Which Tyres?

They came with standard shitty B'twin "Resist+" or something. Could get those off, but struggled to get them on again. They were 28mm. Could try them again but I feel like I deserve better, you know?

I tried GravelKings (with tubes), 32mm. Absolutely impossible to get on, so just gave up.

I have some LifeLine on another bike with some life left, but they're not particularly winter specific (though I rode them all through last winter with no problems) so I might see if I can get them on as they're super easy to get on my other wheels.

30c cx pro, great winter tyre for the price

Koolstop Tyre Bead.

How thick is the rims tape? also is the middle of the rims deeper?

Here's the tape:

Looks thickish and looks totally different to the stuff in my Hunts.

I don't have the tool you mention but I have a Tyre Key which is meant to help (as recommended by @Lolo down thread) but it doesn't help at all :(

Likely your rim tape, looks like lasagna sheets. If you’re not running tubeless then te scwhalbe rim tape is great, super thin, super sticky and super tough.

I feel like I should mention something about rim tape thickness at this point just in case you didn't hear it the first time or any of the subsequent echoes echoes echoes...

:D

I did and I knew you were right. Do you have a specific recommendation?

@TM this stuff? https://www.merlincycles.com/schwalbe-rim-tape-46351.html

I saw the top part of this picture only before scrolling down and thought it looked like some houses on a waterfront somewhere. :)

#blearymorningeyes

I use Velox most often because it's basically what I've always used. I'm basically a dinosaur now though, in terms of tyre setup. The yoof can have their jizzy tyres and their plastic rim tape, I'll stick with what works for me until the alternatives are better.

gotcha. cloth stuff, right? my rims apparently have a 17mm internal width, the current rim tape is 18mm. do i go thinner? do i rip the old stuff off and examine the rim before getting some new shit?

really sorry for all this rim tape chat.

Can you lift the end of the current tape up a bit? Is it thick and/or multi-layered?

If so, then it might be worth a punt on new tape for (I paid £4 for two rims of Velox). I've got a whole roll of that yellow tape - same as Stan's - for when I was trying to get that stupid front wheel to work by converting it to tubeless. You're welcome to a rim's worth if you can be arsed getting it from me. I'd imagine your nearest bike shop would have a roll of Velox you could experiment with. You might be able to use a skinnier version, so long as it covers the rim holes.

The Yellow shit I have is Tesa Tape 4289. It worked for my tubeless install but I never got to ride that wheel as the frame died beforehand.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=tesa+tape&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=tesa+tape+4289&_sacat=0

Actually, that's wrong, I bought Tesa tape but I used DT Swiss tubeless tape:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DT-Swiss-Tubeless-Rim-Tape-All-Sizes/231988917903?epid=1765833996&hash=item36039df68f:m:mOpqqAhAPywUYROeVTXRHZQ:rk:1:pf:0

Way more expensive but I think I'd already ordered it before I found out about the cheaper Tesa tape.

Cheers. I've bunged a Prime order in for some of the Velox stuff.

Yeah, alternatively tubeless tape incidentally work as they’re very thin.

Also technique play a roles, so here’s what I usually do.

Fit one side of the tyres bead in first.

Inflated inner tube and fit it in, enough so it get inside the tyres.

Installing the other side of the tyres bead; start 180 degrees from valve and work your way up toward the valve both side.

When it start to get tough, deflate the inner tube, repeat, deflate etc.

When it get impossible, go back and check if all the tyres bead is sitting in the middle of the rims as well letting all the air out and push the valve inward to move the inner tube deeper inside the tyres (this prevent it from getting pinched between rims and tyres).

If all bead is in centre of rims, repeat, check and repeat etc.

If the last tiny bit still doesn’t work, then you can use the tyre bead.

Lastly, very very stupid question, if the tyres is 28c and your inner tube is 28-32, then swap for 23-28, better a little small than a little big.

These thing are far more vulnerable than. The koolstop bead jack abet they are much more portable.

technique

Dismissed that being the issue if 5 people had a go I'd expect one of them to know the tricks.

When fitting the second side of the tyre, put wheel on ground and 'stretch' the tyre towards the ground, so you're getting slack right at the last section. Then have SuperThumbs™ and finish the job. Also grabbing from the other side with finger tips to roll it over helps. It's easier to show this than describe it in words though.

I think the easiest tyres out there right now are tubulars

I've used a Crank Brothers SpeedLever, not necessarily on a tricky tyre but when my hands are cold it can be faster. Normally just use one of my old-as cheap levers though. Never to fit though. Train your thumbs and work on the pinching/stretching tyre method.

Banned for mentioning tubs

Last week I was with a couple of others on a ride when I went over an enormous pothole next to Biggin Hill airport which was obscured by standing water (has since been filled). Puncture + buckled wheel. We managed to get the tyre off (took about 25 minutes mind and claimed the life of 3 levers), but couldn't get it back on. A stranger stopped to help us, he looked super experienced but he also couldn't get it on. Then a second person stopped to help. We were doing all the right things like massaging the tyre, making sure it's seated in the middle of the rims etc but it was just so bloody difficult. Eventually through brute force it went on, we must have been trying to sort it out for about an hour and a half in total. And then exactly the same thing happened yesterday, but from a little bit of glass in the other tyre. Again, I was with experienced, strong-handed (LOL) cyclists who had never experienced anything like it.

I've ridden with a variety of wheels / tyres and have always managed to remove and re-fit a tyre myself. I know there are combos which make it harder but there is no way I'd be able to do this particular combo myself.

ANYWAY fingers crossed different tape helps otherwise they're going in the bin

I have never used one TBH, I've been fine without so far. I have tried the Koolstop (not convinced it's much superior to a good technique to start with) and the Park Tool PTS-1 (good for chunky tyres, but not exactly something you carry in a jersey pocket, and perhaps not suited to skinny rubber).
To be honest I'm not actually sure the tape is to blame here, incorrect tape will prevent the tyre from sitting correctly, but I'm not sure why it would affect fitting the bead on the inside of the rim? Happy to be proved wrong however.

Before you bin them, I want a go. Undefeated (heavyweight, obvs) Tyre Installing Champion of the World. Even the time I was in TCR and in a shop (https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/893504111404093441) where I think none of the three staff could get it to seat, I eventually kicked its head in (https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/893494796492435456).

Tape - It takes up space. Space is what you need to get the beads into the middle to give you some extra slack to drag the last bit of bead over the rim.