Which Brompton tyre make/model are easiest to fit

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funkytwig
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Joined: 29 Nov 2013, 3:28pm

Which Brompton tyre make/model are easiest to fit

Post by funkytwig »

Spent far too ling fighting with getting Brompton tyres back on, they are the tightest tyres I have ever experienced. Was wondering if choosing the correct make model will help. There seem to be two sizes 16*1.75 and 16*1.35. Will both of these work for the Brompton (1.75 seems like it would be easier to fit).

Currently, I have SCHWALBE MARATHON on front and slicks that just say SCHWALBE on back. It was the back one I was just fighting with, are the marathons easier to get on? Are the plus easier, the same or more difficult?

Regards,
Ben
Brucey
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Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Which Brompton tyre make/model are easiest to fit

Post by Brucey »

marathon plus is more difficult.

Technique and rim type make a difference here. Older Bromptons rims have a deeper well and make tyre changing easier. Newer Brompton rims are lighter, stronger, and make changing tyres worse.

BTW you should forget 16 x 1.75 tyres; they fit completely the wrong size rim (305). You need **-349 tyres to fit a Brompton. Schwalbe are being muppets here, labelling their tyre 16 x 1.35" suggests (to anyone that knows about bicycle tyres) that it won't fit a 16 x 1-3/8" rim, and that it might fit the same rim as 16 x 1.75". Whereas the ISO size 35-349 leaves you in no doubt that it will fit a 16 x 1-3/8" rim.

FWIW if you have a marathon and a slick, I would suggest you fit the slick at the front, not the back.

cheers
Last edited by Brucey on 29 May 2020, 6:29pm, edited 1 time in total.
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PT1029
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Joined: 16 Apr 2012, 9:20pm

Re: Which Brompton tyre make/model are easiest to fit

Post by PT1029 »

Ensure you have the right 16".
You need the 16 X 1 3/8" ERTO 349mm bead diameter,

not the other one :
16" X 1.35/1.50/2.0, ERTO 305mm bead diameter.

Tyre sizing here,
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html (note, scroll down, more than 1 chart).
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Gattonero
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Location: London

Re: Which Brompton tyre make/model are easiest to fit

Post by Gattonero »

Brucey wrote:...Older Bromptons rims have a deeper well and make tyre changing easier. Newer Brompton rims are lighter, stronger, and make changing tyres worse....


It is actually true the opposite.
The older single-wall Brompton rims had a narrow well, and using a very narrow strip of rim tape this was prone to move around causing the nipple heads to poke the inner tube. Also the narrow well, beacuse more than half of the internal width is used by the cavity of the rim extrusion, makes for very little room to fit both sides of the tyre in.
The new Brompton rims are true double-wall, and their inner is round-shaped which makes for an usable well, so it's a lot easier to fit tyres on the newer Brompton rims, also very unlikely to move or twist the rim tape.
Bear in mind that Schwalbe tyres are known to have issues when seating along the bead, regardless of the rim. It happens that some portions of the bead "do not come up" so the tyre will ride like having a "hump". You will need to brush the tyre beads with water&soap, then pump to 100-110psi (don't go mad, especially if your rims are worn) to get the tyre seating correctly.
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
Brucey
Posts: 44519
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Which Brompton tyre make/model are easiest to fit

Post by Brucey »

the rim well in the single wall rims was deep and about 11mm wide IIRC. Plenty enough room to both beads in at the same time with most tyres (which you don't need to do) leave alone just one.

What most occasional tyre changers seem to struggle with is stiff tyres which don't pull into (and/or need continuous tension to stay in) the rim well. M+ on Brompton double-wall rims are usually like that. On single-wall rims, less so. IME flexible tyres on the single wall rims can often be removed without tyre levers.

Believe it or not crap rim tapes are not the sole province of one rim type.... :wink:

cheers
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julk
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Location: Dalkeith

Re: Which Brompton tyre make/model are easiest to fit

Post by julk »

I recently fitted a new Brompton Schwalbe Marathon Racer HS429 (35-349) to my Brompton front wheel by hand without using tyre levers.
I was surprised as well!
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Gattonero
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Joined: 31 Jan 2016, 1:35pm
Location: London

Re: Which Brompton tyre make/model are easiest to fit

Post by Gattonero »

Marathon Racers have little of the "marathon" name, being lightweight and with supple sidewall (which can be a bit fragile), so are fairly easy to fit especially on the new rims where the inner width is fully usable.
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
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