Are the Continental road wire bead tires any better at mounting and unmounting then they used to be? Or are they still a big pain in the ass. My buddy has some hard shell gators that are cheap.
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For me a huge revelation was that the rim has less diameter in the middle of the rim bed. If you can’t get the last bit of tire onto the rim, move the opposite side to the middle of the rim bed.– MichaelMay 6, 2020 at 5:47
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1I’m voting to close this question because it's impossible to answer. Conti make a great many wire bead tyres each with its own manufacturing tolerance. They will then be fitted to a huge array of different rims each with their own differing widths and tolerances– Andy PJan 5 at 22:50
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2 Answers
In my experience, Continental-brand tyres are neither difficult nor easy to fit when new. They certainly require leverage tools like tyre levers or similar, but they're much easier than a Schwalbe Marathon.
I've fitted both GP4000 and Gatorshell tyres in the last year or so.
Personally I prefer kevlar bead tyres now over wire bead for weight, ease of fitting, and easier postage.
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They certainly require leverage tools I'm usually able to get GP4Ks on without levers. Sometimes new ones are tighter and I'll use levers. IME, it's been the same on DT Swiss RR415s, RR585s, R460s, Kinlin XR300s, a bunch of Neuvation wheels, several Mavic wheels, one offset rear rim I can't remember who made, and more than a few OEM wheels. And I'm pretty sure GP4Ks have kevlar beads - they're certainly foldable. (Yes, GP4Ks are my go-to tire, err, tyre. My favorite racing front tire was the old Michelin PR3 - fragile and short-lived but the grip would pull paint off the wall.) May 6, 2020 at 2:01
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1@AndrewHenle fair enough - a lot depends on the wheel rim's well too (ie its cross-section profile)- some combinations are hard.– Criggie ♦May 6, 2020 at 2:26
Schürmann Yak25 rim and Continental Contact Cruiser 27.5x2.40"E-25 SafetySys tire makes a pair that is very easy to mount, I can even put it on without tools. This answer may not be universal but no, not always just pain in the ass as you write.
