Defeated by Rear Dunlop RoadSmart

[AAFJR]

Yesterday, me and my 17 yo son got busy with replacing my rear tire. I was armed with a No-Scuff Tire Tool (similar to MoJo Lever), tire lube (both paste and liquid), and a modest protected truck rim bolted to platform station. Dismounting the worn out BT021 went very well. Getting the first bead of the RoadSmart on the wheel went pretty good. We struggled with the second bead until we were tired (hehehe) and I was out of ideas. Today, I'm researching technique and have some ideas on how to hold that wheel still. But I have doubts that it can be done by me. Maybe need to get the tire hot, maybe need some better clamps to squeeze the tire. I was hoping to be independent on this job but I may need to visit Cycle Gear.

Andy

 

[wheatonFJR]

Some people say heat it up with a hair dryer. As of this date, I have yet to get a RS rear tire on by myself. I figure it is a combination of lack of proper technique, insufficient lube and not enough emphasis on cussing.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Not sure what the issue is, but good luck, sometimes ya just gotta toss in the towel. I had a Pilot Road 2 that I just couldn't get the bead to seat on. I tried all the various methods I could find but just couldn't get it into a position to seat. I ended up trotting down to the local bike shop to see what they could do. I was quite pleased when the mechanic smirked, and headed over to the compressor for an "Easy one" only for it to have three mechanics to seat it. They were pressing from all angles and one was shooting air into the part that wouldn't budge to keep air from coming out by forcing air in. Took all three of them but they managed it. I asked the manager how much the service cost, he said to give him enough cash to buy all those guys sodas (Hot Texas summer it was) and we could call it even.

Good luck on yours.

 

[Bogey907]

I used clamps to squeeze the sides of the tires together so the bead stays in the channel in the center of the rim.

 

[CAJW]

Might try a ratchet style tie-down around the circumference. It may give you the bead to rim contact to get that beast inflated.

 

[SkooterG]

I used clamps to squeeze the sides of the tires together so the bead stays in the channel in the center of the rim.

+1

This is usually a technique issue. Most likely, the beads are leaving the center channel part of the rim. You need both the upper and lower beads to be in that center area. THIS IS CRITICAL! I bet that is your problem. It's not always an easy one to solve with a stiff tire. Dedicated clamps made for the purpose, or wood blocks are your friends here.

 

[AAFJR]

"You need both the upper and lower beads to be in that center area. THIS IS CRITICAL!"

I was not able to accomplish this yesterday. I had three C clamps awkwardly positioned around half the tire circumference, but did not fully compress the two beads together. I'll try improving that part of my technique. That tire is so stiff that I don't think that seating the bead will be a problem. The tire seems almost strong enough to seat its own beads without air pressure!

Thank you all for your encouraging words. I'm trying to get my mind to conceive of the perfect clamping mechanism to keep those beads in the center relief.

 

[Ignacio]

You need both the upper and lower beads to be in that center area. THIS IS CRITICAL! I

Is it just me...or whoever figured out how to design tires and rims to work that way to be a frickin' genius? We take pneumatic tires (especially the tubeless type), rims, and their design for granted and I think was probably the best innovation to "the wheel" in centuries.

 

[Fred W]

I used clamps to squeeze the sides of the tires together so the bead stays in the channel in the center of the rim.

+1

This is usually a technique issue. Most likely, the beads are leaving the center channel part of the rim. You need both the upper and lower beads to be in that center area. THIS IS CRITICAL! I bet that is your problem. It's not always an easy one to solve with a stiff tire. Dedicated clamps made for the purpose, or wood blocks are your friends here.

Huh? Why?

Once the first bead is fully on, why would it matter where that one is on the rim?

I'm serious here. I've mounted a whole shit load of tires, including Roadsmart rears, with no help of a third hand. Well that is except for when I mounted that car tire on the back. That did require some help. But once the first bead is on (wicked easy, IME), the key to getting the second bead on has always just been to make sure that the opposite side of that second bead is all the way into the valley of the wheel before trying to lever the opposite side in. I do it (on MC tires) by kneeling on that side of the tire while levering the opposite side on

Now, this has always (up to now) been done (by me) via slender tire irons, not a No-scuff tire tool, which is somewhat thicker. But that is all about to change as I plonked the $ down on a No-scuff tool for myself this winter. :yahoo:

From what I gather, the key to preventing the wheel from spinning on your auto rim wheel stand is to drill some holes and install a piece of threaded rod, or rebar, through the edge of the rim as a stop for the wheel spoke to hit. Cushion that stop (obviously) to prevent any nicking of the paint on the wheel.

 

[Constant Mesh]

These lashing straps or something similar should do a nice job of holding the beads together while hand mounting the tire. You can pinch the beads together and then hold a portion of them together with two of these straps. Lube the lower bead & rim and then ram it down onto the rim. The lower bead should install easily with no tools.

With the beads pinched together you can center them in the small radius of the wheel and then get to work with the tire iron(s). I use a small diameter ell shaped hex key controlled by locking pliers (Vice-Grip) to hold the bead under the rim's edge as I advance the tire iron around the wheel. The hex key wrapped with electrical tape is very thin and easily strong enough to control the bead and hold it just below the rim's edge. Just behind the advance of the hex key one can advance a thin wood block, etc. to gain total control of the bead and ensure that one's hard won position is not given back to the unforgiving tire.

Once you have the upper bead installed you can release and slide the straps out and away from the tire & rim interface. A nice thin strap is advantageous during removal. You can use two wood blocks, one for each bead, to provide some clearance for removing the straps after the tire is mounted.

https://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Hardware-Fasteners-Tie-Down-Straps/Blacks/h_d1/R-202065658/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&productId=202065658&storeId=10051

 

[Constant Mesh]

Having both beads together in the small radius of the wheel is a minor advantage because you won't have to distort the cross section of the tire as would be required if the beads are positioned at different radii of the wheel. Distorting the cross section requires some additional force which can be avoided if the beads are positioned as one. Distorting a front tire is relatively easy. Distorting a more robust rear tire is less easy.

 

[gixxerjasen]

I've always done as Fred says, but heck, I'm willing to try something new on my next tire change.

 

[Geezer]

I think the advantage of clamping or strapping the sides of the tire together so both beads are together allows you to put that second bead on with less distortion of the carcass of the tire. The first bead is normally pretty easy to get on and the second bead should be about the same except that you are fighting with the stiffness of the carcass.

I remember someone posting a link where someone showed how to clamp the beads together all the way around the tire and then simply slip the tire on in one fell swoop without tools.

 

[FJRay]

Just to be an asshole I just hugged my Atlas power tire machine. That is all

 

[SkooterG]

Just to be an asshole I just hugged my Atlas power tire machine. That is all

:finger: :finger: :finger:

:fuck: :fuck: :fuck:

 

[Constant Mesh]

Many lost souls have been intimate with concrete mixers.

https://www.contractorsdirect.com/Concrete-Tools/Towable-Concrete-Mixers

 

[AAFJR]

Thanks for all the helpfulness.

"Distorting the cross section requires some additional force..."

"...you are fighting with the stiffness of the carcas."

These two statements pretty much describe what I was unable to accomplish.

Constant Mesh, it is going to take some time for me to grasp what you are telling me, but I will work on it and I thank you very much.

FJRay, well if your Atlas power tire machine is all that you have to hug, then I guess you'll just have to love the one you are with. Myself, I prefer an adult female human for the purposes of hugging. I wish I could find one that would also do things like tire changes. On second thought, I am just fine with women that excel in hugging and I'll make other arrangements for tire changing!

"...someone showed how to clamp the beads together all the way around the tire and then simply slip the tire on in one fell swoop without tools."

That would be cool!

Andy

 

[FJRay]

Thanks for all the helpfulness.

"Distorting the cross section requires some additional force..."

"...you are fighting with the stiffness of the carcas."

These two statements pretty much describe what I was unable to accomplish.

Constant Mesh, it is going to take some time for me to grasp what you are telling me, but I will work on it and I thank you very much.

FJRay, well if your Atlas power tire machine is all that you have to hug, then I guess you'll just have to love the one you are with. Myself, I prefer an adult female human for the purposes of hugging. I wish I could find one that would also do things like tire changes. On second thought, I am just fine with women that excel in hugging and I'll make other arrangements for tire changing!

"...someone showed how to clamp the beads together all the way around the tire and then simply slip the tire on in one fell swoop without tools."

That would be cool!

Andy

Truth be told. My wife is quite huggable and well versed in using the tire machine to do the tires on her own bike and use the rest of the equipment in the shop.

 

[Aasland]

I took a RS off my FJR (di'in't like it) and mounted it on my buddy's sprint ST. That tire was a biotch. Thanks for reminding me ... I had to use clamps to keep it in the valley, and then I had a hell of a time getting the beads to seat.

It has 1/2 the tread left and he wants to swap out for a non-squared Continental for the summer. If he wasn't such a swell guy I'd tell him to take a hike ...