My buddy swore by Park Tool tire levers, he was dead wrong

Riding the trail near Sandy River last weekend. Got a flat 6 miles in. Used his fancy Park Tool levers. Snapped two of them trying to get a tight bead off my rim. Ended up using a seized stick and my bare hands. Has anyone else found those plastic levers useless for tubeless tires?

3 comments

3 Comments

moore.beth10d ago

Those Park Tool levers are notorious for snapping on tubeless setups. I had the exact same thing happen three years ago on a ride near Troutdale with a set of Maxxis tires that were baked on from summer heat. Ended up walking two miles to a gas station for a cup of coffee and a plastic spoon. Now I keep a set of Schwalbe tire levers in my pack they're a little thicker and have a metal core but still won't scratch your rims. Also learned the hard way to always carry a spare tube and a patch kit cause sometimes you just can't beat a tire off the rim with anything. For really stubborn beads I'll lay the wheel flat on the ground and step on the sidewall to break it loose before even touching a lever.

kim.nina11d ago

Swung by the bike shop after work yesterday and told the guy about snapping those levers. He just laughed and handed me a set of metal ones. Felt like a real idiot standing there with broken plastic in my hand. Guess I should've known better than to trust fancy tools on a trail where everything's covered in mud and rocks. At least now I've got a good story to tell next time someone asks about my "expert" tire changing skills.

carter.joseph10d ago

Aw man, I gotta disagree here. Plastic levers are way better for your rims because metal ones can gouge the bead or scratch the hell outta your wheels if you slip. You probably just got a cheap set that snapped, but a decent plastic lever like Pedro's lasts forever and won't mess up your expensive carbon rims on a muddy night. Next time you're cussing in the dark, you'll wish you had plastic that gives a little instead of metal that bites into everything.