So Matt - are you OK with changing tires on Zipp wheels? I'm thinking of nabbing a 2010 808 rear/404 front on a 4th of July sale (ends tomorrow)? The only tire I ever have trouble with on any wheel is the orange indoor trainer tire. r/Paul
Yes, I am fortunate to have a few different zipp clinchers at the moment and have recently put tires on all of the with no issues at all. In fact most even went on with no tire lever. I usually use just one lever to start getting the tire off as well, and can then use my hands for the rest.
I am planning on running a 808/404 setup with zipp rim tape, challenge latex tubes, and vittoria open corsa cx 320s 23s on the 808 and 20 on the front. I just put the tires on last week and they went on without a problem.
I also have a zipp tangente 21 I've been trying out and it goes on ok as well. The vittoria and zipp (made by vittoria) tires are harder to put on than others, but significantly easier than the indoor trainer tire.
I'm happy to report that I was finally able to remove the tire and change the tube on my Zipp 404s! Woohoo! I noticed the tire was leaking air (basically flat before my ride this morning) and so I took the opportunity to practice changing the flat and replacing the tire while I was at it too.
Things that helped: 1- demo by the guy at Uphill Grind in Madison that prooved it could be done without tire levers (although with bike mechanic hands which I obvioulsy don't have). But the demo gave me confidence and I tried to follow his system of giving the wheel/tire a "tap tap tap" all the way around the wheel too loosen it up before removing it. 2-Beefy Tire Levers (again, no mechanic hands here) 3- A sh*tload of patience. Actually getting the tire off wasn't so bad. But putting the brand new tire one was a bit of a bear. New tires are always a little harder to work with- so I'm not gonna let that experience worry me. If it happens on race day- I'll be ready.
Also took the time to practice using the CO2 inflater since I don't do that very often either. I think I'm in good shape (knock on wood that I don't get a pinch flat on my next ride!!!)
I flatted on a training ride this past Saturday...the first time in a year. I was on my Bontrager XXX Race Lite wheels and can typically change the tire w/o a lever. The problem comes when you are sweating like a pig and your hands are all wet. That really makes it difficult. I had difficulty unscrewing a CO2 from my hydration mount because my hands slipped around the brass! But I took my time (like 6 minutes) and was able to finish.
LL - next time you practice, you might want to do it with wet hands to mimic what it will really be like in a hot race.
@Al - so if you spring for those plugs, please weigh them, and the correct amount of tape. It's hard to believe they would be lighter, but my inner weight weenie says if they are...get 'em!
Last week, I finally got around to the big experiment on my Zipp 404s (650) replacing Velox tape with small plastic plugs in each spoke hole.
Tape weighed 20 gms, plugs didn't budge the scale (2 gm?). Tires went on and off more easily, but still a bit of a struggle with my arthritic digits. Rode 30 miles at race pace (a TT and a Sprint) last week with no flats. At 16 dollars for 48 plugs (I need 36), they are worth it for me, not for the weight, but for the easier tire changing.
I ordered some new Zipp 404s that arrived this week. So I called 4 local bike shops about Velo Plugs. Two of them had no idea what they were and the other two did not recommend them. They both said that the veloplugs can cause vibration and rub that makes your tubes likely to blow. My BS-meter went off so I surfed online to see if folks using VeloPlugs had more flats. I couldn't find anything. But there is a lot of positive discussion about them on SlowTwitch, and how they make it easier to change the tire. The one negative is that you need to glue them down because if you do get a flat and lose a plug while changing the tire, you will flat again very fast. There was near universal agreement that Velox tape was too thick for today's wheels which have increasingly tighter tolerances. One guy recommended Rox tape which is thinner and lighter. Sounds like the same thing as Zipp tape.
@ Paul - See my note above. I've had the Velo Plugs in my Zipp 404's for the past two weeks, with hard use in a TT and sprint tri with no problems. They'll get their big pre-race test during my two week trip to Colorado first two weeks of Sept. Since I have some left over (bought 48, need 36), I will put a few in my underseat bag JIC. The tires do go on more easily, which is not to say they go on easily.
Comments
Yes, I am fortunate to have a few different zipp clinchers at the moment and have recently put tires on all of the with no issues at all. In fact most even went on with no tire lever. I usually use just one lever to start getting the tire off as well, and can then use my hands for the rest.
I am planning on running a 808/404 setup with zipp rim tape, challenge latex tubes, and vittoria open corsa cx 320s 23s on the 808 and 20 on the front. I just put the tires on last week and they went on without a problem.
I also have a zipp tangente 21 I've been trying out and it goes on ok as well. The vittoria and zipp (made by vittoria) tires are harder to put on than others, but significantly easier than the indoor trainer tire.
Things that helped:
1- demo by the guy at Uphill Grind in Madison that prooved it could be done without tire levers (although with bike mechanic hands which I obvioulsy don't have). But the demo gave me confidence and I tried to follow his system of giving the wheel/tire a "tap tap tap" all the way around the wheel too loosen it up before removing it.
2-Beefy Tire Levers (again, no mechanic hands here)
3- A sh*tload of patience. Actually getting the tire off wasn't so bad. But putting the brand new tire one was a bit of a bear. New tires are always a little harder to work with- so I'm not gonna let that experience worry me. If it happens on race day- I'll be ready.
Also took the time to practice using the CO2 inflater since I don't do that very often either. I think I'm in good shape (knock on wood that I don't get a pinch flat on my next ride!!!)
LL - next time you practice, you might want to do it with wet hands to mimic what it will really be like in a hot race.
Last week, I finally got around to the big experiment on my Zipp 404s (650) replacing Velox tape with small plastic plugs in each spoke hole.
Tape weighed 20 gms, plugs didn't budge the scale (2 gm?). Tires went on and off more easily, but still a bit of a struggle with my arthritic digits. Rode 30 miles at race pace (a TT and a Sprint) last week with no flats. At 16 dollars for 48 plugs (I need 36), they are worth it for me, not for the weight, but for the easier tire changing.
Has anyone used VeloPlugs successfully?
@ Paul - See my note above. I've had the Velo Plugs in my Zipp 404's for the past two weeks, with hard use in a TT and sprint tri with no problems. They'll get their big pre-race test during my two week trip to Colorado first two weeks of Sept. Since I have some left over (bought 48, need 36), I will put a few in my underseat bag JIC. The tires do go on more easily, which is not to say they go on easily.