Panaracer Gravel Kings, Jesus it's a tight fit!

Two big blokes wrestling these tyres on to CX Kinesis rims took an hour!

Had to use fairy liquid and bent a pair of steel tyre levers.

Wouldn’t like to back a puncture…

Rims should take 28-60 mm and fitted 32mm.

Have wrestled some tight tyres but holy crap!

The other guy wasn’t as gentle as me and scratched the front rim badly. Touch up paint on the shopping list.

If that’s the case I wouldn’t have continued as I wouldn’t want the potential long walk home. Pump them up to max pressure and try and stretch them a bit?

It’s the cable bead that was so stiff.

We should have stopped before scratching up the rims tbh.

I never had a problem getting these onto my kinesis rims but when I swapped to Stan’s alpha rims it was as bad as you describe!

Had a pair fitted to Stan’s Iron Cross rims that went on by hand and inflated tubeless with a track pump. I know the 32s are not tubeless specific but had zero issues.

Just fitted some fatter Maxxis Rambler tyres as the trails are drying out. Looking forward to trying them out tomorrow.

I think it is due to the height of the rim walls.

Higher the rim walls the more tension and reduction in the circumference or just some wheels it is tighter.

If I get a puncture, the Stanley blade comes out and Racing Ralph gets the nod!

You’ve clearly never tried to fitted Challenge open tubulars on anything.

I’ve got Gravel King (SK) 32s on my Hope Tech XC 29er wheels.
Tight-ish, but went on ok by hand. Had to re-seat the rear one a few times to get a jump out, but all good in the end.

Technique can play a big part in how easy/difficult tyres are to fit, where in relation to the valve are you starting and finishing?

GK 40s went on my Archetypes no problem tonight.
Whereas I’ve just sold my Schwalbe Pro One 28s as I couldn’t get them over the rim on my DT Swiss r23 spline road wheels, so I’m certainly no guru.

Panaracers are great tyres imho. Super durable.

Fitting my Rampage 29er, I found that it was best to sit down with the tyre and twist it in my hands for half an hour as though snapping each vertebrae of a snake. Doing this generates a wee bit of heat, but it went on fine after that.

I’m thinking it may be due to my rims.

I’ve changed a 23mm tube on a flat tyre by the roadside under a minute when times by my club and 1 and half minutes inflated and back up.

The GK and Kinesis rims were a wrestling match.

Had a problem with a friend’s motorcycle tyre until I whacked on some washing up liquid but the GK were crazy tight.

My rim is compatible with 28-40mm tyres, so maybe it was that?
The 32mm GK look like 28mm.

hopster – Member

Just fitted some fatter Maxxis Rambler tyres as the trails are drying out. Looking forward to trying them out tomorrow.

40 EXO? Very interested to hear how you got on with these. Everything looks rosy apart from some having problems tubeless-ing them.