Are tougher road tires (like with kevlar) supposed to be this harder to put on the rims?

Question

I bought some continental tires for my road bike, and I guess they have some Kevlar in them. While I was putting them on, I broke one of my tire levers, and on both tires, the last part was ever so hard. Is this normal? Are they supposed to be this tough to put on. My thumbs are so sore today, oww!

Answer 1

What i used to do was take a tablespoon that has a rounded end and use it to get tires on. You put the rounded end between the tire and rim from the outside and move the spoon slowly along under all the tire is on the rim. It sure saves your thumbs. Good Luck and have a nice day. You use a rounded spoon handle so you don't damage the tube. It can also be used to remove tires too.

Answer 2

I just put kevlar tires on my Mongoose. They are a little harder. But if you get two flat head screwdrivers and some patience they will go on. Just dont use the plastic levers. They will break.

Answer 3

I had a tough time putting on my new Specialized Armadillo tyres, I broke 2 levers in the process, I'm sure my last set weren't this hard!! Different models of tyre come in slightly different sizes - tough rigid ones, like those with kevlar, will be even hard to get on.

Best thing to do is to make sure that where the tyre IS on the rim so far, the beading is pushed into the centre of the rim (which should be slightly deeper) - this should give you a few extra millemeters enabling you to get the last tricky parts over the rim.