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I think im a real ace at swapping bike tires, almost never need more than my fingers. Sometimes i put water around the tire bead so it can slide. The bead needs to slide around the rim to make space. Pinch the bead from each side into the center of the rim, there is a shelf around the outside where the bead will be tightest.
I dont think ive used a tire lever in five years but there are tough combinations. I need to be able to repair so I wont stand for it and would get a tire i knew i could change.
Some tire rim combinations are a disaster. I remember an early bontrager ust tire that i needed a tire lever to get the tire bead on to a mavic rim - never a good sign. It made a snap-BONG when it clicked into place and i knew i was hosed. Spoke tension had fallen off. I had to use a wire cutter to get that tire off the rim. Those were the days when the tubeless spec wasnt agreed yet, not so common now..
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