Rabaconda Street Tire Changer- Does anyone have experience with it?

I'm looking into this product for home and track use. I watched a few of their production videos as well as some independent review videos on YouTube, and this thing seems pretty legit.

Was hoping that if anyone is using this, that they could post some comments or feedback about their experience with it.

Thanks in advance.

 

Curious too because the video I watched didn't look any faster (at least with a nice soft Pirelli, pre-warmed) than with two tire levers, a couple rim protectors, and a ghetto wood-block-bead-break. Yeah, the tire slipped right off but the time saved in that step didn't make up for the time setting it up.

 

I have one in the shop, as well as a No Mar. The Rabaconda has a little more leverage with its ratchet system, but being down low on the floor and at an angle is a little awkward.

I prefer the No Mar's height and orientation, but with stiff old tires or Dunlops, sometimes it's hard to get enough leverage from the mount/demount bar. If I'm doing a new Pirelli or Michelin though, I can get them on with the No Mar faster than some pros with their pneumatic machines.

 

Which version of the no-mar do you have? And do you think there's any way of securing the Rabaconda to the floor so that it would be a little sturdier, and potentially make for an easier experience?

 

I have a No Mar Classic with "the works" package mounted to my concrete floor. I also have a Classic with a hitch mount that I travel to races with.

If you're using it properly, the Rabaconda is plenty secure. You're supposed to put your foot on it for the really physical parts. The issue for me is the height. I think if you could bolt it to a table or something about 2' higher, you wouldn't have to bend over so much. I bring the No Mar to race weekends to swap tires for my team. If I tried doing a dozen tires with the Rabaconda, this would kill my back:

 

I mounted one of these to the wall in my Sprinter. They work pretty well once you get the hang of it.

 

@MGFChapin correct me if I'm wrong, but would you say that using one or two drop centering tools makes a big difference when using any of these "manual" changers? That, and a good lube?

 

A couple drop center tools are necessary with stiff tires, yes, regardless of which brand machine you go with. They're not usually necessary for softer tires.

Lube is necessary with any brand but both of the ones I've mentioned come with their own. The Rabaconda has a huge bucket and brush. The No Mar has a small jar and you use your fingers.

 

This looks pretty nifty, I checked out the website and watched the video. Definitely a lot of conveniences over a floor set up. In the video he bangs out the front tire relatively easily. Is the rear tire change just as easy? What are the difficulties to work around, if you don't mind elaborating? I'm in the research phase before I pull the trigger on one of these... tyia

 

I would not be using lube to mount sportbike tires...

When installing tires you should never need to lever that hard.

 

It's not about "hard," it's about the mount/demount head sliding smoothly along the tire bead. In over a decade of changing my own tires (with lube), I've only had one rear spin on me. A front has never budged.

 

Rear tires have been easier in my experience, but that could be because I'm riding Dunlops.

 

If you have an enclosed trailer, slap a pneumatic/electric changer in it and be done.

I changed tires by hands for many years until I got a pneumatic changer about 7 yrs ago. Life changer.

 

I started using the Rabaconda about halfway through this past season to mount the very stiff Dunlops at home. It works once you figure out the quirks and tricks. It's a lot easier if you leave the tires in the sun for a little. I use Ru-Glyde because it's not slick after it dries.

I mounted tires for years with a machine when I worked in a shop during college, so I have some experience that translates over. If I had never mounted a tire before and tried mounting a Dunlop with the Rabaconda, it would be ugly, but I'm generally bad at these kinds of things. The instructions try to explain the drop center, but you need to know when and where to push and/or pull on the front and/or back to get stiff tires on easily.

The worst thing about it is the stand. Maybe it is just the side I prefer to work from, but I feel like it is always lifting off the ground. The base needs to be larger . The other thing I don't like is it only uses one cone spacer to center on the rod through the center of the wheel, so the rod is pushing on the bearings on the backside of the wheel as you are cranking on it. The wheel also wobbles a little because there is no spacer on the back. If there were two cones, like you use on a wheel balancer, it would make more sense.

 

^^^Ru Glyde^^^ I bought a gallon of it from NAPA 15 years ago and still have 3 and a half quarts left. I do all my tires the old fashioned way with 3 tire irons, rim protectors and a wood block for centering the opposite bead. I don't think a machine could do it any faster, 10 minutes a change not including rim washing, popping the bead or balancing.

 

When comparing manual machines to air, it's not about the all out "speed" of getting the tire changed. You're trying to argue semantics over a few seconds. I've used the Rabaconda, No Mar, and my pneumatic machine. 100 our of 100 times I would rather have my machine. The ease of locking the wheel into place, not worrying about which brand of tire I'm trying to mount, etc makes it a no brainer. The clear advantage of using the actual machine is far more than possibly saving...a few seconds, mounting only a certain brand of tire. Let's not forget the possibility of scratching the wheel is next to zero with a machine, unless you go full retard with the bar or fuck up the clamping process (which is still possible with any tire changer setup, no getting away from that).

You can go fuck yourself if you ask me to mount a brand new cold Dunlop slick on a no mar

 

Spun the fronts and many rears, specifically Dunlops, over the years. Lube/dry/whatever. Probably the reason a lot of MA teams roughen up the surface of the beat seats on their rims

 

As a No Mar owner that's never actually used the device I have to ask, how much is this machine you're referring to?

 

The price isn’t the issue. The machines weigh more than a bike. I want one because they are much easier than any other method, but I don’t think getting one up the steps to my apartment is going to end well.

 

I own 5 pneumatic machines. I have to move them, across sand, by myself, from time to time. Steps would be a bad idea.