That's what your glove is for.
Hook your thumb over the frame and let the tire slide past your palm. Hand goes at the rear of the tire travel. Front tire, thumb on the down tube palm forward. Rear tire, thumb on the rear stay palm down/rear.
Spin-skins are a light and flexible choice for a tire line. Specialized armadillo are great road training tires. For training, go big and fat. For MTB, Stan's looks like the bomb. I saw alot of riders using that product at the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo (in Tucson). Cactus everywhere. I did not use it and fixed 11 flats in one lap.
angela