Trying to use a poorly designed tire lever in the event of a flat is like trying to rub two sticks together to start a fire. Sure it might get the job done, but having the right tools for the job sure saves you a lot of unneeded time and effort. Being a cyclist I have yet to find a tire tool that impressed me until I used the Prestalever II by Prestacycle.
The Prestalever II being the new upgraded version you might wonder what changed, what was improved, and is it even better than before? Prestacycle has redesigned the tool to help make it more compact by reducing the total size by 17%, meaning for you weight weenies the time to upgrade from your original Prestalever is now. Prestacycle realizing that all rims are not made equal, designed the version II of this fine product by testing thousands of wheels and tire combos to make the Prestalever II an even higher performing tire lever. By changing the curvature of the head, and the rim hook height by 40%, the Prestalever II glides on a rim like butter. Making tire removal and installation a much simpler job.
If you are a long time reader of Industry Outsider.com, you may remember Alex reviewing the original Prestalever. He was troubled with his Campy Shamal Ultra 2-Way Fit wheels and always dreaded getting a flat. Alex’s wheels were pretty well known in the cycling industry for not cooperating with tire removal or installations. Once introduced to the Prestalever Alex’s flat tire bad luck were no longer such a huge fear.
Using the Prestalever II for tire installation is a pretty simple job. Placing the tire lever on the rim on where the slotted area of the tool is, rotate the wheel and the tire bead will be guided inside the rim. If you find you have a pesky tire you can also place a Prestalever II at the trouble spot and use the second and third lever included with the kit to massage the tire bead toward the trouble spot. Once this is accomplished you simply flip the levers and shazam your tire is installed. Removal is pretty similar except you scoop the bead with the lever head, placing the bead outside of the lever head and the rim hook on the wheel. With a rotating motion spin the wheel while holding the lever, most of the time I can do this with one lever, but some tires require two.
While testing the Prestalever II out on my own bikes, I noticed I was not doing something right. After going online and to Prestacycles website I re-read the procedure and saw what I was doing wrong. Trying again with the process fresh in my mind I found the tire to come off and on quickly. A great feature of the rim hook design on the head of the Prestalever II is no longer needing to tension the lever on a spoke, adding un-needed tension that could cause a wheel to become out of true. I am pleased on the performance of these tire levers while testing them in on the road or trail. Also the size of the lever doesn’t take too much room in my under seat bag or in hydration pack which is an added bonus.
Available in pink or red the MSRP is easy on the wallet at $4.95 each. But for a better deal buy their 3 pack for $12.95. Pick up the Prestalever II at a retailer near you or at Prestacycle.com