The Rim Stix are longer than most tyre levers and the extra leverage is useful. They also have a moulded shape on the inside that helps keep the lever in shape, almost matching the shape of the rim.

Pedros tyre levers - set of two - choose your colour Pedros tyre levers - set of two - choose your colour

The smaller lever stays in place when clipped to the spoke, with the larger lever used to hook the tyre off the rim. Both levers are ergonomically optimised and are surprisingly comfotable to use.Tough, a perfectly shaped bead hook and some nifty built-in clips that help mount tyres... there's pretty much nothing to dislike about Schwalbe's classic tyre levers, so they got a 10/10 review score from us. Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets. It must be your technique, as I have Zonda wheels with GP4000s & have always fitted & removed them by hand. They aren't the easiest, but I don't have extra strong hands/thumbs either. The Tacx levers are hands down the best levers on the market. However, if you need to get a GP5000 tubeless tyre onto a carbon rim, the Cycle Pal Tyre Seating Tool is a life saver... TyreKey is pretty good too 👍

tyre levers reviewed and rated | Cycling Weekly Best tyre levers reviewed and rated | Cycling Weekly

As such, plastic is our go-to choice, however there are still some pitfalls to be aware of with these sort of levers. Most fundamental is their rigidity and strength – we’ve snapped plenty of cheap tyre levers on stubborn tubeless tyres over the years, while overly flexy ones can just bend rather than popping the tyre bead over the rim. Upgraded to be stronger, smoother and more versatile according to Park Tool, the TL-1.2 features a new material and redesigned tip for easier entry - Park Tool also says these will work on stubborn tubeless rim/tyre combos, and the design should lift the tyre away from the rim hassle-free. There's also a spoke hook for when multiple levers are needed.

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I cant speak for other plastic tyre levers but I have owned the same set of plastic levers I got from an halfords puncture repair kit around 2005-2008 and these have the little hook that wraps around a spoke you speak of... I think Evanscycles used to have the same levers in their repair kits although i dont know about now. Zefal have more or less the same in their universal repair kits (i seem to have misplaced the ones that came with my kit...) but maybe not as strong.