BVC-CHAT Tire/spoke Advice

[Jeff Ackerman]

At 09:49 AM 9/26/2007, you wrote:
>Y'all are making me laugh.  The tired that came with my Terry Isis
>were hard to get off (and they went flat easily -- don't know if
>they've fixed these up, I gave up and started buying something else).
>I once broke 3 tire levers trying to fix a flat.  Needless to say,
>there is a reason I now have the heavy duty levers.
>
>I've worked with a friend's Armadillos.  They were a piece of cake
>compared to that.
>
>For what its worth, I got very good at fixing flats during that time.
>Every time I get a flat and it doesn't give me that kind of grief, I
>am grateful.  And it is 5 years later!
>
>Jean Marie


Poor spoke tension will cause the tires to be harder to remove. 
...sounds silly perhaps, but true.

Almost all factory made wheels will come with spoke tension that is 
far below optimal. Properly tensioned spokes will actually decrease 
the diameter of the rim by a very small amount and, while not the 
actual purpose of proper spoke tension, will allow the tire to come 
off easier.

Optimal spoke tension will also make your wheels as strong as 
possible and keep them as true as possible.

I don't know if there are any good wheelbuilders in our local shops 
as I build my own. This is very much a skill and most wheelbuilders 
don't bother doing a good job. ...most of the factory stuff is done 
in seconds by a machine.

I used to have to constantly re-true wheels and had a hard time 
removing tires, and occasionally even broke spokes until I started to 
build my own - I now run 32 spoke standard wheels (mavic open) on my 
single and 36 spoke on my tandem with zero problem at about 210 pounds.

The "bible" on the topic is Jobst Bryant's "The Bicycle Wheel" - see 
the site below.

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Wheel-3rd-Jobst-Brandt/dp/0960723668