Tire Cut and mounting tips

Hey folks,

I recently had a flat rear tire (the first with this specific tire), which made me inspect it more closely and wonder whether I should replace it. There are 2–3 larger cuts like the one shown in the picture and several smaller ones that concern me less. As far as I can tell, the larger cuts have not gone through the casing, so the flat likely came from one of the smaller ones.

In terms of wear, the tire should still be fine: both wear indicators are clearly visible (~3500 km ridden).

I also noticed that the combination of GP5000 tires on my DT Swiss ERC rims is extremely difficult to mount and unmount. I was quite worried about (a) pinching my spare TPU tube, (b) scratching the rim, or (c) breaking my plastic tire levers which would have left me stranded, since there is no way on earth I could mount these tires by hand.

Are there any tips to make the process easier?