Workshop help: Tyre is stuck – what should I do?

Assessment by the BIKE editorial team

It’s nothing new that not all wheel and tyre combinations work perfectly together. However, it should not be the case that tyres can no longer be removed without using considerable force. What’s needed here is even better coordination between manufacturers, so that motorcyclists aren’t left completely stranded on the road simply because of minor breakdowns. - Adrian Kaether, Test & Technology Editor

Reader's question: Tyre is stuck

​Dear BIKE Magazine, I can’t remove the tyres from my Cube e-MTB. The bike is a Stereo Hybrid ONE44 HPC Race. The tyres sit very tightly on the rim and won’t even slide into the rim bed. Even the mechanic at the Cube Store couldn’t manage it. It should always be possible to remove them, even when out and about. For example, in the event of a puncture. Is this a common problem? What are manufacturers doing about it? - Kind regards, Helmut M.

That’s why: BIKE explains

When it comes to problems with tyres and rims, the combination is the key factor. Readers seem to be experiencing issues with Schwalbe tyres fitted to Cube/Newmen rims. However, we are also familiar with this issue arising from other rim-tyre combinations. To get to the bottom of the matter, we’ve contacted both manufacturers involved. Whilst Newmen generally cites manufacturing tolerances, Schwalbe has provided a more detailed explanation.

Interesting: It seems this problem is well known. You can read the statement on this below. Workshop manager Patrick Friedel from Lucky Bike in Wiesbaden also explains how to get the tyre off the rim after all. As the head of a large team of mechanics, he regularly has to deal with tyres that are completely stuck fast and is one of the main characters in our joint DIY series.

Removing tyres: Patrick Friedel, workshop manager at Lucky Bike Wiesbaden

It’s also quite common for the tyre to be fitted very tightly when customers can’t get their bikes to work properly and bring them to us. This is a particular problem – though not exclusively so – with very sturdy gravity tyres or those with a wire bead. Cube, in particular, used to use a sub-optimal rim tape, which made the problems even worse.

If necessary: use a vice

This is how I’d go about it: to pry the tyre off, you first need to press the sidewalls into the rim bed. This gives you more room to work with later when prying. With many tyres, this works quite well if you’ve got strong mechanic’s thumbs. In the worst-case scenario, I clamp the tyre in a vice and use the wheel as a lever. When out and about, you can try laying the wheel flat on the ground and using your heels to help. Caution: Proceed carefully and gently to avoid damage. Plastic jaws in the vice prevent damage to the rim in the workshop.

Removing tyres: the right tool

You can lift the tyre off easily using several sturdy tyre levers – I like the ones from Crankbrothers. Avoid metal levers, as they’ll scratch the rim. Important: Have a close look at the rim and the rim tape. Often, cheap, adhesive rim tape can make removal difficult because the tyre bead gets stuck between the rim tape and the rim flange. This could also be the case with your Cube. In that case, simply apply a nice, wide tubeless rim tape. It has a smooth surface and will make it easier to remove the tyre in future.

When re-fitting the tyre, using automotive mounting paste or mounting fluid will help ensure that the tyre sits correctly afterwards and doesn’t wobble. If it does, you could use a special tyre-fitting pliers, for example, to help. I also use Schwalbe tyre levers when fitting tyres. These can be hooked onto the spokes whilst fitting to prevent the tyre from slipping back off. Once the tyre is fitted, gently inflate it to the pressure limit for the tyre and rim so that the tyre settles properly. You’ll usually hear a loud ‘pop’. This shows that you’ve done it successfully. Just remember to let a bit of air out before you set off.

Removing stubborn tyres: Quick & easy

Three steps to self-help in severe cases.

• Deflate the tyre and press it into the centre of the rim
• If necessary, use tools (vise, tyre lever) or, in an emergency whilst on the move, give it a bit of a nudge with your heels
• Use several sturdy plastic tyre levers to pry the tyre off the rim
• This is tricky: press the tyre bead back into the centre of the rim on both sides. This creates more space to lift the tyre over the rim flange.

Tool recommendations from the master mechanic

• Crankbrothers Speedier: Extra-sturdy tyre levers with a good grip
• Schwalbe Tyre Levers: Hooking onto the rim when fitting tyres
• Schwalbe tyre-fitting fluid or simply something from the car shop
• Cyclus Tools Tyre Fitting Pliers

Statement from Schwalbe: Manufacturers must comply with ETRTO standards!

​To deal with such cases (sub-optimal tyre and rim combinations – Editor’s note) To avoid this, we work proactively with wheel manufacturers on the ETRTO committee to ensure that our tyres are fully compatible. However, this is only possible if the manufacturers also adhere to the ETRTO specifications.

However, manufacturers do sometimes use their own designs. In this specific case, the rim did not comply with the specifications in several respects (shoulder diameter, sidewall height). In particular, the excessive shoulder diameter caused problems when removing tyres. It should be noted that the problem was due to the rim design at the time – a design which the manufacturer has since revised itself.

Springs also compensate for tolerances

As part of our market monitoring, we also accommodate rim designs that actually fall outside the ETRTO specifications. However, there are limits to this, and we simply need a standardised working framework that everyone adheres to. Only then can we ensure a secure tyre fit and smooth fitting.

If, despite this, a tyre fits so tightly due to an unfavourable combination of tolerances that it can no longer be removed, there are several tricks you can try. The simplest is to lay the wheel flat on the floor, kneel on the tyre and, with the palms of your hands on the opposite side, apply pressure to the sidewall using your full body weight. Alternatively, you can try clamping the tyre in a vice or wedging it between the sides of a drawer.