Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack, Black

I've installed/reinstalled a lot more tires than I care to remember, some in very difficult situations and at least one that involved a dollar bill to keep the inner tube in the tire while I pedaled 35 miles back to town. A few months ago I bought my first "folder" and replaced both tires on my main road bike. The thing I remember about that episode was that it took two months for my thumbs to stop hurting... and my wife's pleading while I was working for me to stop swearing as the neighbors obviously were listening. What I learned from that experience was that it took strong thumbs--and a fair amount of personal sacrifice--to get those two folders installed. I'd heard about "tire jacks" but snickered that "I don't need no stinkin' tire jack to install no bike tire... I'm a man!" Well, installing those two folders changed my thoughts on this subject and I went looking for a tire jack. There are stories about men not asking directions and driving in circles for hours to find a street address they could have walked to... if they'd asked directions. That's not me! I knew my thumbs would not endure another project like putting on those two folders. I bought the Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack for fifteen bucks. A couple of hours ago I installed two tires--folders--on my backup road bike. Summary: I was done in 45 minutes and I can type! So easy! Fast! Painless (literally and figuratively). Absolutely no risk to the tie. No pinched inner tube. Nice tool, sturdy. Simple instructions. You gotta get one of these! No more numb thumbs, sweating and swearing. Interestingly the packaging said "Made in Holland by Bandrep N.V." but molded into the handle of the tool are these happy words: "Made in USA." This tool is too large to carry on a bike ride but a perfect size to use and then keep in a tool box. I just hope I don't have to pull off a tire on an upcoming bike ride... It would so soooo frustrating thinking about that neat tool in my tool box at home.

I don't care how many youtube videos you have watched about putting tight tires on stubborn rims and and how good you think you are at doing this, if you try fitting Goodyear Eagle F1 Tubeless tires on a DT Swiss 1400 ERC rim, you will not be able to get them on without a lever. They are designed to work together, but they are not designed to be assembled without tools. But levers run the risk of pinching, and when you are out and about on your bike, you don't want that risk. Also, I broke a lever trying on a roadside tube replacement, which required me to call someone to come pick me up. If the tire breaks a lever, just imagine trying to get the tire on by hand! This handy tool takes a long, difficult and frustrating job and makes it easy. So much so, that I went ahead and installed my latex tubes, something I have planned to do but didn't want to risk pinching them. It works by pulling the outside of the bead over the rim, just like you would do if you had amazingly strong hands, without inserting anything between the bead and the rim. Better for the rims, better for the bead, better for your tube, and most of all, better for your fingers. Note on weight: This tool and a latex tube together have about the same weight as a butyl tube alone, so there is no increase in my total weight when taking this along in my seat bag. I have never purchased anything for my bicycle that gave me such satisfaction at such a low price. Also, MADE IN U.S.A. and the quality of manufacture shows.

This thing is amazing! Wish I’d had it yesterday before I pinched and put a hole in my tube.

The concept is great. Execution and application are something else. While I am glad I had this tool to get a new pair of Vittoria Rubino Pro's on to a new set of carbon fiber wheels, there are some drawbacks. You get great leverage to get a brand new tire installed, but the hook that holds the bead, slips off right at the moment the bead will slip over the top of the rim. The angle of the hook, needs to be just slightly more aggressive. Then, it would be a perfect tool. Would I recommend? Yes. Went through a few tire levers before I used it. Took much less time than regular levers. Unfortunately, it did scratch up the finish on my new wheels, due to the amount of attempts to get through the last few inches. I also found, that if you go slow, and in small increments, the bead will slip over the top on it's own if you watch it, and stop pressure so the hook doesn't slip off. Good luck, and hope you have looser tires than I did...

I had the opportunity to try my tire bead jack while volunteering at a local bike kitchen today. Frequently, even with considerable effort, someone will have trouble mounting a new tire despite knowing the proper procedure. When that happened today, I offered to try out my new tool. It was very simple to use, and worked very well. A second use on a different stubborn tire worked equally well. It's an inexpensive tool that makes quick and easy work of an aggravating task. I can't expect any more of it than that.

Once I figured out how to use it, it works very well. I have mounted 700X25 Conti's on Roval CLX II wheels, as well as 26X2.3 Conti's on MB wheels, both of which were very tight fits. It worked fine for both. I found that holding the bottom of the tool that fits over the rim and under the tire lip gives much better leverage than using the top arm. I wrap my hand around both sides and force the tool to grip and hold the rim and tire while pulling the tire up and over the rim a couple of inches at a time. Also, hold the side of the tire to keep it from unmounting as you move the tool towards it the last few inches. That last few inches is usually 4-5 inches which then pops on the wheel. I can see where folks would have trouble if they simply tried to lever a tire. It would just unmount the far edge as you worked down the tire. Slow and easy gets it done. Nice tool.