Tyre Removal (rating)
 

Just had a set of Avon Distanzias fitted recently and they were both tight to get on especially the rear and this was at the garage were i had to end up helping the guy get it on! The tyres for road going purposes are great but it was clear that although i carry equipment to change punctures, there would be no chance of doing this roadside if we could barely achieve it with the tyre machine, I am currently planning a trip into Spain and maybe Morocco and i want to know which off-road biased tyres are readily changeable should the inevitable puncture happen, i would appreciate your input on this, the TKC80s spring to mind as a few have used them but im looking for definitive answers based on changing them yourselves at roadside.
Cheers
Steve

You've said it yourself, the TKC's are the way to go.

Changing at the roadside is straightforward and easy with the TKC's. I've found that the more road bias they are, the bigger pigs they are!

I've managed to refit the tyre on the front without levers when it's been warm.

As a general rule, I only ever use the kit I carry to change tyres, even at home. Practise Practise Practise.... as someone once said to me

I had a flat this past weekend and the practice I had the last three times were a blessing

http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/y...ders/014-7.jpg

The small compressor was useless

The centrestand is a MUST

Prior to our Moroccan trip last year we swapped the original Sirac's for TKC's.

Although we had workshop facilities available, the rules of engagement were to do it by hand using the tools we would take with us.

By far the most difficult task was breaking the bead of the original Sirac's.

We never did get to try removing the TKC's at the roadside as we did not suffer the misfortune of a puncture, but I suspect that having a puncture while riding would probably help break the bead!

... and definitely fit a centre stand!

Yes....

or a sturdy pannier you can sit the bike on

Just a quick note to echo the other replies. Road biased tyres always seem to be tighter on the bead. I can only conclude that they are all tubeless at heart regardless of tyre wall markings. I have changed TKC's on the forecourt of a petrol station, and on a back road in France and also on Salisbury Plain with the tools carried and no issues other than getting a bit sweaty. Agree with centre stand comment. I have not got one and spend long periods looking for logs for under the belly pan when puntures occur. Also agree with comment re breaking the bead. When changing the tyre at home its a pig, But after a rolling punture its ok as its normally de-beaded (that can't be the correct word!). Finally I would just add that decent tyre levers, rim protectors and taking your time is the key.

Its really just a big bicycle. Good luck.

Thanks for that guys, yes i have a centre stand and have had quite a bit of practice, the TKC's are obviously on the list, is it worthwhile giving any of the other options a thought, Mitas etc or are the TKC's the "Mutts Nutts" so to speak?

If it says 'tubeless' on the side, it will be an arse to get on and off (even if you're using it with a tube). Distanzias, Anakees, etc are all designed to stay in place on tubeless rims.


TKCs... Mitas E-09's are cheaper, last longer and work just as well if not better off-road. Try a pair and tell me if you still feel an urge to try TKCs.

I think the Swedish Army front is a better dirt tyre than the E-09 front, and looks like it will last about as long, but you lose a bit of tarmac braking and are limited to 80mph. If you can live with that I'd think about pairing the Army front with an E-09 rear.


100% fit them at home using your travelling toolkit and nothing else. If you can't do it in your garage with those tools, you're never going to be able to do it down a muddy track.

Ever though about..
Kenda 761
Shinko 705
havn't had any griff changeing them...
the only place they don't work is wet grass..
mud & snow good.. seal/gravel/Hard dirt they are great..
I use Kenda front & Shinko rear on my XTR..

FWIW, I found the Mitas (E07) to be easier than anything I tried before but at the end of the day as Gas_up says: Practice (makes perfect)! And the right tools. ;-)
(The E07's are cheaper than TKC80's but not a proper knobbly so not as good off road)

N Boer maak n plan ag Lekka Duel .

I am so glad I have never had to change a tyre whilst out and about. its hard enough doing it at home. I have also had to give in a couple of times with road tyres and nip down the local bike mechanic and even then he struggled.

never knew about knobblies being easier to change but it makes sense as I have only ever struggled with road tyres.

wearing gloves saves bust knuckles

[quote=uberthumper;166764]TKCs... Mitas E-09's are cheaper, last longer and work just as well if not better off-road. Try a pair and tell me if you still feel an urge to try TKCs. . . /quote]

There is reason people keep banging on about TKC's and its the fact they perform for most of us. 70 to 90 percent on road and the remainder off. We would all like to do more off road but bar living in Scandanavia or Africa ts almost impossible. Yes Mitas make some great tyres and the E09 stand out but at the end off the daty you need something to grab the tarmac in both wet and dry conditions. The TKC will do that very well IMO.


We all want to be individual but when the swell of opinionm points in a certain direction . . .

Everyone is diferent and has thier own ideas. But don't be affraid to change.

Good luck.

I've changed the Siracs without a problem, but you absolutely must ride around for a few mins with them just about flat. This will both break the bead and warm them up for removal. It may also wreck your inner tube (if it's not already had it) though..

If you have it, squirt some WD or liquid soap into the flat tyre rim to help it slip off..

As said before: practice, practice, practice, practice and practice some more!!

No center stand needed :)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-i...Large%2529.jpg

If you want a very easy tire take a Heidenau K60. The front you can almost change without tools.

******** ;)

The reason people bang on about TKCs are because they are the well known choice for a 50:50 knobbly (and were probably the only choice for many years), and frankly people are quite unimaginative sometimes.

Don't be afraid to change ;)

I work in IT..... being afraid of change is how you survive.

But Pepsi, heat is your friend when it comes to fixing motorbike flats!

1. Tyre is softer, thus easier to remove and replace.
2. It doesn't hurt as much when you bang your knuckles/jam your fingers.
3. You drink more water, which flushes stale alcohol out onto the roadside.
4. The tube is more flexible, making it bit easier to shove in, so to speak.

Fixing a road-type-tyre flat on the Tenere rear is unpleasant with 'toolkit' levers due to that safety lip. I've only had one - but it was a blowout due to a rock fracturing the tyre in the middle of the tread. So I had to remove the tyre completely, patch it as best I could, then see to the tube.
I wobbled the last 300km to home freezing my arse off at 60km/h hoping the rough tyre repair worked, which it did. Physio tape over multiple tube patches: highly recommended.

So the old motto of use your toolkit in the garage when it comes to tyres is a good one, as everyone has said.

Btw, I carry a small backup hand pump sometimes, but usually only CO2 bottles and adapter. Saves a lot of time and effort.

At work, flats are frequent and annoying. I think I have four patches on my front h/d tube. Practice, practice, enforced practice!

What I can add to this discussion is this. MotionPro bead breaker levers are simply amazing and worth their weight in gold, both in the workshop and out on the trail. And K60 Scouts are a bit of a ****** to get on and off (rear), not helped by the mat black finish on many of the XT wheels. The hardest part by far has been getting them to seat correctly after figment.

Everyone worries about the removal or breaking the bead. I fitted a Pirelli Scrorpion MT90 at the back and could break the bead by using 2 long tyre levers against each other.
But seating the tyre was not accomplished at more than 5 bar. So I had to loosen it again and douse with soapy water before inflating again to almost 5 bar before it slipped over the last lip to seat. Doubt if my tyre pump or CO2 cartridges would have done that next to the road. So also lubricate well before seating !

Which raises the question of what people do out on the trail to lube? I carried a small can of wd40 last time, but I think better and smaller would be to decant some washing up liquid in to a very small container of some sort.

All I use is water. It works for me. And the CO2 bottles did work on an almost new tubeless Tourance. Luckily.

Just as a matter of interest how many 16g CO2 caspsules does it take to get the tyres up to a ridable pressure?
& do the tyres lose a bit of pressure over night using CO2's like they do on my push bikes?

Im lazy, and change tyres quite a lot, 5-6 tines a year not including many punctures, so i just filed the safety bead away on about a 1/4 of the rim on both sides, marked rim up on the outside, i can break the bead easily now.

Never had a tire come off or a rim fail in 20,000 miles of abuse. Trail riding at 20psi, towing the trailer, touring. The rims seem very solid so i had no issues taking a file too it.

Jon

If you have a set of bead breakers (motion pro or similar) they are pretty easy to fit. Worst tires to fit is the Mitas E09 and E07. But they go on... eventually.