Shoutout to the old timer who showed me how to seat a stubborn tubeless tire with a ratchet strap

I was about to give up on a customer's gravel bike tire after 30 minutes of fighting with it, but wrapping a strap around the center of the tire and cranking it down forced the bead into the rim channel so the air could finally catch.

3 comments

3 Comments

kellylopez2mo ago

Thirty minutes is nothing, I once spent a whole afternoon on a single tire before I saw that trick online. The sound it makes when the bead finally pops into place is so satisfying, like a gunshot. I keep a cheap strap in my toolbox now just for that, it feels like cheating. Honestly, it's saved me from throwing a few wheels across the shop.

tessa9222mo ago

Tbh @kellylopez that strap trick is a total game changer for stubborn beads.

sullivan.john1mo ago

Absolutely, it's a total cheat code. I fought with a lawn tractor tire for an hour once before I gave up and watched a video. Saw @kellylopez mention the strap trick in a comment somewhere and tried it. The bead popped on the first try with the strap, and I just stood there laughing. Now I keep a cut-up old ratchet strap in my garage just for tires. It turns a fight into a thirty second job.