OK, I’ll take the hits for having this tire on the rim for 5 1/2 years, but this set up has worked great, and I didn’t want to mess with success. But I developed a slow leak a few months ago. I couldn’t isolate the leak in a tub of water, but the valve was suspect and I want to try to replace it.
In trying this, I discovered a spoke nipple broke, and the spoke is loose. Whichever it is, I need to get to the underside of the rim to solve the problem, but I cannot get the tire off. YouTube videos showed me techniques with clamps, but I can’t get a good purchase on the tire without having the clamp slip off.
What next?
(A going forward, am I supposed to take the tires off once in a while and remove all the latex and start over?)
by Mikeseddit
7 Comments
I’ve used plate vice grips (like the ones for welding) to squeeze the tire to access the bead.
There “should” be a channel near the center of the rim for pushing the bead into to allow enough “looseness” for a section of tire to pry off. If the tire bead is not in that channel, there may be no way to get the tire off. I’m not sure what the clamps are supposed to be doing.
In the future – you do not need to take the tire off to remove the old latex unless it’s developed clumps or balls of latex rolling around inside there.
A bench vice works great, especially with fat tires that you can get a lot of purchase on without contacting the rim. Pinch down firmly on the tire and twist back and forth to break the bead.
I can’t really tell what’s going on with all those clamps but they seem counter productive. Pulling the bead in all directions at once is how the tire *stays on*.
Pinch the bead down into the center channel and pull the bead over the rim in only one place.
Have you tried standing on the side wall, carefully and trying to use your toes to break the bead? I get the clamps but as you probably found out they slip and don’t break the bead. Feet and shoes might get you there. Fat bike tires can be hard to remove from tubeless.
Since it sounds like you’re also going to replace the tire, have you considered using a vise grip to grab the sidewall and focus force to break the adhesion from 5 years of sealant buildup? Once you get. A single break the rest of the bead should be easy. I don’t like to destroy a tire in the removal process, but sometimes that’s been the only way to get it off.
cut the tyre