Aksiums and tyres

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gf1959

Active Member
Hi all,i recently got some new Mavic Aksiums for the Giant road bike,and
new continental gators at the same time. I have these tyres on the hack,no
problems there,but fitting them on the Mavic's turned out to be 3 hours of
pure hell.
Felt like hurling the whole lot out the window,getting the last bit of tyre
over the rim nearly broke the (plastic)tyre levers,not to mention my
thumbs.
Thing is i've heard some tyres+rims just don't go together,so when i get the
next puncture these tyres aren't going back on,too much grief.
Does anyone else have these wheels,and what tyres do they have on there?
I generally spend £20-£25 on a tyre,and use size 700/23.
Something reasonably puncture resistant that can be fitted without
servo-assisted thumbs,that's all i ask.
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
I have Continental GP4000 on my Aksiums, no bother fitting as I recall.

Worst tyre I've ever done is the Brompton Green - by christ those are tight. I recommend Schwalbe's "Logo" levers for those, very strong indeed & the "hook" is really well shaped.
 

accountantpete

Brexiteer
I'm afraid some tyre/rim combos are hard to fit but if you get the right tyre levers (Pedros highly recommended) and get used to the idea that a bit of brute force is required then it's just like going up a steep hill, tricky at first but gets considerably easier with practice.

You could take a look at the thickness of the rim tape as that does have a bearing on the fitting of a tyre.
 
I don't know if its anything to do with the rim. In all my limited experience of Ace, Askiums, Campy Khasims, Quasar; new tyres have always been a right bugger to fit but surprisingly when I get that inevitable roadside p'ture a few weeks later they go back on in seconds :tongue:
 
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gf1959

Active Member
Thanks guys,i have wondered if next time they might go on a bit easier,well nothing to
lose by finding out when the time comes. The rim tape came with the wheels but i'll
check that too,and look for those levers in the meantime.
 

woohoo

Veteran
About 2000 miles ago, I put Michelin PR3s on my Aksiums and they were an absolute bugger to fit. About 700 miles ago, I got my first (and to date, only) p*nct*re on my PR3s and had no trouble doing a road-side inner tube swap. So, IME, hard to fit tyres ease up with use :tongue:
 

Steve Austin

The Marmalade Kid
Location
Mlehworld
Most new tyres are very tight, and all loosen after 24 hours pumped and fitted.

the hardest tyre i've had was the Conti turbo training tyre. Just left it in the sun for a couple of hours, applied some talc and it went on a bit easier. ggrrrr :biggrin:
 
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gf1959

Active Member
All advice gratefully noted,just have to see how it goes next time. Never had a flat
with gators so hopefully it won't be an issue for ages. Cheers.
 
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