Removing Tubeless Tires Without Scratching Carbon Rims

vikb · Sep 9, 2022

justonwo said:
Obviously, it’s 100% cosmetic, but is there some secret trick to getting the tire off with zero scratching?

Use your hands only that forces good technique. Lots of videos on YT about how to do that.

Jayem · Sep 9, 2022

Trying to pry up a tight tire with a lever, it's common to scrape the tape...sometimes off where it contacts.

freetors1 · Sep 9, 2022

There's nothing wrong with using tire levers with good technique. This is literally what they're made for.

smashysmashy · Sep 9, 2022

Jayem said:
Trying to pry up a tight tire with a lever, it's common to scrape the tape...sometimes off where it contacts.

This was the main reason I stopped using them and forced myself to learn how to do it correctly by hand. I also damaged some road tubes with levers too.

J.B. Weld · Sep 9, 2022

Jayem said:
Trying to pry up a tight tire with a lever, it's common to scrape the tape...sometimes off where it contacts.

Yeah that's not so uncommon but also easily avoided.

Jayem · Sep 9, 2022

J.B. Weld said:
Yeah that's not so uncommon but also easily avoided.

IME, a lot of the issue of getting a tire on/off is the friction of the circumference on the rim. It may be super-tight and you might not be able to get a tire-lever in there due to a narrow channel and the tire not fully being in the channel or hanging up just due to that friction. It may "seem" like it's loose, but remember the tire is engineered so it doesn't move around on your rim while riding, so it's function is to lock in place pretty tightly. Decreasing that friction makes things a LOT easier, whether you are using levers or not.

lixxfe · Sep 9, 2022

smashysmashy said:
You ARE a failure.

... you were looking down here for the smiley face weren't you? No smile for you til you get that tire off with no levers!

I'll be trying some of Jayem's suggestions. Mavic uses a very thick rim strip, very similar to what they used during the UST days.

smashysmashy · Sep 9, 2022

Mavic UST had a solid rim, no strip or tape at all. I miss them.

J.B. Weld · Sep 9, 2022

smashysmashy said:
Mavic UST had a solid rim, no strip or tape at all. I miss them.

Pretty good idea but the only problem was you had to use crappy mavic wheels and their proprietary spokes.

smashysmashy · Sep 9, 2022

J.B. Weld said:
Pretty good idea but the only problem was you had to use crappy mavic wheels and their proprietary spokes.

Nah

They had rims (3.01, 819, 821 etc) that had inserts for standard spokes and several other companies did the same, including shimano and several carbon rim makers.

They were just slightly more annoying to build.

ballisticexchris · Sep 9, 2022

smashysmashy said:
Yeah, this one is a little odd. Levers shouldn't be scratching anything.

I guess this means no more vise grips to get a bib mousse installed!!

lixxfe · Sep 9, 2022

smashysmashy said:
Mavic UST had a solid rim, no strip or tape at all. I miss them.

Yes, you are right. My memory is going and it was a long time ago. I'm actually thinking of the UST conversion kits that DT Swiss had. Thick rubber strips that you double-sticky-taped onto their rims. EX5.1 or something.

Eric F · Sep 9, 2022

Hmmm...Carbon rims with tubeless tires on my MTB and road bike, and I almost always use levers. Zero times have I scratched a rim with a lever.

RS VR6 · Sep 9, 2022

Clean the rim before removing the tire?

I use the orange Pedro's lever and I haven't scratched any of my carbon rims...at least I don't think I did. Its something I've never really paid attention to. Your rims will get scratched and nicked after a few rides anyways.

J.B. Weld · Sep 10, 2022

I installed some tires today that all you heros here combined could not have done without levers. Probably not even with them.

Used 2 pedros, no scratches.

smashysmashy · Sep 10, 2022

J.B. Weld said:
I installed some tires today that all you heros here combined could not have done without levers. Probably not even with them.

Used 2 pedros, no scratches.

Fail.

Do it again properly!

wschruba · Sep 10, 2022

Some of y'all have never tried to remove a Specialized tire from Matrix branded rims, and it shows.

Tire levers exist for a reason...

J.B. Weld · Sep 10, 2022

wschruba said:
Some of y'all have never tried to remove a Specialized tire from Matrix branded rims, and it shows.

Tire levers exist for a reason...

lol, this ^ guy knows the deal. Don't even have to be Specialized tires, those old matrix rims are frigging brutal with any tire!

And there are others.

smashysmashy · Sep 10, 2022

wschruba said:
Some of y'all have never tried to remove a Specialized tire from Matrix branded rims, and it shows.

Tire levers exist for a reason...

They exist for the weak.

But seriously... they are for the weak.

J.B. Weld · Sep 10, 2022

smashysmashy said:
Fail.

Do it again properly!

ha ha, WIN! Those fuggers are on there.

Removing Tubeless Tires Without Scratching Carbon Rims

vikb

Jayem

freetors1

smashysmashy

J.B. Weld

Jayem

lixxfe

smashysmashy

J.B. Weld

smashysmashy

ballisticexchris

lixxfe

Eric F

RS VR6

J.B. Weld

smashysmashy

wschruba

J.B. Weld

smashysmashy

J.B. Weld

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