Should these tires fit?

November 3, 2008 1:02 PM

My stupid bike filter: Should my new bike tires fit on my wheel? Or am i being a bike idiot?

I bought these tires because i am getting punctures every week on my commute to work. But i cant get them onto the wheels, despite them seeming identical in size to my old (puncture prone) tires.

My old tires said 700x25c, and that's the size tire that i bought. My wheels have this printed on them: 622x13c.

fyi, this is the model bike i'm trying to fit them on.

posted by kev23f to sports, hobbies, & recreation (24 comments total)

They should fit. Some wheel and tire combinations are really hard to put on and it's hard to know before you buy. Sometimes I have to use a set of tire levers to get them on. A pair of levers shouldn't cost much more than a few dollars/euros/pounds.
posted by advicepig at 1:13 PM on November 3, 2008

Assuming you've still got the same rims: MACH1 CFX 700C 32H, those tires should fit. Many wire bead tires are very tight though.

Do you have a set of tire irons? Sheldon Brown explains how to change a flat. If you don't have irons, I've used teaspoons quite successfully. Really tight tires do benefit from the Kool Stop tool Mr. Brown (RIP) recommends.
posted by bonehead at 1:15 PM on November 3, 2008

By the way, if you're constantly flatting, keep an eye on your tire pressure. In my experience, most people who flat regularly don't keep their tire pressures high enough. Bike tires need to be reinflated every week or two.
posted by bonehead at 1:17 PM on November 3, 2008

Puncture resistant tires are a pain to install without at least 2 or 3 good tire levers. When I installed mine, I had a terrible time. They are way less flexible due to the thickness of the rubber. Be patient and "work smart, not hard." Muscling your way will just frustrate you. Use bike levers the kind you can hook onto a spoke to hold in place, and let leverage work on your side.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 1:18 PM on November 3, 2008

i have tire levers, but the tire just seems too big to get on. i've been wrestling with it for nearly an hour.

my new tire has this exact text stamped into it: 25-622 (28x1 - 700x25c).

If there was beer in my house i would drink every drop of it dry i swear, this is really driving me crazy.
posted by kev23f at 1:19 PM on November 3, 2008

thanks all.

bonehead, my rims say this on them: mach 1 etrto 622x13c
posted by kev23f at 1:25 PM on November 3, 2008

I've found Schwalbe Marathons to be a pain to fit before. I usually had to massage one bead as far down into the spoke well as I could, then strain away trying to pull the last few cm of bead into the other side. I too thought I had the wrong size several times.
posted by scruss at 1:29 PM on November 3, 2008

see, i've fitted tight tires before, but with these tires i'm not even getting to the point where its a tight squeeze getting it over the last few inches of rim. With these the tire keeps popping off the wheel before i can even move along the rim/tire with my hands.
posted by kev23f at 1:36 PM on November 3, 2008

If misery loves company, count me in. I think mine ended up taking over an hour. I'd give more specific help if I could, but I think I blocked out the trauma in order to avoid psychological damage. I think I used some kind of light lubricant on the rims to help; maybe vegetable oil or something. Also: percocet.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 1:37 PM on November 3, 2008

If you're getting a lot of flats, you're probably not putting the tire back on right...do NOT use levers to put the tire back on. Get one bead almost there, then start at the point opposite the not-on-the-rim-yet part and really work the tire into the rim. YOu'll find it gives you a lot more room to hook the tire over the rim.

I was having a pinch-flat every couple days until I learned not to use levers for re-mounting.
posted by notsnot at 1:41 PM on November 3, 2008

Also, use a little baby powder or the like on the tubes...less likelihood of pinching.
posted by notsnot at 1:42 PM on November 3, 2008

If you can, put it on and take it off once or twice with no tube in it. That will help stretch the bead a bit and you won't have to worry about pinching a tube and ruining it.
posted by whoda at 1:45 PM on November 3, 2008

ah no,i exaggerated on the one flat a week bit, i've just been unlucky the last two months and thought the schwalbes would do the job. i've never had to use tire levers to put on a tire before, which is why i'm tearing my hair out. good advice from everyone on pinching though, i'll keep an eye out for it if i get to that stage...
posted by kev23f at 1:46 PM on November 3, 2008

ok, making some progress here, good to hear that i'm not the only one who has suffered. i've had to put it on without the inner tube to force it to fit, here's hoping it works out...

thanks everyone again.
posted by kev23f at 2:06 PM on November 3, 2008

Ok,
You need to take a break.

Come back at this in about an hour, and do every step methodically, and your problems may mysteriously disappear. It really helps if somebody else tries to do *exactly what you've done a thousand times already*, because they will succeed with ease.
You can't ignore the forces which are at work, here.

Seriously, though. You can get on half of the tire on, yeah? The other half is the same size. This is possible. Believe it!

-Forget the tube for now. Once it's on once, it will be easier to get back on.
-Light lube along the rim won't hurt [oil, soap, or just water]
-Pinch the tire together and place it as deep into that rim as it will go
-Continue keeping the tire beads pinched together and in that rim-canyon until you're about 1/4 of the way done.
-find a way to keep pressure on the tire. Keep it in the depression in the rim. I use the method of wedging the axle against some surface and adding pressure to the tire with my gut. It's nicer on your parts if you have a friend do the gut-squeeze manoeuvre, but do what you must.
-working both sides at the same time, keep pinching the beads together and placing them in the deepest part of the rim. This should be a slide-like movement. Like a ziplock or something.
-If you've done it right, no tire irons will be needed at the top. It will be like a magical new tire has appeared and this one is the right size.
-If you still need a tire iron [Some tire/rim combos are truly rage-inducing], make sure you don't let the tire beads slip out of their rightful place in the valley of the rims. That's the most important part. The circumference of the rim is smaller there, so your job is easier.


Now [bwahaha!] take it off and do it again with a tube in there.
Follow the talcum advice above, and take a ride to the liquor store.
posted by Acari at 2:19 PM on November 3, 2008

If the tire is falling off one side of the rim as you're working it on the other, try putting just a little bit of air in the tube. That can help keep things in place.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 2:20 PM on November 3, 2008

or, on non-preview...
congratulations!
posted by Acari at 2:23 PM on November 3, 2008

Since the question (should these tires fit) has pretty much already been answered, I'll just offer this:

For tires that are hard to mount these tire levers from Crank Bros. are a real godsend. You mount as much of the bead as you can, then use the lever to lock it in place and can work from the other side without the mounted part of the bead popping off. Best €6 I ever spent on bike tools.
posted by dseaton at 2:26 PM on November 3, 2008

ok, yay for me, apparently. I got them on, thanks to everyone who helped me keep my sanity, a large part of what i found helpful was knowing that tire sometimes *are* this hard to do. Although, i just did the second tire in about 5 minutes, so experience is everything i guess. Just for posterity, here are the steps i went through to get these feckers on...

1] The tires were brand new and very stiff, i kneaded them a fair bit to get some movement into them.
2] Advice from above: pinching the tire so that it really sits deep in the rim helped.
3] To stop the tire hopping out of the rim as i moved along it, i taped it down every quarter; this helped loads.
4] More advice from above: get the tire on without the tube first, then roll it about to get it stretched in place around the wheel.
5] Best advice from several people above: persevere, you're not crazy, sometimes its hard.

Lastly, all the other bits of help were much appreciated; no pinching, using talc, and i am honestly very grateful.

(I'll probably get a flat tomorrow morning...)
posted by kev23f at 2:36 PM on November 3, 2008 [1 favorite]

Just to give you the details, "622" is the ISO size that equates to 700C. "13C" is likely the width of the space in between the inner edges of the rim, which is fine for tires up to 25mm wide. You'll be fine.
posted by rhizome at 3:23 PM on November 3, 2008

I had 700X23's on my bike for a while and got way more flats than when I put 700X35's on instead.

The 23's are smaller, and must be kept inflated at a higher pressure. Even so, it's easier to catch a curb or pothole and get a flat.

I also had a devil of a time getting the whole tire set right to avoid getting a bump in it.
posted by thenormshow at 4:03 PM on November 3, 2008

Congrats on getting the tires on! I've played bloody-knuckles with my fair share of new tires, and it always fills me with a combination of blind rage and self loathing.

Anyway, I'm assuming you don't want to have to do that again for some time. So, if you've been getting repeated flats within a short period of time you may want to consider that your old tires might not have been at fault. If you happen to get a flat pretty quickly after the installation you might want to consider these steps:

- After removing the (now useless) tube, put some air in it to find the puncture. Match the hole to its location on the rim. Remember this spot! If you keep getting punctures in one particular spot it may indicate a problem with the rim. In the meantime it will help you...
- Find what caused your flat. Was it a nail? A piece of glass? A tiny thermonuclear device? Find what ever pierced your tire and get rid of it.
- Clean the inside of your tire. Glass is especially prone to leave behind little shards on the inside of your tire which will re-flat your tube in about 5 minutes of riding. Pull the tire so it hangs over one side of your rim and run a rag or some tissue around the inside to get any nasty leftover bits.
- Check the rim itself. Does it have any dents or burrs? Are there holes in the rimtape where the spoke nipples might poke through? Any of these might cause a flat.
- Stop riding through those patches shiny stuff in the street. It's not candy!

Finally, if the new tires, or any of these suggestions, don't help: Buy a pogo-stick.
posted by Panjandrum at 9:40 PM on November 3, 2008

Well i got into work without the any of that shiny stuff causing a flat - that idea of marking on the rim where the punctures happen is a good one, but hopefully my days of looking at a recent flat with a mixture of disappointment and rage are over.

I've marked a few answers that hit the nail on the head for me, but everyone gave great advice, thanks again.
posted by kev23f at 3:09 AM on November 4, 2008

The tire lever that dseaton mentioned is fantastic - I found out about it from the review on cooltools. You have to be careful not to break it, but this has allowed me to get really stubborn tires back on without pinching the tube.

I've still struggled with really fractious tires before, even with the tool, so I'm looking forward to using these tips on my next flat.
posted by averyoldworld at 8:04 AM on November 4, 2008