This page is intended to serve as an informational "White Paper".  Here's where we have a chance to explain the how's and the why's of mounting a tire on a tubeless rim. Here's where we explain the need for a BeadSetR.

This page is long.  Don't get distracted, please read it to the end. We'll explain things thoroughly, we'll challenge your thinking, we'll educate and inform, and when you're done you'll have a better understanding about the processes involved in mounting a tire, and why you need a BeadSetR in your kit.  

If you don't want to read the entire page and just want to order the BeadSetR, click here.  Or if you're patient you can read to the bottom of the page and click on that link to order.

The BeadSetR is a tubeless tire mounting system.  It “sets” the tire sidewalls against the rim and establishes an initial airtight seal.  Once you have that airtight seal you can begin to build air pressure in the tire.  Without that initial seal the tire will never expand, inflate, or seat properly against the rim.

At first glance the BeadSetR may look like a regular ratchet strap.... but it's not.   Instead, it's a 1" ratcheting strap WITHIN a 2" outer strap.  This eliminates friction between the rubber tread and the tensioning strap.  A plastic slider eliminates friction between the ratchet and the tread.  The result is an easy, uniform expansion of the tire sidewalls, without collapsing the tread.

The BeadSetR is designed for use on tubeless tires, but it’s also compatible with tubed tires. Regardless of which style tire you have on your bike, the BeadSetR is a handy tool to have in your saddlebags.  It can also be used for a camp strap, a tie-down strap, or an emergency tow strap.

Tubeless tires are easy to remove, repair, or replace, using our TireIron BeadBrakR.  They’re also easy to inflate using our CyclePump, once the intial seal is started.  Yes, the CyclePump WILL develop enough pressure to fully seat the bead, we've done it hundreds of times. 

The trick is to get the bead started...

Starting the intitial airtight seal between tire and rim

The one step in the tire repair or replacement process that’s the most difficult and frustrating is starting that initial seal between the sidewall and the rim. 

Just because the tire’s mounted on the rim doesn’t mean it will inflate.  Usually, the sidewall is NOT in full contact with the rim on both sides, so there’s no airtight seal. When you try to inflate the tire, it loses air faster than you can fill it.  You’re going nowhere, and you're getting there Fast.

Compressors

When you’re working in the shop you can use a blast of high-pressure air from your 50-gallon compressor. That sudden burst of 100psi air will usually blow the sidewalls outward against the rim and create the initial airtight seal.  I say "usually" because it doesn't always work that way.  That's why professional tire changing shops use sophisticated bead setters, or inflation donuts, or other special tools and gadgets. 

When you finally start the seal then it’s a leisurely matter of adding more air until the sidewalls pop loudly into place against the rim. 

But what if you aren't in the shop?  What if your compressor is 200 miles away?  It might as well be on Mars.  Dig out your cell phone and call for help... but if you had a BeadSetR you'd be back on the road in minutes.

When you’re riding the street or trail you don’t have the luxury of a high-pressure air source to blow those sidewalls outward.  No matter how much air you add with a 12-volt inflator, the initial seal can’t be made. What do you do then?  What's your "Plan B"?

Remember, the gear sitting in your shop won't do you any good when you're on some lonely road, or on top of some ridge, miles from the nearest tire service center.  You're on your own.  

Here's Gabe Bolton working out some tire issues somewhere along the infamous "Road of Bones" in Siberia.  There was no service station to call for help, no one to lend a hand.  Gabe was prepared and carried tools and patch kits and a CyclePump. Remember - if the gear you need to make tire repairs isn't on the bike, it doesn't do any good.

We made the BeadSetR so you can carry it with you on the bike, all the time.  You're never without the ability to set (or start) the bead.  And with the BeadSetR you'll always have a handy multi-purpose ratchet strap and an emergency tow line.

Convinced yet? 
Want to order a BeadSetR?   click here.
Want to order a CyclePump?  click here.

CO2 Cartridges 

Some riders advocate the use of CO² cartridges. Tire repair kits often contain 3 small 16-gram cartridges, each weighing 2 ounces. When you puncture the seal on the cartridge, a sudden rush of compressed gas causes the sidewalls to bulge momentarily.  Hopefully, that bulge achieves an initial seal.  It might work… it should work… just maybe it will work… but often it doesn’t work.  We know, we’ve tried, they failed.  We don't use them anymore.

You could carry multiple CO² cartridges and keep working the problem. You'd want at least 6, or 9 to be on the safe side. At 2 ounces apiece they add up to over a pound of dead weight.  If the first one doesn't do the job, perhaps the next one will?  Cross your fingers and hope for the best.  If the first one doesn't work, maybe the next one will, or the next one, or the one after that.  

We did some testing with 16-gram cartridges to see how they'd inflate a tire.  The tire was off the rear of a BMW R1200GS, a Continental TKC 80, size 150/70-17.  Costs are approximate, based on purchase of an air chuck (control valve) and cartridge paks.

The truth of the matter is that CO² cartridges are big, heavy, and they only give you a single use, then they become nothing more than trash. Please recycle them. 

They’re also Very Expensive - Let's put those costs in perspective: If you're using CO² to set a bead or inflate a tire, it's gonna cost you anywhere from $38 - $75 to fill ONE tire, ONE time. Can you say Ouch?  That really hurts the pocketbook.

Cartridges are a desperate one-shot, Hail-Mary solution for tire inflation, or bead setting. They're better than nothing, but not by much. If you decide to use them you'll need to get it right the first time because there’s no second chances, no do-overs.  If you can’t seat the bead and inflate the tire on your first try, you’ll be walking home.

Why not spend your money wisely and get a BeadSetR which will "set the bead" reliably, every time?  And why not invest in a CyclePump which will inflate your tires hundreds of times?  The logic seems compelling.  The math is irrefutable.

Convinced yet? 
Want to order a BeadSetR?   click here.
Want to order a CyclePump?  click here.

One trick that’s been around for years is to wrap a rope around the outer circumference of the tire (at the apex of the tread).  Tighten the rope by twisting it with a tire iron or other tool.  As the rope tightens, the sidewalls spread outward.  It’s simple, but its really only marginally effective.

A more modern approach is to use a ratcheting strap.  Tighten the ratchet and the webbing constricts the center of the tread and causes the sidewalls to spread outward.  A ratchet is a bit more effective than a rope, but it still has some inherent problems…

1.) A regular ratchet strap doesn’t spread the sidewalls uniformly or with sufficient force to ensure an airtight seal. 

2.) At the point on the tread where the ratchet is located, the tire will collapse inward and deform the sidewalls.

3.) Deformation of the tire results in a failed seal between the sidewall and the rim. You’re back to square one, unable to inflate the tire. 

This photo shows what happens when you use a regular ratchet strap.

Instead of constricting the apex of the tread, the tire collapsed beneath the ratchet.  The sidewalls did not expand outward to any measurable amount, which means they wouldn't have made the initial airtight seal.

We carefully studied the problems with a rope and a ratchet strap.  We discovered the reason why they didn’t work very well: 

                    FRICTION……..….FRICTION………..FRICTION

As the strap is tightened, friction between the rubber tread and the nylon strap prevents uniform constriction of the tire.  Instead, the strap only constricts a portion of the tire closest to the ratchet.  The strap takes the shortest path between two points, which pulls the ratchet inward toward the center of the tire.  The tire tread collapses, deforms the beads, and makes it impossible to achieve a uniform initial airtight seal between the rubber and the rim.  We demonstrated this phenomenon in the photo above.

We developed the Solution

We solved the friction problem by using a strap within a strap.  Nylon against nylon has a very low coefficient of friction, almost as though it's lubricated.

An outer hollow nylon webbing prevents the inner (constricting) nylon strap from making contact with the rubber tread.  As the ratchet is tightened, the inner strap easily slides within the outer strap, and the tire tread is UNIFORMLY constricted.  This causes the tire sidewalls to spread outward UNIFORMLY, with considerable force against the metal rim. 

Here's the BeadSetR on the tire.  The yellow band you see is a strap-within-a-strap. The inner strap slips easily around the tire and constricts the tread, which spreads the sidewalls.

An airtight seal is achieved and the tire can be easily inflated.  It’s brilliantly simple, yet amazingly effective.  We named this new creation the BeadSetR.

Convinced yet? 
Want to order a BeadSetR?   click here.
Want to order a CyclePump?  click here.

How wide will the BeadSetR spread the tire sidewalls?

We don’t claim it will completely “seat the bead”.  Nothing will do that except air pressure inside the tire carcass.  Pressure expands the sidewalls as the tire is inflated, and that internal force eventually seats the bead on both sides.  When that happens you will hear a loud "POP".  Twice, once on each side.  Keep your fingers clear of the gap between sidewall and rim or you'll get a painful pinch. 

What we do claim is that it will “set the bead” against the rim, so that the tire can be inflated with relatively low pressure air.  Once the seal is achieved you can use a CyclePump, or even a hand pump to fill the tire.

By the way, you can call it the BeadSetR, Bead-Set-R, or a BeadSetter.  All those names will link to our website.

The BeadSetR Ratchet Strap

We designed a system that's unlike any other.  The metal ratchet assembly is made from high strength steel with a black rustproof finish. Pull the handle and the strap is tightened.  Depress the release levers and the strap is released. 

The nylon strap is rated to 500 pounds.  It's suitable for constricting a tire and other purposes, such as an emergency tow strap. 

It is NOT not rated for lifting purposes. For safety and liability reasons don't use it to climb a cliff or to bear your weight of for some purpose where life is at risk.   

The main strap is 1” nylon, 15 feet long, with a loop on one end.  It's connected to the ratchet with a quick release clevis pin.  

The secondary strap is 1" nylon, 12” long, with loops at each end.  This second strap allows you to reconfigure the ratchet from a circular strap system to a linear strap. It's not shown in the photo below because it's wrapped up in the 2" bundle.

There are no hooks at the ends of the straps.  Hooks are big and heavy and serve no purpose for this application.  If you need to "hook" onto something, use the looped ends of the straps.

We’re big believers in multi-purpose tools, so we designed the BeadSetR ratchet strap to serve more than just one purpose. 

The main strap attaches to the ratchet assembly with a quick-release clevis pin.  Pull that pin and reconfigure the straps, and the system transforms from a circular looped ratcheting strap into a linear ratcheting strap. This is handy for camping purposes such as stringing a clothesline, or pitching a tent. 

In either configuration the BeadSetR can be used to secure your motorcycle to a trailer or other transport. It can be used as an emergency tow strap, to pull your buddy’s bike back to civilization. 

The BeadSetR comes with two sections of 2" wide hollow webbing (nylon tubes) which make contact with the tire tread.  The 1” strap passes through these hollow tubes.  Friction between the inner and outer nylon straps is negligible, so when the inner strap is tightened it slips within the outer straps.  This is the reason why the entire system works so well, the secret ingredient that makes it work.

To further reduce friction, at the end of one hollow 2” tubes is a piece of slippery polyethylene plastic.  It fits under the body of the steel ratchet, and allows the ratchet to slide across the rubber tread.

A 2-foot piece of double-sided Velcro is attached to the ratchet.  When you're fitting the BeadSetR to the tire, this piece of Velcro holds the ratchet onto the tire as you position the straps and prepare for ratcheting and constriction.  It’s like having a second pair of hands.

Everything packs down neatly, and takes up minimal space in your saddlebag.  Weight is 18.4 ounces.  Size is only 2x5x5”. It easily fits in a pannier, tankbag, or duffel.

The BeadSetR system sounds simple enough that you might be tempted make yourself to save a few dollars. We’d very much appreciate that you didn’t.  We worked hard on this project. You could show your appreciation for our inventive efforts by respecting our designs and copyrights.  You could support other BestRest Products developments by buying a BeadSetR.  Please do the honorable thing.

Besides, even if you made your own, there's several special tricks we use to make our BeadSetR more effective than anything you could make yourself. 

The BestRest DonorHose - A useful companion to the BeadSetR

Even when you're using the BeadSetR and the sidewalls are in contact with the rim, small imperfections in the sidewall, or nicks in the rim could make tire inflation problematic.  We recognize the benefits of a blast of high-pressure air to initiate the seating process.  How can we use high pressure air when we're in the field?

We didn’t have to look very far to find a handy and reliable supply of high pressure air.  Even on the worst road or trail it's always with you.....  Use the OTHER TIRE on the motorcycle as our high-pressure tank!   

Here's how that works:  Over-inflate the good tire to 50 PSI, then use our BestRest DonorHose to transfer air into the recipient tire.  The sudden blast of air from the overinflated tire sets the bead on the rim and final inflation can be finished with a CyclePump.  You could even use a hand pump.

We introduced the DonorHose several years ago as a simple solution for a flat tire.  Connected between the front and rear tires, or from someone else's tire to your flat tire, the 5-foot hose (with air chucks on both ends) would equalize pressure between the two.  The flat tire would receive enough air to make the bike ride-able, and you could limp slowly to the nearest service station to fill both tires. 

Motorcycle Consumer News reviewed our DonorHose a few years back.  They liked it. A lot.

In keeping with the multi-purpose concept, the DonorHose can also be used as an emergency siphon hose, or as a temporary fuel line. Click here to order the DonorHose.

BeadGoop - another useful accessory for the BeadSetR

When removing or installing a tire on the rim, proper application of tire mounting lube makes ALL the difference.  Without lube, it’s practically impossible.  With lube, the task becomes manageable, almost easy.

The same is true when seating the bead on the rim.  Without lube the friction of the sidewall against the rim makes seating the bead nearly impossible, even with high-pressure air.  But with lube in the right places those beads will pop onto the rim at pressures as low as 15 PSI.

We developed a tire mounting lube called BeadGoop for use with our TireIron BeadBrakR.  Slippery when wet, sticky when dry, it’s the perfect lubricant for motorcycle applications.  Apply it to the bead of the tire and the rim, and tires almost mount themselves.  

A 2-ounce bottle of BeadGoop is enough to mount about 4 tires. It can be diluted with water to stretch it further, but we like using it full strength.   Click here to order BeadGoop.

The BeadSetR Combo Kit

The Basic BeadSetR kit comes with the ratchet strap, the two 1" straps, the two outer tire straps, and a storage pouch.  The Basic kit can be ordered by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page.  

Recognizing that many riders will want a comprehensive kit containing the BeadSetR and the DonorHose and the BeadGoop, we put together a BeadSetR Combo Kit that saves you a few dollars, VS buying those components separately.  The BeadSetR Combo Kit includes:

1 - BeadSetR
1 - DonorHose air transfer hose
1 - Bottle (2 oz.) of BeadGoop tire mounting lube

The Basic BeadSetR  

To order the Basic BeadSetR, click on the Add To Cart button below.  Then go through the ordering process.