mounting dirt tires on x wheels, breaking the bead

For those of you who have dirt tires on your X wheels, and mount your own tires... how hard have you found it to break the bead on dirt tires compared to street tires? I'm thinking about going back to the stock R wheels for the simple ease of mounting and dismounting tires compared to the street tires on X wheels, but I don't want to give up the quicker handling of the X wheels.

I never had dirt tires on my wheels, but I used to change tubeless tires on my other bikes and I use this:



Used some scrap wood to make it. It works like a charm to break even the toughest beads. I changed the street tires on my X wheels, but don't remember it giving me a problem.

As soon as I can find a way to put that in my tank bag my worries will go away. :)

skierd wrote:

As soon as I can find a way to put that in my tank bag my worries will go away.  :)

No worries.  

Dirt tires are, generally much easier to break the bead on than street tires.  I just changed front and rear last night (took off Shinko 244's and mounted MT-43/MT-21 combo) with no tools necessary to break the bead.  

Lay your new tire on the floor, lay mounted tire on top of new tire (new tire will keep rotor/sprocket off the ground) and step on old tire with your foot alongside of the rim.  Pop goes the weasel.

Don't try to put your foot in your tank bag, though.