Cycling UK Forum

Anyone have experience/ recommendations with tyre seating tools
I have a hybrid bike, a Brompton and a road tourer and I really struggle with tyres.

We have lots of HPVs with Marathon Plus tyres. I've recently bought a Kool Stop Tyre Mate but I haven't used it yet.
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/koolstop-tyre-mate/

Do you know the tricks of dropping the bead of the tyre in the well and/ or using straps as you work round?

Jonathan

Recently bought one, works really well to get the last bit of the tyre bead on if it is a really tight tyre.

The VAR one works. I have had to use it only once so far, on a Vittoria Randonneur.

+1 for the Kool Stop tyre mate. I normally don't need it, but it's a godsend in the rain on a cold winter's day. Just be careful to make sure the inner tube doesn't get caught

I recently put 25mm tyres, in place of 23mm, on 12mm internal width rims and it was a struggle (I even tried 28mm tyres and that was one step, or width, too far). I'm now worrying about getting the tyres on and off if I have a puncture 'in the field' so I think I'll follow the recommendations on here and invest.

I was going to split hairs and say I seat my tyres with air. Taking a look at the mentioned devices though I see some are indeed named a "seating tool".
I’d of thought they were a 'fitting' or 'mounting' tool. aka a tyre lever.

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Paulatic wrote: ↑6 Aug 2021, 12:28pm I was going to split hairs and say I seat my tyres with air.

Just to elaborate on that, I've found that with 50mm 27.5"/650B tyres on a 19mm internal width rim on my Carrera Subway, I almost always have to inflate them to the maximum pressure on the sidewall - ~70psi - almost twice what I run them at - to seat them properly, otherwise I get a 'bump' at speed due to the outside diameter of the tyre not being round. Just as they get to 70psi there's a *pop* and that's them seated. I then reduce the pressure back to what it should be.

Trouble is, it's hard work doing that without a track pump, so sometimes if I've had a puncture when I'm out I've just lived with the 'bump' till I get home.

This helps for that, apparently - Schwalbe mounting fluid - need to get some, although Sheldon used Windex, which lubricates then evaporates.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Schwalbe-Easy- ... th=1&psc=1

Figure you have tubed tyres ?

If so thicker rim tape or a second layer of cloth tape might help.
I had some Synergy rims where the tyre would seat unevenly,
added a second layer of cloth tape, tyres seated straight.

scottg wrote: ↑6 Aug 2021, 1:49pm Figure you have tubed tyres ?

If so thicker rim tape or a second layer of cloth tape might help.
I had some Synergy rims where the tyre would seat unevenly,
added a second layer of cloth tape, tyres seated straight.

Yes, tubed tyres. I've been round the houses with rim tape, although that really means I haven't done what I should have done and bought proper Schwalbe rim tape (tried Velox cloth tape I had lying around but don't think it was wide enough for the rim, plus it didn't stay in position too well). The original tape that came on the wheels was awful - like that fibreglass tape used for packing - distorted and didn't stay in place - too narrow as well.

I'll get proper Schwalbe tape (got some for the road bike with 12mm rims and although maybe it made the tyres tighter to get on it fits the rim perfectly) and see how it goes - suppose I could even put the cloth tape on first then the Schwalbe tape, see if that makes a difference. Worth a try anyway.

Thanks for the suggestion.

kylecycler wrote: ↑6 Aug 2021, 1:40pm This helps for that, apparently - Schwalbe mounting fluid - need to get some, although Sheldon used Windex, which lubricates then evaporates.

Once the tyres on the rim, I just run a cloth with a little washing up liquid on it between the tyre and the rim.
That lets me easily pop the bead out as needed.
Tyres on the trike seat fairly easily, same tyres on the trailer need to be well over the max pressure before they will seat correctly.

Soft soap also works.

Luck .........

Car tyre fitters use a kind of soft soap applied with a brush, right enough. I think I'll still fork out for the proper Schwalbe stuff though.

I’ve always used a soapy solution apart from a few ATV tyres hard to seat and then I’d use a lambing/ calving lubricant, a bit like industrial KY, a real winner.

I think at £5.00 a throw you buy one and try it.