Continental GP4000S tyre

jag con

This maybe a stupid question but has anybody had any difficulty fitting one of these tyres. I have fitted many tyres but this one is impossible to fit and it just will not stay on the rim as i try to fit it
I checked the size it is 700x23

Con

fran oconnor

jag con wrote: »

This maybe a stupid question but has anybody had any difficulty fitting one of these tyres. I have fitted many tyres but this one is impossible to fit and it just will not stay on the rim as i try to fit it
I checked the size it is 700x23

Con

try heating it in a hot press or over a rad maybe that might work..

Quigs Snr

I find them easy to fit on Mavics, Shimano's etc... however I find they are a tight squeeze on fulcrum and American Classic wheels.

blorg

They can be a bit tough, I found them difficult going on to Mavic rims. Not impossible, but certainly more difficult than my Schwalbe Ultremos.

They are even more difficult still onto Fulcrums or Campagnolo I believe.

Fran's tip is a good one.

dario28

fran oconnor wrote: »

try heating it in a hot press or over a rad maybe that might work..

Cyclogical guy said ya should never heat the tyre, using hairdyrers or anything like that.....

Lumen

dario28 wrote: »

Cyclogical guy said ya should never heat the tyre, using hairdyrers or anything like that.....

I doubt that will cause problems. Tyres have to be able to cope with a bit of heat or they'd fall apart on hot descents.

blorg

dario28 wrote: »

Cyclogical guy said ya should never heat the tyre, using hairdyrers or anything like that.....

You don't want to burn or melt the thing but a gentle heating should be fine, after all people living in hotter climates replace tyres all the time without any issues

furiousox

blorg wrote: »

They can be a bit tough, I found them difficult going on to Mavic rims. Not impossible, but certainly more difficult than my Schwalbe Ultremos.

They are even more difficult still onto Fulcrums or Campagnolo I believe.

Fran's tip is a good one.

I have them and they are a nightmare to get on to my campag vento wheelset, bloody fingertips and pinch flats galore!
Good tyre when they're running though.

jag con

cheers guys i will have a look into that
i find when im fitting them as i get to where it is hard to get the tyre onto the rim the rest of the tyre falls off the rim and im back to square one

Con

Lumen

jag con wrote: »

cheers guys i will have a look into that
i find when im fitting them as i get to where it is hard to get the tyre onto the rim the rest of the tyre falls off the rim and im back to square one

Con

Maybe poor technique. Are you using the levers that clip on to your spokes? If so, this shouldn't be possible.

FWIW I find GP4000S tyres much easier to fit than Gatorskins.

furiousox

jag con wrote: »

cheers guys i will have a look into that
i find when im fitting them as i get to where it is hard to get the tyre onto the rim the rest of the tyre falls off the rim and im back to square one

Con

Hi jag, not being patronising but are you using tyre levers?
I find I need to use two, one 'locked' to hold the tyre in position on the rim and then run the 2nd lever all the way around to pull the tyre into the rim.
The last 12 inches or so are really tough going though and I sometimes end up pinching the tube, even using 2 levers.

jag con

Thats sound advice lads i am not using tyre levers, I have never had to use tyre levers on any tyre that i fitted in the past.

I will try this this evening and report back.

Thanks lads

Con

blorg

jag con wrote: »

cheers guys i will have a look into that
i find when im fitting them as i get to where it is hard to get the tyre onto the rim the rest of the tyre falls off the rim and im back to square one

Con

Get a Speed Lever - you can lock this in place around the hub and it will keep your start point in place while you work around the rest of the tyre (and most likely finish it with tyre levers, being careful not to pinch the tube.) This completely eradicates the start point falling off problem.

@Lumen - I have not seen tyre levers other than a Speed lever that will keep a tyre ON the rim, the ones locking onto the spokes keep a tyre OFF the rim.

Lumen

blorg wrote: »

@Lumen - I have not seen tyre levers other than a Speed lever that will keep a tyre ON the rim, the ones locking onto the spokes keep a tyre OFF the rim.

Oh yeah, brain fart. I use a Speed Lever now too, although wince when I'm dragging it along the tyre bead. I vaguely recall in the past leaving a plastic lever sitting between rim and bead (sticking out) to keep the tyre in place while I mounted in the other direction, but maybe I'm going senile.

columbus_66

I would avoid using tyre levers as much as possible as you can damage the tyre or the tube easily. I have punctured plenty of tubes by using tyre levers on a difficult tyre, what I try to do is use your two thumbs as much as possible to slide the last bit of the tyre over the rim, persevere as it usually works. Mavic and Shimano rims seem to be a good fit for most tyres but other wheels like Fulcrum I found very difficult. And it is only the odd tyre that doesn't fit easily. I have never had to use heat and don't want to as they are not made of metal and what are you going to do at the side of the road in the freezing cold if you get a puncture?

blorg

columbus_66 wrote: »

What are you going to do at the side of the road in the freezing cold if you get a puncture?

Remounting a second time is generally easier than the first. I was astounded how easily my turbo trainer tyre swapped wheels after the fight it put up in the first place.

If you are careful you can use tyre levers without damaging the tube, there is no risk to the tyre or wheel as long as you are using plastic ones. I would avoid metal which can scratch or chip the rim.

At the same time I have struggled with a GP4000 at the side of the road before all right!

columbus_66

That's true, all tyres will stretch a bit. Sometimes they are so loose I can usually pull the whole tyre and tube off the rim in one go when I am fixing a puncture at the side of the road. Then I am thinking will it roll off on a corner in a race but it hasn't happened yet!

poochiem

I found these very difficult to put on. I'm a noob so I followed vids on youtube which extoll the 3-lever method and I've stuck with that. They're great tyres. Also I found them a lot easier to remount after a recent puncture.

doozerie

I've found Continental Gatorskins to be tough to get onto Mavic rims (Open Pro's). Mind you, I've had the same problem with Maxxis Detonators on those same rims. Gatorskins were not as tight on Aksiums though, if I remember correctly. I've also had problems getting Continental Sport Contact's onto Mavic MTB rims (XC517, XC717, some others).

Continental tyres and Mavic rims generally do not seem to be a match made in heaven - at least for the first fitting anyway, although they are not always particularly easy on subsequent efforts either.

Lumen wrote: »

I vaguely recall in the past leaving a plastic lever sitting between rim and bead (sticking out) to keep the tyre in place while I mounted in the other direction, but maybe I'm going senile.

That works for me too. I tend to use my knee to keep pressure against the tyre lever to keep it in place, leaving both hands free to skin and break both thumbs while pushing the tyre on...

I sometimes have to resort to more tyre levers and brute force and ignorance to fit the last few inches of tyre. I also find that it helps if you push the tyre edge down into the rim as you seat it, as this leaves (a tiny bit) more remaining tyre free to get over the rim wall.

jag con

Happy days got the tyre on with some elbow grease


Cheers for all the advice lads

Con