CUBE RA 0.8 CX wheels hard to get tyres back on

[so solid crew]

Hi all,
I have a 2019 CUBE cross race pro. I recently switched back to slick tyres. I had forgotten what a nightmare it is to get the tyres back on. a real battle! is this because these are cheap entry level wheels or is more to do with the tyres? I'm running 28 x700 continental tyres with inner tubes.

 

[Cycleops]

Continental are not known for producing cheap or poor quality tyres. Just that some rims are a little more difficult to mount, not to mention some tyres.
This might help you out:

View: https://youtu.be/jvvXrlAUUfU

 

[vickster]

Are they tubeless ready wheels ? Seems to be a theme mounting tubes tyres on tubeless ready rims.
If so, try tubeless?
What tyres are you using?

Edit… Apparently not tubeless ready
https://off.road.cc/content/review/bikes/cube-cross-race-pro-2020-review-4749

Try a tyre glider or different tyres?

Or get your LBS to fit and hope you don’t get a fairy visit!

 

[Slick]

I had a bit of an issue early one winter morning so decided to try one of these. Great wee tool.

https://www.tyrekey.com/

 

[bonzobanana]

Cube sell themselves on German engineering but are pretty much an importer and use some very low end factories like Meghna in Bangladesh who I believe Halfords have used for their Apollo range. It wouldn't surprise me at all if its a Bangladesh made bike if the wheel tolerances are quite poor. It doesn't take much to make a wheel slightly too large or too small if a machine is allowed to go slightly out of tolerance. Labour is so cheap in Bangladesh that they rely more on manual processes rather than automated machinery. Anyway Bangladesh is regarded as one of the lowest quality bike manufacturing countries typically that doesn't mean they are unsafe but they can be a little rough around the edges. I think a lot of the Argos bikes are made in Bangladesh too. They are very big supplier of lower end bikes especially low end steel bikes into the EU because they are tariff exempt. There is also a process where frames and forks are imported from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, mainland China and then assembled into full bikes in Taiwan in order to get the all important 'Made in Taiwan' sticker but really they are lower quality frames and forks. Brand and even the country of manufacture doesn't mean a lot nowadays unless its a brand that actually does its own manufacturing like Giant or Merida.

https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/germanys-cube-teams-meghna-make-high-end-bicycles-1632277

 

[vickster]

The wheels are on Alexrims at least the 2020 variant according to the review (Specialized use/used to use on their lower end models too)

What‘s the country of manufacture of the frame got to do with the wheels and tight tyres? 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

You seem a little obsessed with country of frame manufacture whatever the question

 

[cyberknight]

some tyre / wheel combos just suck , i had durano plus onmy commuter and they were that tough to change i gave up

 

[bonzobanana]

The wheels are on Alexrims at least the 2020 variant according to the review (Specialized use/used to use on their lower end models too)

What‘s the country of manufacture of the frame got to do with the wheels and tight tyres? 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

You seem a little obsessed with country of frame manufacture whatever the question

Hardly obsessed just pointing out quality is related to the factory not the brand stuck on and obviously most factories lace their own wheels and often form the rim shape from aluminium extrusions or buy in bulk lengths of rims and cut themselves and even if they buy in just the rims pre-cut and joined there still needs to be a QC check at the end after lacing if those rims have poor size tolerances. Plenty of areas where a poor factory can fail to make a decent product surely. I've seen poor welds and rough internal surfaces on the inside of the seat tube so it marks the saddle post on Bangladesh frames and others have reported poor frame symmetry. Hardly much of a stretch to imagine wheels that are a little undersized or oversized on occasion from such factories. So obviously the quality of the factory used is critical to tolerances you'd have to be some sort of moron not to realise that, you'd only need basic understanding of how factories work to understand their importance there.

Many brands have no manufacturing facilities themselves and put a high retail price on their products but buy from pretty low end factories so they have a high margin and as consumers that surely is important to know so we can make an informed choice on quality and value. Their marketing material presents themselves as a high quality manufacturer but in reality they are a fairly low quality bike importer. Pathetic and childish use of emoticons does not in anyway add to your argument by the way.

 

[Alex321]

Cube sell themselves on German engineering but are pretty much an importer and use some very low end factories like Meghna in Bangladesh who I believe Halfords have used for their Apollo range. It wouldn't surprise me at all if its a Bangladesh made bike if the wheel tolerances are quite poor. It doesn't take much to make a wheel slightly too large or too small if a machine is allowed to go slightly out of tolerance. Labour is so cheap in Bangladesh that they rely more on manual processes rather than automated machinery. Anyway Bangladesh is regarded as one of the lowest quality bike manufacturing countries typically that doesn't mean they are unsafe but they can be a little rough around the edges. I think a lot of the Argos bikes are made in Bangladesh too. They are very big supplier of lower end bikes especially low end steel bikes into the EU because they are tariff exempt. There is also a process where frames and forks are imported from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, mainland China and then assembled into full bikes in Taiwan in order to get the all important 'Made in Taiwan' sticker but really they are lower quality frames and forks. Brand and even the country of manufacture doesn't mean a lot nowadays unless its a brand that actually does its own manufacturing like Giant or Merida.

https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/germanys-cube-teams-meghna-make-high-end-bicycles-1632277

Most Cube wheels are built in their own factory in Germany. Yes, that "factory" is mainly an assembly plant, with frames and most other parts being imported, then assembled there.

And their rims are actually rebranded Alexrims.

 

[T4tomo]

Hi all,
I have a 2019 CUBE cross race pro. I recently switched back to slick tyres. I had forgotten what a nightmare it is to get the tyres back on. a real battle! is this because these are cheap entry level wheels or is more to do with the tyres? I'm running 28 x700 continental tyres with inner tubes.

some of it is technique , getting the opposite side right into the centre channel as you push the last bit over "buys" you 3-5mm of wiggle room, being blessed with strong thumbs really helps, as does talcum powder, and a new tyres is always stiffer and some rim/ tyres combos are just "hard".

people report that the tyre glider tool is a good help, personally not used it.

 

[T4tomo]

So obviously the quality of the factory used is critical to tolerances you'd have to be some sort of moron not to realise that, you'd only need basic understanding of how factories work to understand their importance there.

Many brands have no manufacturing facilities themselves and put a high retail price on their products but buy from pretty low end factories so they have a high margin and as consumers that surely is important to know so we can make an informed choice on quality and value. Their marketing material presents themselves as a high quality manufacturer but in reality they are a fairly low quality bike importer. Pathetic and childish use of emoticons does not in anyway add to your argument by the way.

so you are objecting to emoji's but happy to call other people morons if they disagree with you?? Really?? 😥😥

 

[andymcl2010]

Hi all,
I have a 2019 CUBE cross race pro. I recently switched back to slick tyres. I had forgotten what a nightmare it is to get the tyres back on. a real battle! is this because these are cheap entry level wheels or is more to do with the tyres? I'm running 28 x700 continental tyres with inner tubes.

I feel your pain on this! I also have a Cube - Cross Race Pro 2019 and at this time of year (Scotland), I always bring the bike indoors and on to the Turbo Trainer. I've just spent over 3 hours trying to fit a Continental Home Trainer tyre with no success (same every year with the same tyre). 3 hours in and after pinching 2x inner tubes with tyre levers (and actually snapping 1x lever), I took it up to my LBS, who sorted it in around 5 minutes. The shame!!! (For some reason, I can always fit the standard outdoor tyre back on fairly easily).

 

[so solid crew]

I must have improved my technique. it's not been too bad just lately. I think the tyre wast getting trapped in the rim tape.

 

[GuyBoden]

Techniques I have used in the past to assist getting tyres on difficult wheels:

(In no particular order.)

Washing up liquid.
Pre-Heating the tyre.
Cable ties.

(I am not affiliated to any of the above approaches and seek no recompense.)