Well, I bought a pair of Angel GT's, a Harbor Fright tire changer w/ MC attachment and a HF Lift. Bike is on the lift, rear tire is off, changer is assembled, and I was raring to go. Home made Mojo Blocks are installed and the tire is not getting any younger. First thing this AM I used my battery op impact drill to anchor the changer to a couple of RR ties I had (well, not really, just your average 6" x 9" ancient timbers about 6' long). Watched the NoMar video showing how easy this is, and set about breaking the bead loose.
I propped the tire up on doubled 2x4's so the brake disc was clear of the ties, and used the HF bead breaker that is on the base of the machine. Piece of cake! Only fly in the ointment was the tire seemed to go back to the original position when I released the pressure. Finished one side, flipped the wheel, and did the other. How easy can this be? I was on a roll.
Measured from the rim to the center (axle) hole on the wheel and then checked the tire changer. First problem. The holes for the adjustable grippers straddle the correct position to center the axle hole under the shaft on the changer. I picked the closest hole and locked them down. My mojo blocks worked surprisingly well gripping the rim as the tire slid away from where the bead was seated. The NoMar video showed a guy who must have been a professional tire changer, someone who has dismounted and mounted at least 250,000 tires. He has a tire that is about as stiff as a flaccid noodle, certainly not like my Pirelli or your PR4. When he pressed the bead down to the center of the rim it looked about as hard as petting your dog, and inserting the tire tool, well, again, easy peasy.
Second problem with the HF changer, the center rod will not go through the axle hole if the wheel is not centered. And of course, the rod is bigger than the axle just in case the wheel were centered. Fortunately, with a few kind words whispered at the changer and a few persuading taps, the arm flexed enough so that the rod's threaded end slid down into the uppermost wheel bearing. Third problem is the blessed changer is way too high for anyone shorter than Uncle Phil. Yes, I had the MC attachment screwed down all the way on the basic changer, and yes, I was standing on the ties to which the changer was mounted. Way too high. No matter how hard I pushed or muttered sweet nothings, I could not slide the tool between the bead and rim. Out came a variety of clamps. A large deep throated clamp and a wood block squeezed the tire and I was able to slide the tool in place and hook the bead over the rim. Brace against the rod and pull it around with one hand. Huh? The whole wheel was turning. Phil had told me that he used a broom handle to hold the wheel still. None of mine looked robust enough so I slid a 2x4 down between two 'spokes' of the cast wheel and commenced pulling. The tire fought back but I won. It seems so easy to recount this, but I was struggling to get the tire off the rim. The lube spray helped but it was clearly not snail snot - that oily mix used on everything to reduce friction to zero.
Hooking the second bead was a much bigger problem. I finally got the tire off the rim and was not sure at this point who was winning. My old tire was significantly softer than the new one. Panic reared its ugly head. Washed the wheel and scrubbed the inside bead seating area of the rim until it was smooth and clean as your baby's bottom. Then I carefully applied lube to the center of the rim and the appropriate places on the new tire. While taking painstaking care not to use too much or too little lube, I remembered watching a guy at a tire place slather on the goop taking as much care as a short order cook buttering toast. The NoMar guy slides the first bead over the rim without breathing hard or breaking a sweat. I resorted to clamps, a tire iron wrapped in a rag and a second tire iron inserted into a leather work glove. I was struggling here but finally got the first bead on the rim. Turned the tire so the red dot was next to the valve and double checked the tire rotation arrow and my tape on the rim. Inserted the tire tool, a yellow 'thing' to hold the bead down and prevent sliding, and tugged on the bar. It slid maybe 2/3rds of the way around and stopped. Huffing and puffing did no good. That new Angel GT dug its heels in and would not budge. Out came the tire irons, lubed them and the tire and started prying the bead onto the rim and inch a a time. Clamps helped a bit. I struggled, I swore (forget the sweet nothings or words of persuasion), I gasped for air, braced my foot against one of the arms of the changer and pulled and pulled. Gave up and smeared some more lube on every surface that contacted another - tire, rim, tire tool, tire irons, my hands, and whatever they touched over the next 10 minutes. Tried the bar again, heaving mightily. Pop! On it went. I was utterly spent.
Replaced the valve core, inflated the tire to seat the bead, check pressure and adjust it, and I was finished - in all ways I could count. I'll balance the tire tomrrow. Time to take a tree down. Easy things come last.
My mistakes: * Buying the HF tire changer - should have spent more than a thou and bought one like Uncle Phil. Let the machine sweat and huff and puff.
* Thinking this was going to be easy.
* Not initially swabbing about 15 lbs of lube on every surface within a 12' radius of the tire changer.
What went right: After it was over, the wheel sure looked sweet with a brand new tire on it.
I'm looking forward to the front wheel....about like a case of chicken pox.
I propped the tire up on doubled 2x4's so the brake disc was clear of the ties, and used the HF bead breaker that is on the base of the machine. Piece of cake! Only fly in the ointment was the tire seemed to go back to the original position when I released the pressure. Finished one side, flipped the wheel, and did the other. How easy can this be? I was on a roll.
Measured from the rim to the center (axle) hole on the wheel and then checked the tire changer. First problem. The holes for the adjustable grippers straddle the correct position to center the axle hole under the shaft on the changer. I picked the closest hole and locked them down. My mojo blocks worked surprisingly well gripping the rim as the tire slid away from where the bead was seated. The NoMar video showed a guy who must have been a professional tire changer, someone who has dismounted and mounted at least 250,000 tires. He has a tire that is about as stiff as a flaccid noodle, certainly not like my Pirelli or your PR4. When he pressed the bead down to the center of the rim it looked about as hard as petting your dog, and inserting the tire tool, well, again, easy peasy.
Second problem with the HF changer, the center rod will not go through the axle hole if the wheel is not centered. And of course, the rod is bigger than the axle just in case the wheel were centered. Fortunately, with a few kind words whispered at the changer and a few persuading taps, the arm flexed enough so that the rod's threaded end slid down into the uppermost wheel bearing. Third problem is the blessed changer is way too high for anyone shorter than Uncle Phil. Yes, I had the MC attachment screwed down all the way on the basic changer, and yes, I was standing on the ties to which the changer was mounted. Way too high. No matter how hard I pushed or muttered sweet nothings, I could not slide the tool between the bead and rim. Out came a variety of clamps. A large deep throated clamp and a wood block squeezed the tire and I was able to slide the tool in place and hook the bead over the rim. Brace against the rod and pull it around with one hand. Huh? The whole wheel was turning. Phil had told me that he used a broom handle to hold the wheel still. None of mine looked robust enough so I slid a 2x4 down between two 'spokes' of the cast wheel and commenced pulling. The tire fought back but I won. It seems so easy to recount this, but I was struggling to get the tire off the rim. The lube spray helped but it was clearly not snail snot - that oily mix used on everything to reduce friction to zero.
Hooking the second bead was a much bigger problem. I finally got the tire off the rim and was not sure at this point who was winning. My old tire was significantly softer than the new one. Panic reared its ugly head. Washed the wheel and scrubbed the inside bead seating area of the rim until it was smooth and clean as your baby's bottom. Then I carefully applied lube to the center of the rim and the appropriate places on the new tire. While taking painstaking care not to use too much or too little lube, I remembered watching a guy at a tire place slather on the goop taking as much care as a short order cook buttering toast. The NoMar guy slides the first bead over the rim without breathing hard or breaking a sweat. I resorted to clamps, a tire iron wrapped in a rag and a second tire iron inserted into a leather work glove. I was struggling here but finally got the first bead on the rim. Turned the tire so the red dot was next to the valve and double checked the tire rotation arrow and my tape on the rim. Inserted the tire tool, a yellow 'thing' to hold the bead down and prevent sliding, and tugged on the bar. It slid maybe 2/3rds of the way around and stopped. Huffing and puffing did no good. That new Angel GT dug its heels in and would not budge. Out came the tire irons, lubed them and the tire and started prying the bead onto the rim and inch a a time. Clamps helped a bit. I struggled, I swore (forget the sweet nothings or words of persuasion), I gasped for air, braced my foot against one of the arms of the changer and pulled and pulled. Gave up and smeared some more lube on every surface that contacted another - tire, rim, tire tool, tire irons, my hands, and whatever they touched over the next 10 minutes. Tried the bar again, heaving mightily. Pop! On it went. I was utterly spent.
Replaced the valve core, inflated the tire to seat the bead, check pressure and adjust it, and I was finished - in all ways I could count. I'll balance the tire tomrrow. Time to take a tree down. Easy things come last.
My mistakes: * Buying the HF tire changer - should have spent more than a thou and bought one like Uncle Phil. Let the machine sweat and huff and puff.
* Thinking this was going to be easy.
* Not initially swabbing about 15 lbs of lube on every surface within a 12' radius of the tire changer.
What went right: After it was over, the wheel sure looked sweet with a brand new tire on it.
I'm looking forward to the front wheel....about like a case of chicken pox.