tire levers

changing tires/tubes is the one repair job EVERY bike should know how to do. i dont know why people pay someone else $5+ to do it, but hell, it pays my bills in the summer. ive changed a lot of tires and tubes, and im pretty good at it (in some parts, im know as the tsar of flat tires). there are three tools you need to take a tire off, and two you need to put them back on- two hands and a lever for removal, and two hands for installation. ok, so you might need a lever to get the last part of the bead of a tight road tire on, but thats a rarity. im in no position to explain how to put a tire on, but i did just use 2 different lever to change some flats (i had 2 different ones lying around my room) and ive decided which one is better. its between the sexy blue park tool levers...

and the pedros levers ( i like the pink ones best)...


i find the park tools one to be inferior. the lip on the lever is narrower and doesnt grab as much of the beat when you need to remove the tire. the pedro's lever is slightly larger (wider) and you can get a better grip on it. these things sound trivial, but it makes a big difference. i have some super shitty performance brand levers and they make it tough to get a tire on/off- they suck. anyway, i also find that the pedros lever dont crack as easy. though they do inevitably break, they arent made from as hard a plastic, making them less prone to simply snapping in half. lastly, both levers have those hooky things to fit onto the spokes. though i never use them (in fact, just having them is dumb because if you know what your doing you dont need them), the pedros ones stay on the spokes way way way better. i usually like park tools- my hex set, ts2, dishing gauge etc. , but pedros tire levers (among other things, like lube) are far superior to parks.