How to break the bead off of the rim?

[Expidia]

I'm glad this happened to me in my basement because if it happened to me out on the trail, I'd have been screwed!
So I went to swap out the OEM Bontrager tires with a different tread design with a little less road resistance.
I know I can just move the assistance up a notch, but I found myself using the two highest levels (eMTB or Turbo).
This sucks more juice out of my battery and shortens my miles.

It's a though the hub design and I got the front wheel off easy enough, but after letting the air out I could not get the bead to move towards the middle, so I could use the pry levels. It's like they were glued to the rim. They are tubeless ready, but came with tubes.

I figured it must be my old weaker 73 year old hands . So then I said screw it and I'll bring both rims to my LBS and let them do it. Of course, when I went to drop the through the hub rear wheel . . . I could not get it to drop.

I put the front wheel back on and took the bike down to the LBS. He showed me that I had to release the clutch on the derailleur first . . . I've never came across this so I'm glad he showed me. And that some tires just need stronger hands to break the bead.

I said they might as well just remove the OEM tires and mount my new ones for me. He said I can pick it up in a couple of days. I'm OK with that as I still have another E-bike as a back up. But I like to do this stuff myself and then it's ready in 30 minutes. But good that I brought it to them as he said I will also need smaller tubes. My OEM were 2.4 and these new tires are 1.96 in width (700 x 50C).

So other than strong hands, is there another trick to getting a tight bead broken or a tool that can break the bead?

Thanks

 

[Mabman]

ride round on the grass with them flat

Heck I have ridden on a tubeless tire/rim flat for over 8 miles without the bead breaking. Tire didn't survive the journey however but that's ok I get them for free.

Hate to say it but the cheap trick is in the thumbs. Park makes a seating tool that works as a bead breaker as well.

 

[Expidia]

Heck I have ridden on a tubeless tire/rim flat for over 8 miles without the bead breaking. Tire didn't survive the journey however but that's ok I get them for free.

Hate to say it but the cheap trick is in the thumbs. Park makes a seating tool that works as a bead breaker as well.

Thanks shockwave. I'll check out that Park tool. I have arthritis (don't get old), so I'm just thrilled I can still ride

 

[Expidia]

Ya gotta luv "Park Tools" $77 (plus tax) and probably shipping too . . for what is basically just a pair of Channel Lock pliers . . . Gotta luv Capitialism! Maybe I'll just take Viagra and hope it firms up my thumbs too enough to break the beads. And they can't even keep them in stock as they must be flying out zee door.

 

[Mabman]

You can also look for what they call tire jacks, they are much cheaper and plentiful. The Park ones I saw on Amazon here were 63.95usd.

 

[Third-Reef]

the bontrager line comp 30 rim sets have a plastic liner that has a bead groove the the tire seats in and stays there well. i had the same issue. my solution was to use a meal putty knife mabout 2 " wide that is a little dull. Use one hand to push the tire carcass off the bead and lever the putty knife in between the tire bead and the rim. it was tough but worked

 

[cemoz]

It is possible for the liner to bond to the tyre, I had that happen with the front wheel of my GT Sanction years ago. It’s a small frame so the bike had probably sat in a hot warehouse for ages was the only small frame bike around at the time and was going cheap so I grabbed it. It came with tubes, never had a problem with getting tyres off rims previously and I’m on the small side.

The Schwalbe tyre was absolute hell to get off, broke four plastic tyres levers and bent metal core ones. I finally resorted to heavy duty metal Park ones and it still wouldn’t come off. I don’t live close to a bike shop so ended up having to cut the tyre off and found the rubber had fused to the liner all the way around, had to snip through each wire in the bead to get the damn thing off. Thankfully rim wasn’t damaged and it’s been rocking tubeless and going along happily since.

Schwalbe tyre became chain slap protector across quite a few bikes

 

[mcboab]

I had a pair of 29" WTB tubeless tyres that were a massive pain to get the bead broken once seated. I ended up using a plumbers wrench to grip the tyre to get enough leverage on it to move the bead enough for levers . I then made the mistake of re-using one of them later and having to do it all again when I came to take it off. Some tyres are just a mare, thankfully my usual favourites are pretty easy to get on /off

 

[Peaky Rider]

I squeeze the tyre together in a Black and Decker workmate. The wooden jaws grip without damaging. You still have to rock the wheel back and forth and it still can be tricky but I find that the tyre will eventually be defeated.

To avoid carrying the workmate on your back on every ride, maybe consider going tubeless.

 

[Akiwi]

I squeeze the tyre together in a Black and Decker workmate. The wooden jaws grip without damaging. You still have to rock the wheel back and forth and it still can be tricky but I find that the tyre will eventually be defeated.

To avoid carrying the workmate on your back on every ride, maybe consider going tubeless.

Haha, I was just about to make the same suggestion. A friend came around recently after being at a bike shop where they couldn't remove his tyre. I thought I was megga inventive as I used my Workmate to pinch the tyre together, Worked a treat.

 

[Expidia]

I squeeze the tyre together in a Black and Decker workmate. The wooden jaws grip without damaging. You still have to rock the wheel back and forth and it still can be tricky but I find that the tyre will eventually be defeated.

To avoid carrying the workmate on your back on every ride, maybe consider going tubeless.

Peaky, you make a good point on going tubeless! The workmate thing still would not work for me for swapping or changing tires. But going tubeless may not solve my issue as I'd have to get the tire off anyway to put in a spare tube with a larger puncture out on a trail. Out the trail "I'm screwed" if I can't get the tire off to patch or put a tube in. The issue looks to me (Besides my weak grip) is at least with the tires they are taking off: Bontrager LT4 Expert Reflective E-bike Tire. 29 x 2.4 . . . the side walls are so thin and balloon like. With no firmness to the material there is nothing to grip. Even rolling the bike into the LBS with the front tire delated

Maybe the new one's I'm having the LBS install will have a little beefier sidewall?
AMERICAN CLASSIC Gravel Bike Tire, Udden Tubeless Ready Bicycle Tire, 700 x 50C, Hard Packed Dirt $45.00.
I don't even know if I'll like these new gravel style tires. My goal is more of a hybrid tire than what the bike came with. I'm looking for lower rolling resistance for like a 20 mile bike trail which is 40 miles round trip. I was planning on swapping back to the OEM more aggressive tires for rides with more aggressive terrain.
If I like these gravel tires I might even buy a 2nd OEM wheel set. I already have a Park Tool stand and the through axle hub design would make the swap quick for those times of single track and light MTB'ing trips with my son.

But your point is well taken. The LBS said they would not get to my tires for 2 days, so I can call him when their shop opens and go tubeless as the rims and both sets of tires are already tubeless ready. I do like the idea of the liquid sloshing around and sealing small punctures (less trailside repairs) as I'm doing around 225 miles a month.

Sorry for the long post, but there are many facets to what I'm trying to accomplish. First pic is the OEM tread and 2nd is the new gravel style tread.

Update: I did call my LBS this AM and they are doing the new tires as tubeless.

 

[steve_sordy]

To break the bead from the rim, I use my mini-pump. (Fully deflate the tyre!) I support the wheel on my workmate, or a log or a rock with my gloves underneath. Then place one end of the mini pump on the tyre next to the bead (use whichever end of your pump looks more suitable. Then I lean my shoulder on to the other end and press hard, really hard if necessary, you won't tear the tyre. This has worked every single time except once (twice if you count two tyres at the same time as twice). See below.

I used Gorilla tape instead of rim tape. It was on the recco of the LBS at Sherwood PInes and it looks great if you use the black colour (looks like carbon fibre). Several months later, the glue in the Gorilla tape had reacted with the latex sealant and glued the tyre bead to the rim. I tried everything short of a craft knife to get those tyres off. Eventually, I took them to my local LBS and it took two of them to get the tyres off, plus holding the tyre in a vice while they levered the whole wheel. They said that in all the time they had been in business they were the absolute worst! One was a Maxxis and one was a WTB, the problem was not the tyres it was the Gorilla Tape.

Then it took me hours to get the Gorilla tape residue off the rim. Don't use Gorilla Tape on your rims!

 

[Mikerb]

Any clamp will help break the bead off the rim. On my wifes Cube she has Smart Sam ( crap)tyres which welded on. I used a G clamp to break the seal.
If you are not familiar with G clamps they used to be essential for woodworking projects. Pretty sure you can still buy them. They are steel, shaped like "G" , hence their name, and then the open part of the "G" has a coarse threaded bar which closes by screwing it towards the other end. They come in different sizes. I still regularly use mine for welding projects.
ps I binned the tyres. If they cannot be changed on a trail they are not fit for purpose in my opinion. I stick ( not literally!) to Maxxis which I can usually fit and remove even without levers.

 

[irie]

Thanks shockwave. I'll check out that Park tool. I have arthritis (don't get old), so I'm just thrilled I can still ride

I have arthritis and if necessary use Park Tool levers. If there's sealant in the tyres they slip off OK, and to get new tyres on smear a bit of sealant as lubricant on the side of the rim.

 

[Expidia]

I have arthritis and if necessary use Park Tool levers. If there's sealant in the tyres they slip off OK, and to get new tyres on smear a bit of sealant as lubricant on the side of the rim.

Thanks shockwave. Thanks for those tips. I’ll be doing it myself the next time so I don’t have to lose my ride for 3 days for just a tire swap. I asked the shop what is your trick or tool to break the bead. He said the tool they use to put a tire back on can be used to break a bead too. But when he gets a real stubborn bead he takes the tire next door to this car repair shop and the mechanic is a big guy with real strong hands

 

[Expidia]

Great vid shockwave. He shows some great techniques and tips for tubeless. But . . . This vid is all about getting a tire back on and seated properly. He does not show what my issue was as to breaking the bead to get the tire off!
And lastly, just look at the size of this Blokes hands

 

[Expidia]

some times it is a pita to get them on and off m8s canyon had to have his wheel rebuilt and could not get the fkn thing back on the rim so came round to use my shock blast pump even at 240 psi it was not moving so got the fairy liquid out and then started to move.

when it finally locked on to the rim and went kaboom it spat the fl right in my m8s eye funny as fook lol then spent 30 mins washing it out of his eye.

not lost air since but id use some sort of eye protection if using fl

Ya that vid also spoke of a tire going blam and the sealant goes all over while trying to inflate it.

 

[MickS]

Hey @Expidia, I am much younger, but I have weak wrist and finger joints, so I need to be careful with overloading my hands. I had the same problem with my rim / tyre combo, which is a very, very tight fit. Couple of times I've wasted a lot of effort to take the tyre off the rim using only the tyre levers, somehow I've managed to do that, but my hands hurt for several days... Anyway, some time ago I've found (I don't remember where) an easy trick. I use the following procedure (works well even on the trail):

1. Dismount the wheel from the frame or fork and fully deflate the tyre.
2. Find a piece of wood (i.e. dead tree branch, but not rotten) or stone, and put the wheel on it (in horizontal position) so that the tyre lies on top of that, having the tyre bead close to the edge of that piece of wood or stone (the closer, the better, but obviously you don't want to scratch your rim).
3. Stand on the tyre to clamp it between your shoe and that wood or stone, again, the closer to the rim your shoe is, the better. Having shoes with a stiff sole is beneficial.
4. Grab the rim from the bottom with your fingers (that piece of wood or stone is to make that space between the ground and the rim for your fingers).
5. Pull up the rim and the bead will break off the rim, eventually. Do that with straight arms and using your back muscles rather than your hands / arms (I can feel that this way I'm not loading the small joints so much).
6. After that you should be able to pull the bead towards the middle of the rim using only your fingers, if not, repeat the above in another spot, or you can even do that on the whole wheel circumference.
7. Having the whole bead in the center of the rim you should be able to pry the bead out of the rim with tyre lever.

 

[Expidia]

Hey @Expidia, I am much younger, but I have weak wrist and finger joints, so I need to be careful with overloading my hands. I had the same problem with my rim / tyre combo, which is a very, very tight fit. Couple of times I've wasted a lot of effort to take the tyre off the rim using only the tyre levers, somehow I've managed to do that, but my hands hurt for several days... Anyway, some time ago I've found (I don't remember where) an easy trick. I use the following procedure (works well even on the trail):

1. Dismount the wheel from the frame or fork and fully deflate the tyre.
2. Find a piece of wood (i.e. dead tree branch, but not rotten) or stone, and put the wheel on it (in horizontal position) so that the tyre lies on top of that, having the tyre bead close to the edge of that piece of wood or stone (the closer, the better, but obviously you don't want to scratch your rim).
3. Stand on the tyre to clamp it between your shoe and that wood or stone, again, the closer to the rim your shoe is, the better. Having shoes with a stiff sole is beneficial.
4. Grab the rim from the bottom with your fingers (that piece of wood or stone is to make that space between the ground and the rim for your fingers).
5. Pull up the rim and the bead will break off the rim, eventually. Do that with straight arms and using your back muscles rather than your hands / arms (I can feel that this way I'm not loading the small joints so much).
6. After that you should be able to pull the bead towards the middle of the rim using only your fingers, if not, repeat the above in another spot, or you can even do that on the whole wheel circumference.
7. Having the whole bead in the center of the rim you should be able to pry the bead out of the rim with tyre lever.

Thx Mick. This sounds like a great technique for those of us with weaker hands. I do also carry a small wash cloth in my bag to clean any grease off my hands, so this cloth would also serve to protect the rim on a wood or stone rest. As you said with your method your shoe is providing the clamping power instead of our fingers, along with your arms and back. Great job explaining exactly your steps. I'm also hoping now that since LBS is setting the new tires up as tubeless the liquid might also provide a little lube around the inside bead edges to help move the bead to the middle (or it could dry out and make it worse ).

I also just had delivered last week a 6 pack (I'll carry two) of CO2 cartridges and an inflator head on the trail for inflating tubes quickly after a trail repair (my last flat took me 120-150 pumps to inflate). But from the vid above using a cartridge, I can also see now it might also come in handy for a quick blast of air to re-seat a bead rather than using a hand pump. I also have an electric pancake style compressor in my basement, but I don't know yet if it's powerful enough to push quick air through a Presta valve for seating a bead.

This is why I started the thread. A knew a few of you out there would have come across this bead breaking issue and would come up with their own solutions.

I already was picturing me getting a flat on the trail and saying to myself "I'll just flag another guy biker down (while we are out in the woods yet), stop him and ask if he has big strong hands" . . . Then again, maybe not such a good idea . . . YIKES!

I also noticed while rolling my bike into the shop with the front tire deflated, since these modern tires have such thin sidewalls "it didn't roll so well"! I wondered what it would feel like to have to roll it 5-10 miles from the trail to my car . . . if I couldn't break the bead to install a tube? Maybe the Trek walk assist might help in this situation. But probably ruin the tire too. I'm glad this happened to me in my basement and I could get the bike to my LBS.

All this learning curve with these thin sidewalls would have been a disaster for me out on the trail. With my Giant E-bike 3 weeks ago the puncture flat that I got . . . the bead was already broken by itself as soon as the air let out from the puncture . . . the weight of me rolling a few more feet had already broken the bead, but the side walls of the Giant brand tire are also meatier.

I copied your method and saved it to my iphone notes . . . Thanks again Mick

 

[jonmat]

Great vid shockwave. He shows some great techniques and tips for tubeless. But . . . This vid is all about getting a tire back on and seated properly. He does not show what my issue was as to breaking the bead to get the tire off!
And lastly, just look at the size of this Blokes hands

View attachment 93963

I spoke to Dave Kaye about tyre removal when he built me a pair of new Hope wheels. The best tip he gave me was to lightly grease the rim with red brake grease. He also told me that factory fitted tyres have a tendency to stick to the rims more than retro fit tyres. I tried all sorts of clamps and tools to break the rim seal with little success. What I did discover is there's nearly always a section of the bead that will release if you try round the full circumference of the rim. I had a flat in Sheffield city centre last year and couldn't get the rim bead broken to change the tube. I phoned my son to pick me up with his van and he took the tyre off without any levers and refitted it without any levers. He's 35 and I'm 61, he also worked as a pro bike mechanic in his teens.

 

[Binhill1]

I'm glad this happened to me in my basement because if it happened to me out on the trail, I'd have been screwed!
So I went to swap out the OEM Bontrager tires with a different tread design with a little less road resistance.
I know I can just move the assistance up a notch, but I found myself using the two highest levels (eMTB or Turbo).
This sucks more juice out of my battery and shortens my miles.

It's a though the hub design and I got the front wheel off easy enough, but after letting the air out I could not get the bead to move towards the middle, so I could use the pry levels. It's like they were glued to the rim. They are tubeless ready, but came with tubes.

I figured it must be my old weaker 73 year old hands . So then I said screw it and I'll bring both rims to my LBS and let them do it. Of course, when I went to drop the through the hub rear wheel . . . I could not get it to drop.

I put the front wheel back on and took the bike down to the LBS. He showed me that I had to release the clutch on the derailleur first . . . I've never came across this so I'm glad he showed me. And that some tires just need stronger hands to break the bead.

I said they might as well just remove the OEM tires and mount my new ones for me. He said I can pick it up in a couple of days. I'm OK with that as I still have another E-bike as a back up. But I like to do this stuff myself and then it's ready in 30 minutes. But good that I brought it to them as he said I will also need smaller tubes. My OEM were 2.4 and these new tires are 1.96 in width (700 x 50C).

So other than strong hands, is there another trick to getting a tight bead broken or a tool that can break the bead?

Thanks

Had same issue on Anoch Mor the tubeless goo had turned to glue .Felt a right twat going back down on gondola . You can poke the tubeless tires for me after that .

 

[Binhill1]

Yes easy peasy at home but on trail can be a night mare. I've had tires you can put on and off with no levers , next one needs fairy liquid òr you break the levers , not carrying that about with me.Tires change so often you are lucky to buy the same one you bought a year ago if you wanted to because it was loose fitting.

 

[Mr mick]

Hi all. My cheap Giant Fathom had maxxis forekasters on it from new. Punctured very soon after purchase. Found thar I needed to support the rim ( tubeless ready) on something solid and push down really really hard to break the bead. After a few punctures and many swear words the Maxxis were gone and smart sam ( the good ones with the DD) went on. A month later I had another flat tyre. It was a patch coming off the old tube. Since it is such a pain in the ass breaking the bead and fixing things when out for a ride, I put in TANNUS ARMOR
No punctures since early 2019and apparently you can ride them flat if you manage to puncture the tube underneath.

 

[Expidia]

Update: after all this. above . . . Monday I'm going back to my LBS and having them swap back the OEM Botranger LT4 Expert tires.
When they put the new tubeless tires on he said to watch out for the loss of grip around turns now.
Sure enough I got bike home and waited for the rain to stop. Then took it for a test ride and within the first few miles I was coming off a grassy (and damp) area and slighty turned onto a parking lot's pavement (going about 3 mph)and the next thing I knew I felt a huge whack as the side of my head SLAMMED into on the ground and I was laying there on my side in shock on the ground.

Luckily, this same LBS (CK Bicycles) recently sold me a "MIPS" helmet as I was needing an upgrade from my old one. I did slowly regain full concsciouness and got back up and it took another 2 minutes for me to stop shaking . . . but I know if it wasn't for "MIPS" I would have had a concussion or worse. I was bleeding from 3 places from pavement scuffs on my top left shoulder, the side of my left knee etc.
Each day I'm finding new bruises appearing in different spots.

So whatever the reason for the mishap . . . 1 second I was on the bike and the next second I was practically unconscious on the ground so needless to say I have zero confidence in these 1/2 inch less wide and the gravel type tread. I'll have them swap back to the OEM ones rather than do it myself this time. But at least I know I'm going to have bead breaking issues if I get a flat on the trail.

The OEM tires had a softer ride anyway and the new ones did not give me the less rolling resistance I thought they would.

All in all I had to at least try another tread design for my style of use because if I didn't, I would have thought about doing it each time I rode the bike.

I also, so far, see no marks on my few week old Trek I think because most of the bike was still on the grassy part.

Thanks to all who responded above and thanks to a higher power that I'm still here able to type this out

 

[Giff]

Thx Mick. This sounds like a great technique for those of us with weaker hands. I do also carry a small wash cloth in my bag to clean any grease off my hands, so this cloth would also serve to protect the rim on a wood or stone rest. As you said with your method your shoe is providing the clamping power instead of our fingers, along with your arms and back. Great job explaining exactly your steps. I'm also hoping now that since LBS is setting the new tires up as tubeless the liquid might also provide a little lube around the inside bead edges to help move the bead to the middle (or it could dry out and make it worse ).

I also just had delivered last week a 6 pack (I'll carry two) of CO2 cartridges and an inflator head on the trail for inflating tubes quickly after a trail repair (my last flat took me 120-150 pumps to inflate). But from the vid above using a cartridge, I can also see now it might also come in handy for a quick blast of air to re-seat a bead rather than using a hand pump. I also have an electric pancake style compressor in my basement, but I don't know yet if it's powerful enough to push quick air through a Presta valve for seating a bead.

This is why I started the thread. A knew a few of you out there would have come across this bead breaking issue and would come up with their own solutions.

I already was picturing me getting a flat on the trail and saying to myself "I'll just flag another guy biker down (while we are out in the woods yet), stop him and ask if he has big strong hands" . . . Then again, maybe not such a good idea . . . YIKES!

I also noticed while rolling my bike into the shop with the front tire deflated, since these modern tires have such thin sidewalls "it didn't roll so well"! I wondered what it would feel like to have to roll it 5-10 miles from the trail to my car . . . if I couldn't break the bead to install a tube? Maybe the Trek walk assist might help in this situation. But probably ruin the tire too. I'm glad this happened to me in my basement and I could get the bike to my LBS.

All this learning curve with these thin sidewalls would have been a disaster for me out on the trail. With my Giant E-bike 3 weeks ago the puncture flat that I got . . . the bead was already broken by itself as soon as the air let out from the puncture . . . the weight of me rolling a few more feet had already broken the bead, but the side walls of the Giant brand tire are also meatier.

I copied your method and saved it to my iphone notes . . . Thanks again Mick

 

[Giff]

Hi Expedis
Have you thought of fitting, or getting fitted, foam inserts? I believe Rimpact are good but there are others and they may get you home if you are alone and deflated on the trail!

 

[Expidia]

Hi Expedis
Have you thought of fitting, or getting fitted, foam inserts? I believe Rimpact are good but there are others and they may get you home if you are alone and deflated on the trail!

A spare tube will get me home.

 

[Giff]

....but you have to break the bead to get it in!

 

[Binhill1]

Cycled from the top of my local hill six miles away many a time with a flat tire . Just keep your weight forwards or aftwards depending on which tyre is flat. That was before cush core , chain measuring tools , strava and torque wrenches were part of my tool kit. Just phone a friend now and they pick me up.

 

[jonmat]

If you have 2.6 inch width 29 inch diameter they take a lot of filling from a CO2 cartridge. I'd say at least 2 x 20g cartridge's to get them something like 30 PSI. I now carry a high volume pump in my back pack as well as 20g cartridge's.