How-To/Mechanics: If I ever buy another folding tire...Part 1 of 2

...somebody should shoot me in the head, to cure me of my masochism.

I've bought several sets of folding tires over the last few months, and every installation has been a nightmare of torn knuckles, shredded rubber, show-the-dimwit-what-to-do unnecessary expenses and broken levers.

1) Michelin Jet II (700x30)
Build: My Frankensteined VooDoo Hoodoo mountain-to-'cross conversion (listing to be posted shortly).
Rear rim: Torelli - not the Mavic-y Triumph, but an older squarish low-profile
Front rim: Mavic Open 4 CD

This was the easiest install by far, but getting the first bead into each rim was very tricky, with sections of the bead popping out all the time.

2) NOS Specialized Turbo/VR (marked as 700x25 on the label, but 700x20 in the rubber; definitely 700x20 in real life)
Build: '80s Bianchi
Rear rim: Ambrosio 19 Extra Super Élite
Front rim: Ambrosio 19 Extra Super Élite

This wheelset has been the source of most of the grief. I bought the NOS Specializeds because I wanted some wider-than-23s gumwalls for the Bianchi; a nice period look for impressing the skinny-pants hipsters at the cafés, with a somewhat softer ride. They turned out to be much narrower than the 25 they were advertised, which I didn't figure out until one was mounted and I could see the embossing clearly..

Which was where the real trouble started. Getting a tire onto the rim was impossible for me; I both blew a tube and snapped a SOMA tire lever (the ones with the steel cores) trying to get the bead on. Psychologically, I do not handle setbacks well; I finally gave up at the point where I was about to taco the wheel on the curb out of frustration, and hauled it into my LBS, where I could watch a Paid Professional Bike Guy install the thing, and figure out what I was doing wrong. He had a terrible time getting the bead on, too; he ended up using a Kool-Stop Tire Bead Jack to get it mounted. I bought one of these as a safety measure, and it works pretty well. It'll only mount, though; it won't remove the tire...

Once I found out that the tire was ridiculously skinny, I abandoned the idea of using them on this build, although they're both very supple and very light - an appropriate amateur race tire if you can find the right rim. I left the front tire mounted and started riding the Bianchi around with a Schwalbe Stelvio Lite mounted on the rear wheel, and an old tubular front I had lying around. Which brings us to last Wednesday.

A buddy and I decided to go out to West Marin County (CA) to ride Highway 1 from Bolinas to Point Reyes Station next Thursday, a round trip of about 25 miles. Not a huge distance, but there's practically no traffic during the week, and all the people are at either end. So, if you have a breakdown, you're on your own. I decided that I didn't want to run this route with either old tubs (front) or a lightweight race tire (rear); I wanted something I could trust to hold up, or could remove and replace easily. So the Specialized fails that test, and I decided to replace it with alternate tires. I ordered a pair of Panaracer Pasela TGs (700x28), because they're about the only gumwall clinchers you can get for under $50; but no LBS in the SF Bay Area carries 700s in stock - only 26" and 27".

I didn't read all of that, but I've heard if you put those tires in the dryer for a couple minutes they're a little easier to get on the rim. I've never understood the fascination with folding tires either. Nice if you want to carry a tire with you, but otherwise I'd just as well use a normal tire,

I rub a shit load of baby powder all over the tube and inside and outside of the tire before installing. Make it's ALOT easier.