Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
Apparently lots of roadies appreciate having tools for installing tough tires. Because there were some great comments with tips, alternative tool recommendations and questions about last week’s review of the EZ-Clincher tool: EZ-Clincher Pocket Tire Tool Review.
Downsize the Kool Stop!
Let’s start with “Merlin” who has carried the Kool Stop Tire Jack “for years and still does.” Here it is: https://amzn.to/3bwtota. I had mentioned that tool but said it was a little big to be carried in a pocket or small pack.
Merlin’s tip is that “you can easily cut the handle length down so that it fits in your jersey pocket with little or no loss of functionality.” Good one, Merlin. Thanks! I had assumed cutting the tool down would mean a loss of leverage. It’s good to hear it still works fine.
Safe for carbon rims?
Then John Birazzi had a question about the EZ-Clincher tool. He asked, “Will this work on carbon rims as well? And not damage them?”
I told John, yes it will work and not damage carbon rims. But with carbon you do want to work carefully. For example, if the tire wasn’t started correctly on a wheel you could find the tire so tight that it almost won’t go on. In that situation you could push or pull the tool so hard that you could risk damaging a rim.
If you were using this tool and it seemed like it was taking excessive force, you’d want to stop with the tool and go back and check to see what might be making the tire so tight.
Usually you’ll find that the tire bead is not in the middle of the rim somewhere and by pushing it down there you will create a little more slack that lets you get the tire on. In that way you don’t put the carbon rim at risk by putting too much force on the carbon rim with the tool.
This is the same advice I give anyone who installs tires with regular tire levers. Whether the rim is made of aluminum or carbon, you have to be sure not to put too much force on the rim. Keep trying to manipulate the tire to make it possible to gently lever the tire into place.
Especially be sure that no sharp edge of the tool is against the rim. That will concentrate most of the force in one small spot, which can overpower and damage the rim.
Is the Var Tire Jack still available?
Several of you mentioned the Var Tire Jack. I remember this tool and reader “Rekmeyata” said they’ve had theirs for 30 years, so it goes back some time. Here’s a photo from Var’s Amazon listing: https://amzn.to/3bwvdq0.
The problem is that it’s listed as currently unavailable. I searched for it on eBay.com, too, but only found a knock-off that appears to be a different design – similar but not the same.
So, a question for you dear readers: if you have purchased one of these recently, where did you find it?
Pirelli’s SMARTubes
Lastly, a couple of columns ago I covered the new super light and tiny tubes from Schwalbe, their Aerothans. If you missed it, you can catch up here Schwalbe Aerothan Super Tubes Review.
In my review I pointed out two limitation of the tubes: 1) They come with 40mm length valves, which means if you have taller rims you’ll need to use valve extenders; and 2) That the Schwalbe valves have cores that tend to unscrew when removing screw-on type pumps. That usually results in losing all the air you just pumped in.
So, I was happy this week to see a press release from Pirelli about their new SMARTubes, which appear to be similar in design to the Aerothans. Plus they addressed the valve issues by gluing the cores in and by using 60mm length valves. They’re more expensive, though, at $36.90 per. Learn more here: PIRELLI PRESENTS THE SMARTUBE INNER TUBES.
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
Next Article: When’s the Wrong Time to Skin the Cycling Cat?
SlowEddy says
Congratulations on your riding streak going over 10,000 consecutive days!! That is an awesome accomplishment!
Jim Langley says
Thanks very much, SlowEddy – appreciate it!
Tony M says
The VAR tool may not be available, but Crankbrothers makes something similar – https://www.amazon.com/CRANKBROTHERs-Crank-Brothers-Speedier-Lever/dp/B008UY1MXW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3VLIDN9TL565C&dchild=1&keywords=speed+lever+tire+tool&qid=1621512990&sprefix=speed+lever%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-3. I used to use their old Speed lever (the one the hooked on the rim and then extended down to the axle), which worked great. When mine recently broke, I found it wasn’t available anymore, but this option was. Just used it to put new tires on my bike, and it worked great for both removal and installation!
Jim Langley says
Thanks for that tip, Tony. It’s too bad CrankBrothers doesn’t have a video showing best practices for using this tool. There are good reviews and bad reviews, too, making it hard to know if it’ll work well for you. Since you like it so much, I think I’ll buy one and try it. Thanks!
Jim
Greg Conderacci says
Use the “Speedier” lever at your own risk! At first, I thought it was great – I even bought 3 of them. Later, though, I noticed a bulge in my tire sidewall. So, I used my Speedier to remove the tire…only to realize that the bulge came from the fact the lever had torn the rubber at the bead. I booted the bulge and re-installed the tire – only to find another bulge where the lever tore the bead again! Not only did this ruin a Schwalbe Marathon Plus (one of the most indestructible tires on the planet), but it could easily have resulted in a sidewall blowout and a serious crash. Fortunately, I was running with a tube; had the wheel been tubeless, the tire would not have held any air. If you’ve been using this lever, I recommend removing your tires and checking the bead – but don’t use this lever to do it!
Jim Langley says
Thanks for sharing your experience with the CrankBrothers Speedier lever, Greg. As I replied to Tony above, I’m going to go ahead and get one and try it. Now I know what to look for. Thank you.
Jim
BRUCE TANNER says
I’ve seen another tool that’s very similar sold by a British company called CyclePal. I’ve not purchased one so can’t say how well it works. Kind of resembles a pair of pliers. It’s 9 inches long, weighs 4 oz. and is claimed to fit tires up to 45 mm. So it sounds like it work for the wider tires many are using especially for gravel bikes. Priced at $21.09.
Rekmeyata says
The Var Tyre Lever is part # RP-42500. Var company is a British owned company and thus most sold in the UK, but they have been sold here in the states which is where I got mine. But knowing they are a British tool I found a place in the UK that sells them: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/var-tyre-levers/?geoc=US SJS Cycles has carried the Var tool ever since I can remember when I got internet service for the first time.
I know some bicycle shops here in the US bought quite a few of these and may still have them stock?
If you use it according to the directions it’s all but impossible to break, and the way it’s designed you can’t pinch the tube, and since it’s made of some sort of polymer it won’t damage carbon fiber rims either.
I don’t use the tool much because most tire go on with nothing but my hands, and then others take a regular tire lever to pop on the last inch or two of a bead, but I’ve had tires that made me swear and when that happens the Var Tire Jack keeps me cool.
Jim Langley says
Thanks very much for providing a source and link, Rekmeyata – and for the tool tips. Much appreciated!
Jim
Ian says
The only time I use levers is on rims with very large dia beds e.g. Stans MTB rims. Never come across a road tyre or rim I couldn’t fit or remove without levers . If you need levers to fit or remove a road tyre you are doing it wrong.
Seth says
Ian, you’ve never mounted a Conti 5000 tubeless road tires without levers!
Mitchell Guzik says
https://www.tyrekey.com/
I carry this find it very useful
scott says
Does anyone know of a tool that will help REMOVE a tire off the rim? I cannot get the bead of the tire to pop off of the internal rim bead shelf. The tool from Vittoria called the Air-Liner Tool works well, but too large to carry around on a ride.
RAH says
These tubes from Schwalbe and Pirelli seem to offer genuine improvements.
However, an important question of how to easily and reliably repair this type of innertube remains outstanding.
Any updates about tube repair?
Road Bike Rider says
I have patched other brands of TPU tubes including Tubolito and the cheaper Chinese Ridenow brand with the GP-2C Pre-Glued Super Patch Kit and the patch has held. I’m riding a patched tube right now that has been fine for several hundred miles so far. But there are also TPU specific patch kits that you glue on, and I’ve heard those work too.
Hillel Edelman says
https://tyreglider.co.uk/
These are a fantastic tool
Graham Fogg says
I can second the Tyreglider recommendation with much enthusiasm. I have used the Kool Stop tool and liked it, but Tyreglider makes that tool (and all others for tight tires) obsolete. I recently tested the Tyreglider (the latest version that can accommodate wider ‘hooks’ than the original one did) on tight, Conti 5000 AS tubeless and hooked carbon rims. I was shocked at how well it worked! And it’s very light and compact. Can order on Amazon.
Steve Weeks says
I got a Tyreglider to see how it would work with my 20″ (406) tires. I have a bit of arthritis in my wrists, and some of htese tires are very hard for me to mount. Removal is less of a problem.
The Tyreglider works as advertised in my experience. The only variation I have found is that I needed a single “regular” tire lever to create a gap between the tire and the rim large enough to insert the Tyreglider. Once it was in, the removal was easy.
Steve says
Is the Quik Stik still a thing?
Rekmeyata says
Yes, but they’re not anything special, I have one, but I can rip off a tire with a tire lever the same way I can with a Quik Stik. If all you want is a tire lever the best one now is the Lezyne Power XL, they do make a standard shorter version called just Power without the XL, but the XL gives you more leverage power, and the Power levers are virtually impossible to break, I broke a Pedros, and a few others, so far this one has been fine even in freezing temps which makes plastic ones brittle. There are other types of levers like the Glyder, and others, are just gimmicks, they don’t work well, and they are very poor at putting on tough tires.
Since I wrote my last post 3 years ago, tubeless tires have made a huge dent in the cycling world, and those tires are extremely tough to put on, I almost snapped my VAR tool trying to put one on, so I ordered a Kool Stop Tire Jack, and that thing is a lot stronger. But it has two problems. The first problem is the grove they put on one end so you can place it on a rim edge to pivot with is too shallow and takes some finesse to keep it on the rim. The other problem is the Jack is too long to fit in a seat bag, so I had to cut off a 1/2 an inch off the end of mine and then filed edges to round it off so I couldn’t cut myself. I have a large Topeak Aero seat bag, most people have smaller bags so a person might have to cut off more than a 1/2 an inch, but you don’t want to cut off too much due to losing leverage the more you cut off, that’s something you have to judge for yourself if you need to go this route.
Those VARs and the Kool Stop Tire Jack work differently than a tire lever, the tire lever goes under the bead of the tire and you have to pry that bead away from the rim and then up and over the top of the rim, with those other levers they slide the tire against the rim and up and over the top, thus by doing so takes up less space for the bead making it a tad easier to get a tire on the rim.
The other thing I have to do with tubeless tires to get them on, at least the ones I’ve bought so far, is I have to put two 1/4 inch wide releasable, or reusable, Zip ties on one end of the tire about a 1/4 inch apart around the rim and tire, and lock them down as tight as I can using pliers to pull it tight, this keeps that end from slipping out of the rim as you work the opposite end of the bead putting it on. Then I have to use liquid soap to help the tire slide better.
Tubeless tires are a pain to put on, I hate them! Thankfully I haven’t had a flat on the road. Not sure if the longer they stay on a rim if they begin to stretch a bit or not, supposedly they will, I know that regular tube tires will stretch a bit after spending time on a rim but they’re not that difficult to put on when new.
Dave Kerber says
Do the super light TPU tubes leak air like latex does? Or do they seal as well as butyl without the weight?
Tom Crespi says
Dave, reportedly TPU tubes hold air as well as butyl, and are as light or lighter than latex. I just ordered some to check this out (I’ve been using latex for a few years, and the ride quality is great…. the air loss can be a pain, although I have done rides on successive days without airing back up.
Steve says
I don’t use tubeless tires so I can’t really comment on them. My main concern is being able to reinstall a tire after removing it to fix a flat without damaging the tube. I’ve always learned that it’s best to install the tire without a tool, to avoid damaging the tube, but some of the tires I’ve used (for example, the Continental Gatorskin family) are just so difficult to install (even WITH a tool) that I really fear getting a flat while I’m out riding.
Having said that, I’m finding that the current thinking about using lower tire pressure has reduced the number of flats I get. I believe that of all the flats I’ve gotten over the years, about half of them would not have happened if I had been running a pressure around 60 – 80 psi vs. the 105 – 110 psi I used to use. (I’m talking about mostly 25 – 28mm road tires.)
Tom Crespi says
Jim,
First thanks for the feedback a few weeks ago on the “aero narrow” handlebars…it helped me go “less narrow, but still aero” on my just-ordered new handlebar.
As for TPU tubes, I haven’t used them yet. But after reading about all they may offer over latex (I am not at all ready to deal with the hassles of road tubeless, but that’s just me), AND hearing that Rene Herse just dropped latex tubes, with METAL, BLACK, 70mm length valves (they have a 50mm metal also, they’re polished metal), I had to try them. They were recently back in stock and are now waiting for me to pick them up at my LBS,
Here’s the link for those wishing to try them.
https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop/components/tires/700c/700c-tpu-tubes-metal-valves/
TPU tubes do sound too good to be true and hopefully the higher cost is returned with durability, ride quality and lower hassles. (and yes, TPU tubes are available for less cost if your wheel depth allows for generally shorter valves, and plastic valves are not an issue for you).
Doug Kirk says
$36 for a tube? Absurd! Ridiculous! If you have that much spare case for a tube, consider contributing it to a needy charity!