Hi all - seems basic, but I have been stumped. Cervelo 2025 Soloist with reserve TA 64/578 wheels (25 mm internal diameter) set up with TPU tubes, but Vittoria NEXT Tubeless ready (TLR) 28 mm tyres. For weight and better rolling resistance, wanted to switch over to Vittoria Corsa Pro “tube type” 30 mm tyres. Succeeded in swapping one tyre, but on the other I absolutely cannot unseat the tyre bead from the rim. Even purchased a “bead jack” but it does not seat firmly enough on the rim to displace the tyre. Help! Prefer not to resort to cutting through the tyre, as it has minimal mileage & I can use it on my commuter.
Try and run some thin silicone based lubricant under the stuck bead.
Focally warm the tyre with a hair dryer or carefully with a heat gun.
If one side is dismounted, carefully cut the rim tape and peel it out from under the stuck bead using pliers.
Wear grippy foam nitrile work gloves and enlist the help of someone with gorilla hands.
Did you buy the actual Vittoria air liner tool for breaking the bed seat or a bead jack tool for installing a tire? They’re very different tools. Without said tool, good work gloves can help a lot or try squeezing the tire in a bench vice.
Had a similar situation with some Vittoria gravel tyres recently. Only thing that worked for me was trapping the tyre in between a door and it’s frame, closing the door slightly to grip it then using that to leverage the tyre off. Weird tip I know but it read it on another forum and it worked for me.
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Breaking the bead is all about pushing the tyre inwards towards the centre of the rim - you’re not trying to lever the tyre off the rim at this point (sorry if that is obvious, but not sure what you’re doing with a bead jack - I don’t see how one would help at this stage!)
Do you have access to a vice? Clamping the tyre as close as possible to the rim interface and doing it up as tight as you can might work. Or tighten it a lot, then use the wheel as leverage.
Alternatively, try putting the wheel on the ground (ideally a firm but gentle surface - e.g. chuck an old towel on a concrete floor) and carefully stand on the tyre, again trying to focus your weight on the tyre sidewall as closely as possible to the rim interface, without standing on the rim itself. This video demonstrates (although he makes it look far too easy - I imagine that tyre would have come off by hand no problem!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZR3nCiLBP0
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Park Tools has a tire seating tool (basically modified channel lock pliers) It basically squeezes both sides of the tire together. I would use this, then pry the pliers to one side to break a sticky bead. It’s super easy to scratch your wheels doing this, and I would tape everything up (including the tool) to help prevent this. PTS-1 Tire Seater | Park Tool
Since then, Park Tool has come out with a dedicated Bead Breaker that I also purchased, but have not had the opportunity to try out. BMT-1 Tire Bead Breaker | Park Tool
I know you probably don’t want to order a tool you’ll hardly use, then wait for it to get here before swapping tires, but it may be a nice tool to have in the future. If you happen to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can borrow mine or bring the wheel over and I’m sure we can get it off.
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For a difficult bead, the key is pushing the tire off the bead seat at approximately a 90 degree angle towards the middle of the rim. Once you have it started, you need to go around the entire tire to get the bead into the center channel. Then you can work on the other bead. Once both beads are in the center channel, you can then lever the tire out using the extra slack provided by the center channel. It’s the opposite process to mounting (obviously!)
I find setting the wheel on top of a large open, round garbage can or bucket can help with the positioning.
This. Works every time for me.
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Many thanks all - have ordered the Park Tool BMT1 and will let you know how it performs in my hands! I am sure Dave Rome will be happy with another tool purchase!
Have this same combo and ended up using a block of wood pressed close to rim. Standing on block I pulled up on rim. It worked but no idea what I’d have to do on the road. I have since been adding red rubber grease to the bead which may or may not be helping. If the Park tool works, it’s on my list.
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No solution just memories of a Bike MS ride in 2024. One of my ride partners had Reserve wheels and maybe Vittoria tires and flatted. The four of us in the group tried every roadside trick. Had other riders stop and give it a try. It would not unseat. We were close to a service stop. He pumped the tire up and limped back. The mechanics there could not unseat. He sagged to the finish and I think the mechanics there (worked for the shop that sold him the combo) were able to break it after much effort, choice words and I think the Park BMT1.
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have also purchased the Vittoria toll you mention - was not previously aware of that one
I was less impressed with the Vittoria tool supplied with their airliners. Flimsy, and painful on the hands. Oh and didn’t work at all for me.
I’ve had this three times now with Reserve wheels, one I had to resort to cutting the bead, the others came off with extended pressure using thumbs around and around the tyre pushing inwards.
Now in my quarterly tubeless maintenance I unseat the drive side in the workshop so if I need to on the road there’s a fighting chance.
Doesn’t seem to be as bug a problem with Continental tyres as with Vittoria.
Thanks for sharing your (worrying) experience. If I still have similar issues once I switch over to the Vittoria “tube type” tyres (as I am running TPU tubes) - I will give Continental tyres a go - but I do prefer the “supple” feel of the Corsas over the GP5000s
Maybe you could use the clamp of your bike stand as you would with a vice?
Vittoria tool arrived, and agree not great functionality as the surface material / texture of the “jaws” / clamping force insufficient to effectively hold the tyre, but clumsily it did enable me to unseat the tyre & replace (easily) with Corsa Pro “tube type” tyres.
Final edit: Park Tolls BMT-1 toll arrived - and it is so much more robust, strong and better at the job than the Vittoria toll! If any other sin this same situation - just go straight to the Park Toll solution! Thanks to all in the forum for sharing their experience and enabling me to solve this problem!