I decided, very recently, to buy myself some new wheels. It had been at least a week since my last cycling-related purchase and, after all, you can’t take it with you.
The wheels I’d been using were not up to gravel-bike scratch with their 21mm internal rim width and so, to complete my life – at least for another week – what I clearly needed was something a bit wider.
I’ve always found Panaracer’s GravelKings to be docile and well-behaved in this scenario. They always slip onto the rim with almost suspicious ease – and I’ve fitted them to different wheels of different widths. This time however, they’d grown fangs.
Despite employing every trick in the book, by the time I’d finally managed to drag the final bit of bead kicking and screaming over the edge of the rim, I was a broken man. My back hurt, my abdominals were screaming (the most conclusive proof I’ve had in years that they actually exist) and my hands… well, let’s just say I wasn’t going to be giving anyone the thumbs-up for a while.
You do have to go very easy though. And you also need strong tyre levers – otherwise they’ll simply snap and everyone will laugh. Strong, but not metal. If you own metal tyre levers please take them to your local recycling centre now and ensure you see them melted down with your own eyes.
4) If you’re an inner tube aficionado, do make sure you carry two spares. That way, if you do end up slashing the first one via reckless use of a tyre lever, you can do what you should have done all along – give the whole thing to the person present with the strongest thumbs and eat a cereal bar while they deal with it.
