Vent: My old way to seat a stubborn tire versus the zip tie trick

Had a customer's gravel bike with a tire that just would not pop onto the rim... spent like 20 minutes fighting it with my regular levers, sweating and swearing. My buddy texted me and said to try the zip tie trick, where you put a few around the tire to hold the bead in the center channel. Tried it with three zip ties, and the thing seated with a single pump of the floor pump. Has anyone else found a weird little trick that saved your sanity on a simple job?

4 comments

4 Comments

bettymiller1mo ago

My buddy had the same thing with a tubeless mountain bike tire, just would not go on. I mean, he tried soapy water and a compressor and everything. Finally watched some video about using a heat gun on low to warm up the tire, and it popped right on after that.

andrew_baker91d ago

Reminds me of trying to get a tight wetsuit on at the beach. Left it in the sun for ten minutes and it slid right on. Same idea, I guess.

garcia.mila1mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly sounds like a lot of work just for a tire. Is the rubber really that stiff it needs a heat gun? Feels like maybe the rim or tire was just the wrong size to begin with.

betty_coleman1mo ago

Heat guns are a lifesaver for stubborn tires. Had a Maxxis tire that just would not seat, even with a good compressor. Warming the bead area for like 30 seconds on low made it soft enough to stretch over the rim. Just don't hold it in one spot too long or you'll damage the rubber. Works way better than fighting with it cold.