How To Remove Tubeless Tire From Rim

Jim'south Tech Talk

Past Jim Langley

In several contempo columns like this ane. I've offered tool tips and ideas for a common and extremely frustrating issue with some tubeless tire and tubeless-fix rim combinations.

The issue is that, when the tires are installed, the tire chaplet become locked onto the rim. At that place are shelves on each side of the rim designed to lock and hold the tire beads in identify. The problem is that they agree as well well and when information technology comes time to remove a tubeless tire locked on like this, information technology can be monumentally difficult to remove.

If you carry a tubeless plug patch kit, such equally the ones by Dynaplug (see my recent review) you may never accept to remove a tubeless tire to fix a flat on a ride. But you'll nevertheless run into the issue when information technology comes time to replace the tire, if yous work on your own bike and have tubeless road tires and rims with locking beads.

Even if you lot have tire levers that work well on other tires, they usually won't work for removing the locked on tubeless tires you can run into. The problem with standard tire levers is their tips are also thick to fit between the tire bead and the rim. You can try to jam information technology in-between but the mechanical advantage of the bead lock designed to non permit go no matter what, prevents getting anything as well thick betwixt the rim and tire. At that place isn't enough space, either.

If you're lucky, instead of using a tire lever, you can push on the sides of the tire with your hands to try to shove the bead at one spot off the rim shelf there. If yous try spots every few inches around both sides of the rim, you lot might find one spot that releases. And if so, that one gratuitous spot will create the slack needed to go the tire off all the way around on that i side. And then you just have to repeat the procedure on the other side to unlock that dewdrop and remove the tire.

Dreaming of a Custom Tire Tool

As I wrote in previous Tech Talks about stubborn locked on tubeless tires, I've been trying to invent a tool that both fits in-between the tubeless dewdrop and the rim and also has a pinching activity to push the bead off the rim. I take not had much success – lots of ideas, simply cypher I thought would work with all tires and rim types I would like to utilize information technology on (for road and mountain tubeless tires – MTB tires can be much worse than route).

Finally, the other mean solar day while fighting to remove a locked on tubeless tire, I had a eureka moment. This tire was even worse than a typical locked on tubeless because I had put a new tube in to set up a apartment. The sealant in the tire stuck to the tube gluing it inside the tire and this made it even more difficult to push the tire beads off the rim.

Realizing I couldn't forcefulness this tire off with my hands – or any of the regular cycle tire tools in my shop – and I take most everything ever made, it dawned on me that I might take a much more than basic tool to practice the play a trick on.

Employ with Care

The tool that worked the magic was a expert old fashioned putty knife. Here are some photos so you can run across the type. With its oversize handle y'all have a great grip for forcing the tool in between the tire and rim. You lot take to work at information technology a bit with the goal of getting the entire width of the blade resting on the rim.

Once the tool's blade is fully down in between the tire and rim, you can use the tool as a lever and as well twist it to go its stiff wide bract to push button the tire bead off the rim shelf. You utilize the tool advisedly so as not to jab any precipitous edges into the tire or rim. You're just trying to get the tire dewdrop to motion toward the heart of the rim.

Information technology took a few tries to free the tire, merely the putty knife worked well. I had to be certain to keep it down against the rim and focus on moving the tire not in any way scratching or poking the rim or tire.

If y'all endeavor this with a new putty knife, you want i that has a blade stiff plenty not to bend. That manner using it as a lever or twisting it to push the tire the blade will be stiff plenty to have the desired outcome. If the new blade has whatsoever precipitous edges, be sure to irksome them with a file or piece of sandpaper, etc.

I hope this tool tip helps y'all with locked on tubeless tires. If you requite information technology a try, please comment and permit everyone know how information technology worked. And, please annotate with your favorite tools for removing locked on tubeless tires.

Jim Langley is RBR's Technical Editor. He has been a pro mechanic and cycling author for more than than 40 years. He's the author ofYour Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Check out his "cycling addict" website athttp://www.jimlangley.net, hisQ&A blog and updates atTwitter. Jim's cycling streak ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and xi days of never missing a ride). Click to readJim's total bio.