I have just broken a tyre lever

[juliet]

Chocolatebike: maybe a good idea to try an experimental tyre-removing at home sometime before you have to do it in the dark, cold, etc?

[bobb]

You need Soma steel-cored tyre levers. They are the nuts.

I broke two of these in one go about a month ago

That's pretty impressive!!

I think certain tyre/rim combos are always going to be a problem. Factory Campag wheels are horrendous for this. I guess "We're crazy Italians and conform for nobody" is their motto.

I spent two evenings messing around with different rim tapes and snapping tyre levers before I could get some fairly standard tyres on the Campag rims.

I dread getting a visit when on those wheels....

[nuttycyclist]

I am very much in awe of you people who can get a tyre on bare-pawed, but I can't do that. I can barely get it back on with the levers.

Some combinations of rim & tyre are very easy, others are real bastards and require everything that you can find to get them on. Marathon Plus's on any rim are in the second category. After putting them on my tandem I swore that if they ever punctured I would just throw the tandem away (they haven't yet).

I'm sure that's what I just fitted to the Brompton.  I was fearing that I'd have to go look for a tyre lever, but got them on and off and on and off and on again (long story ) without needing tools.

[Andrew Br]

Chocolatebike: maybe a good idea to try an experimental tyre-removing at home sometime before you have to do it in the dark, cold, etc?

Since they went on pretty easily I was hoping that they would come off just the same.
Maybe I'll wait for the next cold wet night and practise outdoors for the full "experience" 

[Zipperhead]

Some combinations of rim & tyre are very easy, others are real bastards and require everything that you can find to get them on. Marathon Plus's on any rim are in the second category. After putting them on my tandem I swore that if they ever punctured I would just throw the tandem away (they haven't yet).

I'm sure that's what I just fitted to the Brompton.  I was fearing that I'd have to go look for a tyre lever, but got them on and off and on and off and on again (long story ) without needing tools.

Strangely I found fitting them to my Brompton to be much easier than on the tandem.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

The Brompton uses a channel-section rim, the 'well' is at the level of the spoke nipples, significantly below the bead seat.  I expect your tandem uses a different shape (box-section?) where the well isn't as low.  The lower the well (relative to the bead seat), the easier it is to get a tyre on and off.

[Zoidburg]

Steel levers or two - yes two - plastic levers at once

[Valiant]

Pasela Tour Guards come on and off my rims so easily I think I could do it without hands.

[fruitcake]

Last time I punctured, Wafflycat's husband...

My apologies, I completely misread that.

 

[Zoidburg]

Pasela Tour Guards come on and off my rims so easily I think I could do it without hands.

No hands?

Do I want to know what you use instead to nudge the tyre off the rim?