Cycling UK Forum

I have Campag wheels with quite deep rims and am running 25mm Conti Gatorskins. If I puncture I find it very difficult to get the tyre back on that last bit without pinching the tube and busting it. I have a crank bros gadget that fits on the hub but that doesn't always help. Any tips anyone - or should I change wheels for more conventional rims? Stuck on top of Kirkstone Pass yesterday holding two bust tubes left me feeling a real idiot!

Your pumping it up a bit before putting the inner tube in? Lubricate the rim a bit? Make sure the tyre is inside the well all the way round before doing the last bit? sorry no more ideas.

I had Campag Proton wheels a few years ago and also found the tyres a tight fit on the rim. Some tyres were tighter than others - you might find some that are acceptable.

I eventually sold the wheels because of this!

However, I did learn about this device. It makes it much easier to fit tight tyres without pinching the tube and could well solve your problem.

the video here http://www.spacycles.co.uk/ deals with Schwalbe Marathon plus tyres specifically, but the principle is the same.
Get the bead into the rim well, that gives the slack to get the last bit over the rim without levers.
Then you only need to avoid pinching the tube between rim and tyre bead....I find the right amount of air in the tube helps, but don't be surprised to get differing opinions!
The trick with toestraps (zipties, whatever) can be useful to keep the bead of the Marathon plus tyres in the rim well, simply because they are so thick, it is not needed with most tyres.

As we cant actually watch you doing a repair on the road, it is difficult to make suggestions without being both wildly wrong for you and condescending. So apologies for that being the case.

Do you partially inflate the inner tube before putting it into the tyre?
I find that it helps to lightly inflate it and to let little gasps of pressure out as I am putting more and more of the final bead in the rim. This helps to keep the inner tube in shape and out of the way.
Also are you making sure that the tyre is pushed as deep into the rim as possible at the start point so that you have more tyre to play with at the difficult end point. This helps with the next point, which is to use tyre levers as little as possible if at all.

How are you dealing with the valve stem? Try doing it a different way.
I tend to end at the valve, this keeps that part of the inner tube in place. Also means that at the start nothing prevents the tyre going deeper into the rim.
If you are already doing it that way, then consider if doing it the other way may help instead.

Finally I can empathise with your position as I have fixed many tyres twice due to lever-induced punctures and that was mostly on motorbikes where it is a much bigger job.

We've had a few threads about this problem more generally. The best single suggestion to emerge, IMO, has been to get as much of the cover on as possible and all pushed well down, then: tightly secure what you have done with toe straps or similar. It should then be possible to manipulate the remainder of the cover into place without tools.

And a couple of faster posts than mine.

+ 1 for the video.

Thanks guys: these are really helpful tips. One additional question: I heard of a gadget that (I think) helps pinch in the last bit of bead. Does anyone have a link/name or any experience of it?

VAR Tyre Lever +1 better than sliced bread

Thanks to everyone. I will have a practice when I get home and hopefully not have to replace my sporty looking campag wheels. (And by the by, as a Suffolk lowland person stranded high up in Cumbria I was well impressed by the offers of help I received from the wheelers I encountered up on Kirkstone.)