It's annoying to buy new tires only to find that they don't fit on your rim. I'm posting a list of tires that I've used so far. I'd be great if you all can also post your experience so we can all get an idea of what tires are easy and difficult to mount.


My wheels are Real Design Super Sphere. I have tried the following size 23 tires with these results:

Able to mount with bare hands:
Vitorria Diamante Pro
Panaracer Stradius Pro
Hutchinson Carbon Comp
Kenda Kaliente

Able to mount with levers:
Contenental Ultra Sport

Too tight to mount:
Hutchinson Top Speed
Forte Pro DC (very tight, absolutely no chance of mounting)

your success can depend heavily on the choice of tire levers,
get some michelin yellow levers for the best results, they are nice and thin and flat where needed, and resist flex enuff to do the job. get a couple pair and use three for more persuasive leverin'.
they are a close replica of the old wheelsmith levers. also campy has some out recently, maybe worth a try.

also, once tires are on and off they will yield to mounting more readily.
i have also used an old rim, such as a mavic to mount preliminarily to stretch the tires before mounting on the notoriously tight rim campy wheelsets..

I couldn't agree more with the Campy rims comment. Michelin tires are notoriously tight fitting. I have absolutely no problems mounting them on my Velocity rims using only my hands. They practically mount themselves.

Mounting Michelins on my Campy rims involves levers, a Crank Brother's Speed Stick, a spray bottle of soapy water, lots & lots of swearing, praying, chanting, weeping, meditating, and incense burning.

I suspect that you can add Continental GP4000 tires to your 'too tight to mount' list. I am in the middle of trying to mount a set of these (that have have been on some Ksyriums for a while) on some Reynolds carbon rims and I think I have invented some new swear words. I can mount these well worn tires by hand on the Ksyriums but have broken a plastic tire lever trying to get them on the Reynolds. I've tried talcum powder but still no joy.

I have always suspected that those people who can't mount tires by hand just don't have the technique right or need to eat some protein.

I am using some fairly thick Vittoria cloth rim tape which probably isn't helping. I am going to try some thinner rim tape or veloplugs next to see if this makes the task easier.

I love GP4000 tires but may have to re think this option for these rims. The thought of trying to fix a punctuer with this combo out on the road has me programming taxi numbers into my mobile phone.

Maybe I should boil up the tires in oil for a couple of days?

Finally got the suckers on with the help of a friend (who is smarter than me). Required the use of 3 tire levers. Obviously changing a flat on the side of the road is not going to be the fast and simple exercise it was with the Ksyriums but it won't be impossible. The biggest problem is the risk of holing the tube with the tire levers.