fitting tyres - tips please

[Howard Wright]

Hi Jon

I’d be very tempted to take your wheels down to a tyre fitter.  Messing around with tyre levers on relatively small diameter 15” alloy wheels (I’m assuming these are for the speedex) can ruin the edges of the rim.

They can also balance the wheels!

Cheers

Howard

[Bob Culver]

If you can see to enter a piece of wire into the stem, then jiggle and rotate the tyre may seduce it to pop out the hole. With a slightly hooked end can draw it out.

[Bob Olive]

A few years ago a friend bought me this gadget for keeping valves correct and vertical when fitting new tubes and/or tyres. Simply thread the end onto the valve after inserting into the cover, and prior to trying to inflate; pull it into position and then inflate GRADUALLY all the while keeping an eye on the valve. It never fails. Problem is - I can't load a photo, and we don't know who the supplier was/is?...

[Ian McGowan]

This or something like it Bob on eBay Sealey-Tyre-Valve-Fishing-Tool-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-Tyre-V...0041.m2061    

[Bob Olive]

Ian, That's it exactly! Works a treat...

[Dave Mann]

    When fitting the inner tube I find my fat fingers can't put the valve stem into the hole so I use an old valve on the end of a piece of wire to thread the valve stem into it's hole.

[Duncan Grimmond]

That is nothing short of brilliant! Thanks, I'll make two tomorrow and put one in the car tool kit and one in the workshop toolchest.

[Hugh Barnes]

Indeed, that is inspired! Having just fitted 3 tyres and the back of my hands and fingers still bear the scars of getting the valve stem into the hole in the rim, like Duncan, I will be making a couple of these today!!

[JonE]

presumably, combining the two ideas above, you could also make it with cord and a valve stem cap?

[Dave Mann]

That is the mark 2 version, the mark 1 used flexible wire which didn't work.