New thumbs required

[Matt2matt2002]

Just fitted 2 new Marathon Plus to my Raven.
Bought from SJS.
At one point I had to check that they hadn't sent me 24" ones
Next time I'll order 2 new thumbs as well.
And replacement tire levers for my bent ones.
Phew, quite a job.

[JohnR]

A bit late for this occasion, but have you seen this video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUFVrl0UT4

[Matt2matt2002]

Excellent.
So easy when you know that trick of pushing the bead in and around the rim.
Many thanks

Matt

[in4]

I occasionally use some shampoo/ shower gel ( fragrance of your choice! ) if seating the tyre is difficult.

[mickeg]

I have had some tight tires, but generally a non-tubeless tire on a non-tubeless rim should be pretty easy.  You need the replacement thumbs for the tubeless ones.

[PH]

Well thankfully you'll probably not have to take them off again till they're worn out.  They're not my choice of tyres for anything other than usage that that would make a puncture a real problem, but I know others like them...

[RonS]

My previous Continental tires were equally difficult to mount. I changed the plastic rim strip for tubeless rim tape, and was able to mount them without tools. Did the same with my cycle pal's bike with the same results with his Marathon Plus. It seems that the fraction of a mm space created by the thin tape makes just enough extra room in the well of the rim to get that last bit of bead on.

[Andre Jute]

... I know others like them. [Marathon Plus]...

They're welcome to them. They're also welcome to the workalike Bontrager Hardcore Elite.

[Andyb1]

Just refitted a Marathon using my fingers…..all you have to do is have a little air in the innertube (not too much) and keep pushing the tyre bead around the rim towards where you are fitting it.  No lube used.
I do use levers to remove tyres but not to refit.

[Matt2matt2002]

Just refitted a Marathon using my fingers…..all you have to do is have a little air in the innertube (not too much) and keep pushing the tyre bead around the rim towards where you are fitting it.  No lube used.
I do use levers to remove tyres but not to refit.

Can I borrow your thumbs?
 
Tire levers? I broke ( a very old ) one  removing the front tire!

[Andyb1]

Maybe we have different rims Matt?
As in the video the trick is to push the bead towards the centre of the rim but I do find that 1.75 Marathons are easier to fit than 1.5 inch ones.
I do have to use (plastic) levers to remove Marathons but the reason I don’t use levers to put the tyre back on is to reduce the risk of inner tube damage.

[John Saxby]

Wellll, I have arthritic thumbs, and have had considerable difficulty fitting 650B x 48 mm Panaracer Gravelkings to the rear wheel (a Ryde Rival) my Mercury.

I did switch from a tubeless rim to a DT Swiss rim (recommended by Thorn). Andrew at Tall Tree Cycles, my LBS, did a nice job of rebuilding the rear wheel.

And, I discovered the Kool-Stop Tire Bead Jack, suggested to me by Danneaux, and -- voilà!  It works very well indeed.  Not expensive -- Cdn $27 from an LBS.

I'd be remiss not to mention that, dealing with the last 8 - 10" of the bead, I found it helpful to use a 5" QR rubber tie to hold the bead in place after I'd eased it over the rim with the Kool-stop jack.

And, on the matter of arthritic thumbs:  My GP prescribed a cream with 10% diclofenac. I use it esp on my left thumb, which has an osteophyte-in-formation.  Diclofenac is the active ingredient in Voltaren -- but only at 1%. Face-à-face with arthritis, 1% is, er, inadequate.