of this rim that's always been troublesome:
> mounting tires, usually budget wire bead Continental Ultra Sports, is
> *very* difficult. Mounting the same tires on my other rims (Weinman,
> Sun, Mavic, Ambrosio) is not problematic.
>
> I've always dreaded the prospect of a puncture with this wheel and,
> since this wheel is back in service, am considering switching to
> another tire - kevlar or metal bead I don't care - just to mitigate the
> effort required to fix a flat.
>
> Are kevlar beads more prone to stretching than those of metal? Is the
> Mavic Module X rim known for a tight fit?
>
> Luke
>
> 1.
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/96622004@N00/sets/72057594051095855/


Let me add that the rim size is 700c

Luke

 

[Nick Payne]

I have Mavic Module 3 as the rear rim on a couple of my bikes, and I can
*just* mount and dismount Panaracer Pasela tyres with bare hands. They're
slightly easier to mount tyres on than the Mavic MA-2 rim which are on the
front of the same bikes...

If you're having problems, I suggest getting one of these:
http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/cgi-bin/quikstore.pl?product=TYS42&and=1. I have
one in each bike's toolkit.

Nick

"Luke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:020320060137128007%[email protected]...
>
> I'm not absolutely certain whether this 48h rim[1] is a Module 3 - it
> definitely is a Mavic. In a previous thread Chalo opined that it
> appeared so; so I'll proceed on that assumption.
>
> There is one aspect of this rim that's always been troublesome:
> mounting tires, usually budget wire bead Continental Ultra Sports, is
> *very* difficult. Mounting the same tires on my other rims (Weinman,
> Sun, Mavic, Ambrosio) is not problematic.
>
> I've always dreaded the prospect of a puncture with this wheel and,
> since this wheel is back in service, am considering switching to
> another tire - kevlar or metal bead I don't care - just to mitigate the
> effort required to fix a flat.
>
> Are kevlar beads more prone to stretching than those of metal? Is the
> Mavic Module X rim known for a tight fit?

 

[Luke]

In article <[email protected]>, Nick Payne
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I have Mavic Module 3 as the rear rim on a couple of my bikes, and I can
> *just* mount and dismount Panaracer Pasela tyres with bare hands. They're
> slightly easier to mount tyres on than the Mavic MA-2 rim which are on the
> front of the same bikes...

Save for the Module(?) rim, every other rim and tire combination I've
owned permitted, and permits, mounting a tire without levers. Never
owned a MA-2 rim though. I do recall fitting a Conti onto the Module
sans levers once, but the effort necessary was such that my wrist
suffered a minor sprain. I've taken to using two levers since. Perhaps,
I should give the Pasela a go.

>
> If you're having problems, I suggest getting one of these:
> http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/cgi-bin/quikstore.pl?product=TYS42&and=1. I have
> one in each bike's toolkit.
>

Thank you, never knew such a device existed. I've never even seen them
in our (Toronto, Canada) LBSs. Do you have first hand experience with
the Var lever?

Luke

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"Luke" wrote: .(clip) Do you have first hand experience with the Var lever?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I do, and it works very well. The V-shaped outer piece spans the tire and
pulls from the outside, eliminating any possibility of pinches.

 

[JeffWills]

Luke wrote:
>
> There is one aspect of this rim that's always been troublesome:
> mounting tires, usually budget wire bead Continental Ultra Sports, is
> *very* difficult. Mounting the same tires on my other rims (Weinman,
> Sun, Mavic, Ambrosio) is not problematic.
>

Try changing the rim strip to a thinner one.

Jeff

 

[Martyn Aldis]

In message <[email protected]>,
JeffWills <[email protected]> writes
>
>Luke wrote:
>>
>> There is one aspect of this rim that's always been troublesome:
>> mounting tires, usually budget wire bead Continental Ultra Sports, is
>> *very* difficult. Mounting the same tires on my other rims (Weinman,
>> Sun, Mavic, Ambrosio) is not problematic.
>>
>
>Try changing the rim strip to a thinner one.
>
I recently bought the VAR lever to tackle a very difficult combination
of Velocity Aero rim and Schwalbe Stelvio in 451mm. I've used it just
once so far but it was a major time and hand saver.

The Velocity Veloplug must be the ultimate in thin rim strip but I have
not tried them yet.
--

Martyn Aldis, e-mail [email protected]
==============================================================================

 

[Art Harris]

Luke wrote:

> There is one aspect of this rim that's always been troublesome: mounting tires

I have a similar problem with my Torelli Master rims. The best tool for
mounting tight tire/rim combinations is the Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack:
http://www.beyondbikes.com/BB/ItemDesc.asp?IC=QTL4022

> Are kevlar beads more prone to stretching than those of metal?

Yes, but they usually start off tighter. IRC Road Winners (wire bead)
are about the easiest to mount in my experience.

Try putting talc on the tire bead and think positive!

Art Harris

 

[Chalo]

Luke wrote:
> I'm not absolutely certain whether this 48h rim[1] is a Module 3 - it
> definitely is a Mavic. In a previous thread Chalo opined that it
> appeared so; so I'll proceed on that assumption.
>
> There is one aspect of this rim that's always been troublesome:
> mounting tires, usually budget wire bead Continental Ultra Sports, is
> *very* difficult. Mounting the same tires on my other rims (Weinman,
> Sun, Mavic, Ambrosio) is not problematic.

Some rims are harder to fit tires on than others. The worst I have
ever had to deal with were Matrix rims of the late '80s and early '90s;
I broke tire levers trying to mount and dismount tires that were easily
dealt with by hand on most other rims.

The Mavic Module 3 is a rim with a shallow center channel, so it's
certain to be more sensitive to variations in fit than a rim with a
deeper center channel. Use the thinnest rim tape that will do the job,
and be sure you are working the tire's bead wires to the center of the
rim except at the location where you are trying to lift it over. A
tire with stiff sidewalls will be more insistent about flaring its
beads out to the edge of the rim than one with supple sidewalls.

Chalo

 

[Luke]

In article <[email protected]>,
Chalo <[email protected]> wrote:

> Some rims are harder to fit tires on than others. The worst I have
> ever had to deal with were Matrix rims of the late '80s and early '90s;
> I broke tire levers trying to mount and dismount tires that were easily
> dealt with by hand on most other rims.
>
> The Mavic Module 3 is a rim with a shallow center channel, so it's
> certain to be more sensitive to variations in fit than a rim with a
> deeper center channel. Use the thinnest rim tape that will do the job,
> and be sure you are working the tire's bead wires to the center of the
> rim except at the location where you are trying to lift it over. A
> tire with stiff sidewalls will be more insistent about flaring its
> beads out to the edge of the rim than one with supple sidewalls.
>
> Chalo

Thank you to everyone that responded. My spare parts box yielded some
rim tape that was definitely thinner than that on the Module - never
even thought to consider this! And the LBS had a steel bead Pasela; the
sidewalls are more flexible on this tire than the stubborn $13 Conti.

The result: Problem solved. It's still tighter than my other wheels,
but there's a big enough improvement with the new rim tape and tire
that mounting doesn't require levers anymore. I'm breathing easier now.


Luke