The Crankbrothers Slider Tyre Lever Kit is a well thought out set of levers combined with sliders that clip onto your rims and stop the tyre bead unseating itself as you work it into the rim bed. The sliders aren’t always required, but the levers themselves are well made and decent value.
> Buy now: Crankbrothers Slider Tyre Lever Kit for £8.99 from Bikeparts
We’ve all been there – a tight tyre with a stiff bead that just will not get over that last little bit of rim. The harder you seem to push one side of the bead, the more of the tyre slips off the rim on the other side. Hands down, one of the most frustrating experiences for any cyclist. That’s where this Slider Tyre Lever Kit comes in.
The tyre levers are pretty standard style, made of reinforced nylon, that clip together as a pair. They have the usual notch in one end to hook around a spoke, so one lever can be held in place while the other is used to coerce a troublesome tyre bead around the rim without it unseating on the other side.
Where this kit differs from others is the inclusion of two sets of sliders, one set for thin rim walls and one for thicker models (they’re colour coded to differentiate), which clip seamlessly into the body of the tyre levers so they don’t take up any additional space.
These sliders snap onto the rim to provide a buffer that stops a tyre unseating itself – leaving both tyre levers free to work on mounting the bead into the rim well. They have little handles to grip onto so you can move them inboard to slowly coax the bead over the rim.
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These are a neat idea that integrate nicely into the whole kit. My issue was, I tried them on a few different tyre and rim combinations (all 21mm internal rims, and tyres ranging from 28mm to 45mm), and can’t say I actually needed them. Whether it’s big hands, good technique, or luck that the tyre and rim combinations I tried all played nicely together, the sliders were surplus to requirements for my testing.
On Crankbrothers’ website, the kit is shown being used on a heavy duty mountain bike tyre, which might present a bit more of a challenge, and I’d definitely say that if you’ve got smaller hands or a really tricky tyre/rim combo, the sliders would undoubtedly prove very useful.
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At £9.99 the levers are in line with a lot of other models out there before you even look at the inclusion of the sliders, so I’d say they represent pretty good value for money. Compared with the likes of Park Tool’s TL levers at £17.99 or Silca’s Premios at £25, the Crankbrothers price is great.
There are cheaper models out there, such as Muc-Off’s Rim Stix (£5.49) and Schwalbe’s excellent Tyre Levers (£4.99), but these don’t have the added sliders.
In summary, for a tenner the Crankbrothers tyre levers are a good option. I didn’t need the sliders for the tyre/rim combos I tried, but if you find yourself regularly having issues with tight-to-fit tyres, give these a go.
Maybe I’ll come back to this review when I’ve had to remount a tyre at the roadside with totally frozen hands… In that instance I can imagine the sliders are real life savers.
> Buy now: Crankbrothers Slider Tyre Lever Kit for £8.99 from Bikeparts
Verdict
Good set of tyre levers with the added bonus of sliders to help with particularly tough combos
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Crankbrothers Slider Tyre Lever Kit Black
Size tested: One Size
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it?
The Crankbrothers Slider tyre lever kit is aimed at people who are having trouble fitting particularly stubborn tyres. Crankbrothers says: “Tired of breaking tire levers on those notoriously stubborn tire/rim combos? Setting up a tubeless wheelset and can’t get the tire bead to stay in place? The Slider Tire Lever Kit is ready to lend you a hand.
The Slider Tire Lever Kit contains two compact tire levers constructed from high-strength material that are easy to store on the bike or in a pack and include spoke hooks to hold the levers in place during removal. The included bead sliders make quick work of stubborn tire installation and act like an extra set of hands, keeping the tire bead in place as you work the tire onto the rim. Rounded lever tips easily slide underneath tight tire beads and prevent damage to rim tape during installation and removal.
Take the Slider Tire Lever Kit on your next adventure (or keep them on the workbench) and save your hands for the trail ahead.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product
Crankbrothers lists:
Material
Reinforced Nylon (Levers), Delrin (Sliders)
Dimensions
118 x 21 x 23 mm (LxWxH, stowed)
Weight
57g
Warranty
5 Year, or Lifetime with Registration
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The tyre levers are pleasing to use. They clip together so stow away well in a saddle bag, and the grooves in between them store the sliders to stop them going missing.
The levers work just as well as I’d expect a good tyre lever to, although – annoyingly? – I didn’t find any combination of tyre and wheel where the sliders were really needed.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
I like the design of the levers where everything is clipped together to prevent small parts going missing.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Nothing really.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
A penny under a tenner for a good set of tyre levers with the added sliders is very reasonable.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
The tyre levers themselves are really good – they work well and are good value – and the sliders could potentially be very useful; if you have hard-to-fit tyres or smaller hands, you might find them a nice addition.
About the tester
Age: 28 Height: 175cm Weight: 67kg
I usually ride: Road (Tarmac SL7) My best bike is:
I’ve been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, mtb, Occasional Ultra Racing
6 thoughts on “Crankbrothers Slider Tyre Lever Kit”
What kind of animal uses tyre
What kind of animal uses tyre levers to fit a tyre? Levers are for removing tyres only. I can see how the clips could be handy however, as they could free up both thumbs to get the last bit of the tyre over the rim.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus /
Schwalbe Marathon Plus / tubeless 20 inch tyres (eg. some recumbent / velomobile wheels)?
On is usually a bit easier than off though, true.
SimoninSpalding wrote:
Me. I use tyre levers to fit tyres, though sometimes I can get away with using tyre pliers instead. I’ve found it helps to use tools when fitting a tubeless tyre and insert.
Filthy animal here Simon,
Filthy animal here Simon, often use the other end of my ancient Pedro’s milk levers if I feel the need to, it’s what it’s for.
Clips like these are built
Clips like these are built into schwalbe tyre levers, I have used them for about 10 years to stop chasing the last bit tyre round the rim and they are less likely to get lost than these seperate clips
EK Spinner wrote:
Good God. I too have been using Schwalbes for a decade because they’re the most robust levers I’ve found, I’ve never even thought about what that clip bit was for. Thank you, almost looking forward to the next puncture now so I can try it out!