My Tyres Don't fit... help

Put tyre over your knee and pull, that ought to stretch the bugger!

...seriously, get some old kitchen forks. fork handles are the best, better than spoons. don't know why

Yep start at the valve when removing finish at the valve when fitting.

I know the forum has been on tenterhooks all week, but got the tyre (Schwalbe Marathon Plus) on in less than 15 mins. The above tips are the most useful, thank you el squire, jonny, & theBrick

My patented* SLTF

My tips:
1_If it is a difficult tyre to place and you have been going for >5 mins, remove it and **stretch **against your foot by pulling your hands up all the way around the tyre (like using a track pump)
2_I know Fred said don't use levers but I found the **levers **very helpful in getting one side of the tyre "in the valley"
3_Use a **table **- have the wheel forming the bottom of a right angled triangle - your body is the back - and your arms outstretched complete the triangle (the hypotenuse) - so the tyre is 90degrees to your body. This gives you leverage as you work around the tyre.
4_The last 4 or 5 inches are the hardest and this is where the leverage of the **fork **or 2 forks just eases the tyres in. you will place the fork handle between the wheel and the tyre with the teeth facing you, then push the handle away from you (the teeth move towards the tyre).

Don't use your finest silver, my butler was most unimpressed with the bent fork.

If anyone is raging I'll undercut hippy by a whole £1 per visit but I don't think I could ever beat the legend that is edscoble.