Something so small and seemingly trivial, the tire lever has a fairly simple task in life, but despite that there a mirage of offerings with varying effectiveness. We looked at some of the most popular options to find the best of the bunch.
Often left in the dark depths of your bag until that time when rock meets rim or a thorn gets the better of your casing. Let’s be honest, how much thought have you actually put into buying a tire lever before? That is if you have even bought any, and not just picked up a freebie or pinched one off your mate!
An assorted shape and size of plastic, despite being perhaps the simplest bicycle tool and from a glance looking largely similar, the tire levers we compared had a range of feel, flex and effectiveness! With this in mind, it may be time to dive into your pocket, pick out the loose change and rethink your trailside tire lever thumbling. The levers we tested were inexpensive models designed to fit in your riding bag and not workshop quality.
What makes a good tire lever?
Price
When buying a tire lever the over riding factor is and has to be price, no one wants to fork out cash unnecessarily!
Performance
Any lever will remove a tire but some may take more effort (and swearing) than others, but what set apart the levers in this test was the ability to slip under the bead and then hold onto the tire until removed without slipping from the rim.
User Friendliness
With these being compact trail levers we looked at how much space they took up, whether they clipped together nicely, weight and the feel / comfort in the hand.
Longevity
One of the most important factors! We all want levers that will last and not snap as if you were using a ice lolly stick… The leading edge of the lever also takes a lot of abuse and depending on the plastic type can quickly become mis-shaped affecting performance!
Tire lever testing process
We repeated a very stringent and scientific testing process… of debeading tires from the rim. The tires were pumped up to 25 PSI, let down and removed from the wheel, during this we looked at a number of factors including, comfort, ease of use, flex whilst keeping in mind longevity, price and weight.
The best tire levers: Pedros Tire Lever
Emblazoned on the front of the packaging is ‘Ergonomic Shape’, which holds true as the lever turns out to be comfortable in hand. When turned to the tire the leading edge slips under bead easily and removes the tire well but despite the thicker construction we found it was not except to slipping out. The lever material is thick, hard and gives up little flex meaning they will have great longevity which is backed up by Pedros ‘Lifetime Warranty’ creating no doubts in our head that this in the deserving winner, compact enough for the trails but robust enough for the workshop, the Pedros won’t let you down.
The Runner Up: Schwalbe Tire Lever
The Schwalbe is somewhat understated and simple compared to the other levers, but surprisingly its performance stood out from the others. The thin low profile design slips under the tire excellently and then removes tires from easily and without slipping out from the rim. If looking for a lever to take riding and slip into a pocket then the Schwalbe is a good bet, it is minimalist, light, and performs well! However we did find the leading edge was liable to chipping, giving it less durability than other levers such as the Pedros or Unior which would be better suited to heavier casings or tighter tires. Although the performance was perhaps the best in test, it lost out to Pedros on longevity and toughness but should you pluck for it you won’t be left swearing at your sidewalls!
Continental MTB Levers
The Continental is perhaps the most cliched in terms of traditional tire lever design in the test, although it is pretty narrow and feels small in the hand. When tasked with removing the tire it was a solid performer, not the best or worst in test. The lip is long and reasonably thick which means it doesn’t slip under the tyre or remove as efficiently as others in test, but it does maintain grip throughout. The material is lightly to chip, it’s pretty flexible and doesn’t seem to be brittle meaning it’s more likely to bend before it snaps.
Crank Brothers Speedier Lever
Straight away the Crank Brothers felt at home on our fingers with the ergonomic design which has the added bonus of protecting your knuckles too. The leading edge slipped under bead easy and removed tire efficiently, maintaining grip until the tire was completely removed. The install side is a clever idea helping to prevent puncturing tubes, which worked well once forced onto the rim until the last quarter of the tire where it become tight and wedged between the tire and rim.
Park Tools TL 4 (replaced byTL 4.2)
The Park Tools feels small in hand which is reflected in it’s poor leverage which is not effective at removing tires… The glossy finish is slippery with a lack of grip for your hand, not what you want when stuck at the side of the trail in the rain! The knurled surface is a great idea but relatively pointless when you stick a big logo in the centre of the lever which is the same glossy finish as the sides and back. The plastic is hard wearing and will have good longevity, the shape of the lever means it’s comfortable and easily slipped into a pocket.
Unior Tire Lever
Once places in the hand the comfortable design of the Unior is apparent, it has a grippy / rough and matt finish, with an indentation for your thumb giving it a great feel in the hand. However the ergonomic design wasn’t reflected in the performance with it repeatedly slipping out of the tire and rim. One of the thickest and hardest on test, the Unior will have great longevity and comes in sets of four meaning you won’t be lacking in firepower, just as a single lever they don’t match up to the performance of others in test.
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