New wheels or new tyres

[Dwnglasgow]

I'm looking for some advice on wheels and/or tyres. I have recently acquired two fulcrum racing 6 db wheelsets. On one set I added 35 mm Schwalbe G One Speed tyres. They went on no problem; I barely had to use tyre levers. Similarly, I added a set of 38mm to my wife's pinnacle hybrid (factory wheels) and they went on without using the levers at all.

The problem came when I tried to add 30mm G Ones to my second set of Fulcrum wheels. Absolutely impossible to get on the rim. Tried Schwalbe Marathon - even worse. Finally, the stock tyres that came with my bike - no chance.

So, I now either need tyres that will fit the Fulcrum wheels or inexpensive rims that are not tubeless ready. Any suggestions?

[Samuel D]

Absolutely impossible to get on the rim.

Did you get the first bead on the rim at least?

[Jdsk]

There's a method that uses straps as you work around the circumference. And another where you drop the bit that's already fitted into the well.

Jonathan

[irc]

Some combinations just don't work. Especially with disc specific rims. As the rim is shallower there is less scope for working the tyre bead into the well of the rim to gain a bit of slack. I had a disc MTB supplied with. Nokian tyres. I ended up tossing them in the bin because even in a shed with plenty tools getting them on the rim was touch and go and took loads of force despite techniques that work with other tyre)rim combinations. Other tyres were a tight fit but went on with levers. I just couldn't face a puncture with the Nokians miles from the road.

As well as disc rims being shallow rims I suspect some rims are a few mn bigger or smaller than average. Likewise tyres will vary a few mm. If you get a "big" rim and a "small" tyre you will struggle.

I've no idea what variation there is between different batches of rims. Have you measured both sets of rims to see if they are the same? Ir tried fitting the 35mm tyres on the second set of rims?

My limited experience with disc specific rims was so off putting that if I was ever getting wheels hand built for a disc touring bike I would use normal rims with a brake track and deeper well. Obviously in some areas of cycling that is an unwelcome weight penalty.

[Dwnglasgow]

Absolutely impossible to get on the rim.

Did you get the first bead on the rim at least?

I did, although with real difficulty

[Dwnglasgow]

There's a method that uses straps as you work around the circumference. And another where you drop the bit that's already fitted into the well.

Jonathan

Hi, yes I tried both those things but nothing doing

[Dwnglasgow]

Some combinations just don't work. Especially with disc specific rims. As the rim is shallower there is less scope for working the tyre bead into the well of the rim to gain a bit of slack. I had a disc MTB supplied with. Nokian tyres. I ended up tossing them in the bin because even in a shed with plenty tools getting them on the rim was touch and go and took loads of force despite techniques that work with other tyre)rim combinations. Other tyres were a tight fit but went on with levers. I just couldn't face a puncture with the Nokians miles from the road.

As well as disc rims being shallow rims I suspect some rims are a few mn bigger or smaller than average. Likewise tyres will vary a few mm. If you get a "big" rim and a "small" tyre you will struggle.

I've no idea what variation there is between different batches of rims. Have you measured both sets of rims to see if they are the same? Ir tried fitting the 35mm tyres on the second set of rims?

My limited experience with disc specific rims was so off putting that if I was ever getting wheels hand built for a disc touring bike I would use normal rims with a brake track and deeper well. Obviously in some areas of cycling that is an unwelcome weight penalty.

The deeper but narrower well does seem to be a problem as the tyres just can't be forced into it. I even tried it without an inner tube, but that didn't work either. The Schwalbe tyres are recommended by Fulcrum, so they can't help with further advice.

I need 28/30 tyres on this wheel since it has to fit into a bike with mudguards. Identifying a tyre which will go into this rim is a real problem - I'm building a stock of unusable tyres at present, and I can see my wife beginning to look askance at my 'inexpensive' hobby.

[Samuel D]

Did you get the first bead on the rim at least?

I did, although with real difficulty

It sounds like this particular rim-tyre combination is impractically tight. But if you got the first bead on the rim, you can do it with the second. The second bead is no shorter than the first.

The first bead naturally seeks the deepest part of the well, like a ball rolling into a valley. But when you fit the second bead, the first bead is already occupying that prime spot. Therefore you need to give the second bead a little help to get it into the deepest part of the well. That may consist of manipulation by hand, string, zip-ties, or straps around the minor circumference of the tyre and rim – as mentioned already – or some objects forced into the gap between the rim wall and tyre bead to hold the second bead in the centre of the rim well. I have used packing peanuts for this purpose.

You know your technique is perfect when the second bead is as easy to fit as the first.

[Pebble]

Marathn plus are a nightmare when new, there is no half measures to get them on, when you get 3 or 4,000 on them they go on a bit easier. I carry a long ength of twine i the emergency pack in case I ever need to fix a puncture at the side of the road (which is only been once in the last 10k running m.plus

[iandriver]

Just as a test, can you remove the rim tape and see if the extra depth allows the tyre to go on.

[Dwnglasgow]

Just as a test, can you remove the rim tape and see if the extra depth allows the tyre to go on.

I tried it without the rim tape, which is very thick,) but I'm afraid that didn't help.

[Dwnglasgow]

Marathn plus are a nightmare when new, there is no half measures to get them on, when you get 3 or 4,000 on them they go on a bit easier. I carry a long ength of twine i the emergency pack in case I ever need to fix a puncture at the side of the road (which is only been once in the last 10k running m.plus

I've tried cable ties, but not as much coverage as your twine technique
I've just ordered a tyre seating tool from Wiggle, so perhaps that will do the trick