Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack, Black

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.

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.

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.

This seems to work OK for getting a tight tire onto a rim. I think it’s better than using tire irons to put a tire on because no chance of poking the tube during install. Does feel like it’s going to break every time I use it but hasn’t so far.

I've been a cyclist for over 35 years, including time spent working in a bike shop in the 1990's. I remember how people would come into our shop claiming that we'd sold them tires that were too small for their rims; they simply could not get them on no matter how hard they struggled. Then I would ask them to hand me the tire and wheel and in less than 5 minutes I would have the tire installed; no pinched tubes and not much sweat. I don't know what has changed in all that time. Maybe I'm not as strong, but I swear that road bike tires have become harder and harder to install. Sometimes I have to give up entirely and try a different brand of tire. But after getting this tool, I was able to quickly pop a tire on to a wheel that had been giving me great difficulty. Usually, once a tire has been on a wheel for a while, the bead seems to stretch and it's not as difficult to install as when the tire is new. For that reason, I don't think I'll need to take this with me on rides; it's too big to easily fit in a jersey pocket anyway. But for those garage chores with a new tire, I'll be using this every time. I didn't bother reading any directions, as it's an intuitive tool to use. Seems to be made well and should hold up over time.

Bought new carbon rims and TLR tires. Tubeless ready tires and rims very hard to mount tires on rims. Pinched about three tubes and hurt my fingers. This tire jack did the trick, did not work first time had to figure out how it functioned. Thanks Youtube! No more pinched tubes or hurt fingers. Does not fit in saddle bag but does fit in handlebar bag, never leave home without it especially on long rides. Works great. Shipping was great as always.