new tires for the DR , and where to get them . . .

[TW_rider]

Keep your tires WARM when changing...leave them out i the sun for an hour or so.
Not sunny? Leave them by the furnace vent.

 

[dogon2whls]

thanks for the positive reports re canadasmoto , kenf

to be clear , they weren't ignoring me , they somehow copied wrong contact info , so they couldn't reach me despite trying . i probably will give them a chance to make me a satisfied customer however i am one of those guys who likes to actually see what i am going to buy , and having a guy sell from experience is reassuring .


that said , i'm sure any new tires would be better than the worn out TW's , but i'm pretty glad i wound up with the tires i did get .


as for the mounting , all i gotta say that was a helluva lot easier than i thought it was going to be .... not saying i didn't get a little warm , but i've seen guys have more trouble with DH tires on bikes .

heres what i did for the install ... i put a bit of air in the tube and then put it into the tire . i laid the tire on the ground , and then placed the rim on top , inserting the valve into the hole . i stepped on the rim at that point , forcing it into the bead of the tire . then i basically walked around the rim working it into the bead , eventually the opposite side popped in .... no tools . i stepped on the rim to push it right down to the bead on the bottom side of the tire . then i levered the bead of the upside edge onto the rim , last lip at 90* to the valve .


disclaimer : this was a second install , after i had mounted it backwards the first time . the upside was that the entire bead in and out as well as the rim was well lubed .

in addition , the long , curved iron was essential ... don't know if i'd leave home without it .

TW , i had them in the shop with the heat cranked all night ...

 

[DirtClunker]

I've got most of the change mastered these days, but the one thing that I still universally struggle with, and would welcome suggestions, is how to reverse this last step (for installing the new tire). Once the rim is inside the tire, spooning the beads back into place is easy enough, but I always have a bitch of a time getting the damn rim in between the beads in the first place. Really stiff new tires just don't want to bend enough to make it easy to push the rim between the beads -- it always seems to just want to fall through the tire completely rather than dropping in between the beads. I try something new every time, usually involving lots of lube, tire irons, and cursing, and I'm still not entirely sure how I usually end up making it work but it's always frustrating. Any tips?

I know what you mean. PIA. I lucked out with the tubliss system, it comes with a metal plate which hooks onto the bead and allows the rim to be spooned into the middle of the tire without it popping out the back. I use it for all my tire changes regaudless of tubliss system or an inner tube. I have three of them and would be happy to send you one if you PM me your address.

See 2:52 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IlpjfUcvss

 

[Shuswap]

Thanks for that vid, Dirtclunker. I haven't tried the Tubliss system but picked up other tips.....including the need for a stand!

 

[DirtClunker]

I tried various stands but bending over just hurt my back. I ended up flopping an old tire on the workbench then laying the tire/wheel on top of it. Works well for my back.

 

[North]

My only big complain when changing tires is back pain too. It has made me think about getting one of those tire stands.

And good for you dogon, and I have forgotten about those tires with the direction arrow on them until after I mounted them.