I currently ride a Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon SL UST wheelset and wanted to put some new GP 5000 TLs on today (tubeless setup obviously). I have changed many tires in my life and always thought of myself as having rather good grip strength but I could not get these damn tires on!
I then watched all the youtube videos for some hack i didnt know about. I even ended up putting the tires in the oven (around 5 min at 120°C). This at least allowed me to put on “one side” but getting the other on just seems impossible!
Does anyone have experiences with this wheel / tire combination? Can anyone at least confirm that fitting this tire is physically possible?
They are notoriously tight. I spent around 3 hours trying to fit it the first time. My best advice is to use three tire levers. Two will hold the bead in place while the third one in the middle leverages it the rest of the way over. It will take some weird orienting (I literally had my feet standing on the two outside ones) but it can be done.
Across the board, the gp5000 is pretty tight no matter which wheelset you use. It’s easily the most popular tubeless road tire that we’ve been selling at our shop, so I’ve had to install a fair number of them on several different wheelsets since they’ve come out. My best advice is to start at the opposite side of the valve, and to finish the tire at the valve. Make sure that after you get the first side of the tire on you have the tire sitting in the deepest part of the wheel well and that no part of the tire is sitting on top of the valve (make sure it’s sitting off to the side of the valve). As you go to put the second side of the tire on, be sure that the tire is going down into the wheel well and isn’t catching on the mounting area. This should give you enough slack in the tire to get it on without tools. If you end up needing to use a tire lever, make sure it’s a wider plastic one and not a stiff metal one so as to minimize any potential damage to your wheel.
I used a hair dryer on mine when I seated them the first time. The oven trick works too, but maybe yours cooled down before you were able to get them fully seated, so having a hair dryer to quickly reheat them can help.
Agree with getting the bead in the center to help pop on the second side.
Look up the Kool stop tire bead Jack. This, with two levers and every other trick in the book made it possible on my Reynolds assaults. No way to do it by hand for the initial install, but once on, I’ve never had to take them off until the tread is gone!
I’ve done the same combination, except with the Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon UST (non sl), and could not make it work. After some serious hard work I got the rear on, but the front would not go. After snapping a set of pedros levers, I took it to two different bike shops, and neither could do it. Eventually I realised that there was a 0% chance of me being able to put a tube in on the side of the road, and I’d have the same trouble every couple of months putting new sealant in. I’m keen to see if it works out for you and if there’s anything I missed.
I got one on one wheel, and roadside is my biggest concern. I broke several tire levers getting it on. There’s no chance I’ll get it off and back on for a tube if necessary roadside. That said, it seated easily with a floor pump and held 80psi no problem overnight even before I added sealant.
I have had many issues with different tire combinations especially with tubeless tires. they are endlessly frustrating.
save yourself the hassle and blistered thumbs and get one of these:
you will be amazed at how much force you need even with leverage. it does get easier after the new tires has been seated and used for a couple of month though.
I work for Canyon based on Germany and it took 3 Pro Mechanics to fit the GP 5000 TL’s with Metal Tyre levers… it’s about the hardest thing in the world but once they are on you know they aren’t going anywhere.
I have that tool too. It does what it claims but I find myself never using it because if I can’t get a tire on and off with the tools that I would normally carry on a ride then what is the point?
Now if someone made a bead jack that fit into a typical saddle bag for road bikes, then I’m ready with money in hand.
The GP5ks do definitely stretch over time. Mine were a nightmare to get on originally but they came of and back on easily after 1000km or so.
Warming them up helps and also make sure you end at the valve whilst making sure that the side of the bead you are trying to seat is sitting in the deepest part of the wheel well - so that means shifting the first side out if you are onto the second bead.
Don’t believe people who say that gp5ks can be fitted to all rims without tools - there’s no shame in it!
I see. you can try to look up a tire lever called tyre key. it does the same thing but in a smaller package.
with tubeless tires, I don’t remove them unless they need replacing. tire plugs works well enough for me. if the slash is too big, then its probably a taxi back to the starting point.
I generally find that by the time a tire is worn enough that punctures become more likely, it has also stretched enough that it’s fairly easy to get on and off the rim by the roadside. Especially with tubeless where small punctures should seal and you can’t get pinch flats. If you get unlucky enough to hit something that will wreck a new tire badly enough to not seal, then that’s what Uber is for
When I go riding the mountain passes outside of Tokyo, there is no taxi service. I’m actually surprised that you guys are suggesting that as a viable alternative. Possibly you are joking?
I’ve used tubeless awhile now on my MTB and my CX/gravel bike. In my experience, sealant and plugs do not work for sidewall tears and I’ve tried! That’s why even MTBers bring a tube with them.
@Muzzaffar I found the TyreKey on Amazon, so I ordered one and it will give it go. Fingers are crossed. I’m actually fine with my current tire/rim combos (latex for road, tubeless for everything else) and just using my hands. However, my wife does not have my grip strength and routinely struggles with getting any tire on to any rim. If this tool can help her do roadside repairs on her own then it will be more than worth the price.
Mine went on to a pair of Parcours Passista 56mm carbon rims pretty easily. It was certainly no harder than non-TL ones and a hell of a lot easier without having to worry about the tube.
2 things - leave them in the sun for half an hour to warm a bit and make sure they sit in the middle of the groove so you’re working on the minimum circumference. Then it really didn’t need more than a single plastic tyre lever.
I only ride on the road never thought of it on the MTB, apologies. I do agree that a spare tube would be a good spare to carry, I just cannot imagine the horror it must be to remove a tubeless tire and put in a spare tube with sealant everywhere.
My LBS tried to fit Conti 5000 TL’s to my Bontrager Paradigm Elite TLRs
and said it was impossible! They also advised that even if they did get them on there was no way I was getting them off at the roadside. Reluctantly, I had to return them and choose different tyres.
LBS mentioned the 5000 TLs are notoriously tight and wondered whether this was why they were available at such good prices on line and whether Conti may change the mould at some point to make them less tight. I have read on loads of forums and retailer reviews that they are almost impossible to fit to Mavic rims.
