A small revolution in bike tire mounting? Anyone who’s ever wrestled a mountain bike tire with downhill casing onto a rim knows how much effort it takes – and often also a fair bit of swearing! To put an end to the frustration, Crankbrothers market their Slider Tire Lever Kit as a tool for easier tire installation. But do these €10 tire levers really deliver? We put them to the test to find out!
„”Don’t fight it, slide it”. With the Slider Tire Lever Kit, Crankbrothers want to lend you an extra pair of hands when changing a tire, which is something most of us always wished for. The kit includes two classic plastic (nylon) tire levers and a set of Tire Sliders made from Delrin plastic. These are designed to work their magic when you place on the rim wall before mounting the tire. For € 10, you get two tire levers and four Tire Sliders: two black ones for rims with thick sidewalls and two gray ones for rims with thin sidewalls. Is this the magic trick we’ve been waiting for?
Abracadabra Tire Levers – The Crankbrothers Slider Tire Lever Kit On Test
The Crankbrothers Slider Tire Lever Kit was put through its paces not only in our winter tire comparison test for ENDURO but also with several road bikes for GRAN FONDO magazine. Our workshop master Thomas subjected the Slider Kit to a real endurance test – and he’s impressed:
With these, it’s like having four hands, and the tires slide perfectly onto the rim. A must-have for any workshop.
Aside from the Sliders, the tire lever set doesn’t differ much from a standard tire lever kit. The two plastic levers conveniently snap together, with two cutouts in the middle to accommodate the Tire Sliders. The final package is about the size of a highlighter – nice and compact. At 118 mm long, they provide enough leverage to tame even the most stubborn tires while taking up minimal space in a frame storage compartment or tool strap.
When you hear that dreaded hiss on the trail and suddenly lose grip, you start praying that you still have that spare inner-tube in your hip bag – and when those prayers are answered, it’s time to get to work. The levers sit ergonomically in your hand, and the robust plastic material feels reassuringly sturdy. This makes it easy to pry the tire off the rim without the lever bending. For particularly stubborn tires with downhill casing and hard rubber compound, the hooks on the back of the levers come into play. These allow you to hook one lever onto the spokes while working with a second lever to continue the job.
When mounting the tire, the overall process is the same, except for the part when you use the Tire Sliders. These are placed on the rim wall and prevent the tire from slipping out of the rim bed on the opposite side – like a magical extra pair of hands! As the name suggests, the Sliders can also be moved along the rim, reducing the section where the tire needs to be levered over the rim. With one final lever pull, the tire snaps securely into place. Not only does this save a lot of effort and frustration but is also incredibly satisfying.
To prevent damage to the rim tape with tubeless setups, or to avoid puncturing an inner tube, the tips of the tire levers are slightly rounded – you’d have to try really hard to damage the tape. Plus, the plastic levers are completely safe to use on carbon rims without risking any damage.
The only downside? The color! If one of the levers falls into the grass, the black colour makes them extremely hard to find – which is not the case with MAXXIS’ bright orange and PEDROS’ pink or yellow levers.
Long-Term Test: After four months of intensive use, the tire levers no longer look brand new. However, there’s no doubt that they will still be a reliable workshop companion for years to come. Plus, Crankbrothers offer a 5-year warranty – or even a lifetime warranty if you register the product with your Crankbrothers account.
Conclusions about the Crankbrothers Slider Tire Lever Kit
Tires off, tires on – the Crankbrothers Slider Tire Lever Kit takes the hassle out of tire changes in a nearly magical way. The Tire Sliders make mounting significantly easier, and really act like an extra pair of hands. Even after four months of testing, the levers show minimal signs of wear, proving their durability and solid construction. Overall, this set is a worthwhile investment, especially if you’re looking to save yourself some frustration – at just € 10, it’s money well spent!
Tops
- Tire Sliders work like an extra pair of hands
- Durable and robust
Flops
- That extra pair of hands only helps with mounting 😉
- Only available in black
Mehr Information findet ihr unter crankbrothers.com.
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Words: Robin Ulbrich Photos: Julian Schwede
