Uncle Dick's Bead Slip - Review

May 20, 2014 at 14:29
by Mike Levy  
If you've installed a decent number of tires in your time there's a pretty good chance that you've ended up with sore thumbs and had to put some money in your swear jar. That applies ten-fold if you've had to deal with some of the newer tubeless tires, especially those with heavy duty beads and stiff sidewalls, and you may have even had to resort to the faux pas that any good mechanic tries to avoid: using levers to install a tire. As its name suggests, Uncle Dick's Bead Slip is intended to make that task a bit easier by spreading the white paste onto the last bit of tire bead and rim section that you're trying to push it over, thereby reducing friction between the two and letting you get the tire on without having a nervous breakdown... hey, we've all been there, right? The concept isn't new - tire shops often use something similar when installing new rubber on your car, and a lot of bike shop mechanics have resorted to soaping up a troublesome rim and tire when all else fails. Uncle Dick's Bead Slip comes in a 2.7oz tin and includes a small brush that you can use to spread it on as needed. MSRP $19.95 USD www.uncledicksbikeshop.com

Uncle Dick s Bead Slip review test

We found that using a finger to spread the white paste where required made getting those troublesome tires on a bit easier.



Pinkbike's Take:
bigquotesIf soaping up a reluctant tire accomplishes the same thing, why would one need Uncle Dick's Bead Slip? That's the exact question that I asked myself before popping the small tin open to give it a try, and the answer became pretty obvious as soon as I spread it on - the white paste does the same thing as soapy water, but without the wet mess that goes along with it. The paste is thick enough that it stays where you put it, and it really does make getting that last bit of ultra-tight tire bead over the edge of the rim a bit easier. The truth is that a tight tire is still going to be a tight tire, but it does make the job less strenuous. This much was clear when I installed Continental's new Baron tires on a set of ENVE rims, a combination that had me pulling my hair out until I remembered to give Uncle Dick's solution a try. No, the tires didn't magically install themselves, but there's a good chance that I'd still be in the garage trying to get them on if I didn't spread the bead slip on. After messing about with the little brush that the paste comes with, I found that using a finger to apply the paste works much better, although I then needed to clean my hands off before working the bead - it makes for a pretty slippery combo when it's on both your hands and the tire. Also, it seems to me that it might be a bit easier to get it where you need it if the white paste was just a little bit thinner. At $19.95 USD for a tin, it's a little pricey for the rider who only installs a new tire once or twice a year, but anyone who changes tires on a semi-regular basis will find that Uncle Dick's Bead Slip can be pretty helpful. - Mike Levy


Author Info:
mikelevy avatar

Member since Oct 18, 2005
2,032 articles

113 Comments
  • 129 2
 I don't want to know what uncle dick does with his beads...
  • 75 0
 Uncle Dick's specially formulated white paste.
  • 30 0
 Makes it easier to get it where you need it.
  • 35 3
 Is this for Anal Beads, as i think the brush might tickle my arsehole when applying it.
  • 12 0
 'slip' means 'briefs' in Dutch, making it sound even worse
  • 52 0
 Could be worse, could be uncle dick's rim slip
  • 9 0
 With a name like uncle dicks bead slip, i knew this thread was gona get dirty
  • 48 0
 instructions: apply a small amount of bead slip to your finger, gently massage onto the rigid arc of your rim. Firmly grip the tire carcass and thrust the bead against and into the rim. You should feel and hear a slight pop as it slides into place. Let out a deep sigh of release; your job is complete. (neg prop away!)
  • 3 0
 coffee spewed. well played kevmocal.
  • 2 0
 Easily as good as the ask pinkbike comments good week...
  • 4 0
 This is a guaranteed awkward moment with the TSA… don't fly with this stuff!
  • 2 0
 fullbug, you sure that was coffee?
  • 2 0
 ^haha. great. more coffee... yup. definitely coffee.
  • 3 0
 dont worry...you gonna slip right through security, wont even notice the pat down...
  • 1 0
 Disclamer: "This does not prevent pregnancy!"
  • 46 0
 It's all about technique. If you sit on your hand long enough then put your tyre on it feels like someone else is doing it. Err something got mixed up there... Sorry wrong website.
  • 1 0
 Have you checked out zombiereacharound.com
  • 2 0
 Ah yes, the "sleeping beauty ".
  • 1 0
 veero helped plant a few trees last month.
  • 39 2
 Seems $19.99 too expensive for 2.7oz of something I don't really need at all.
  • 119 1
 it doubles as wank lube, so 19.99 seems pretty reasonable
  • 18 27
flag sdaly (May 28, 2014 at 21:39) (Below Threshold)
 again...something you don't really need at all
  • 28 5
 Agreed, spit in your hand and go to town.
  • 22 2
 I prefer muc-off chain lube
  • 16 13
 spit in your hand? humans have evolved for millions of years and the best you can do is saliva? uncle dick has the right idea. take my $20 uncle dick, take my $20
  • 8 15
flag gnarbar (May 28, 2014 at 21:53) (Below Threshold)
 $20 won't break the bank. cheapskates
  • 26 3
 If I spend $20 on every dumb idea out there, I'd be a millionaire just from my own ideas
  • 6 6
 if you were a genius you'd be making all these new dumb products that "nobody needs"
  • 6 1
 Just spit on it and push harder
  • 16 1
 That's what she said.
  • 2 0
 Soapy water, just like they use with car tires. Its cheap, slippery and when its dry its not slippery anymore.
  • 1 0
 My local tyre shop has this - they use for car tyres. Costs a few quid for a litre tub. He said he'd give me a jar of it free, and laughed heartily a the notion that someone might pay twenty dollars for two ounces of it
  • 1 0
 "Wank Lube"....well, I guess that's why they named it Uncle Dick's.
  • 24 0
 Is there really that much shame in using tire levers? I work at a bike shop and steel core tire levers are my best friends.
  • 2 1
 The problem that can come with tire levers are pinched tubes. I'm not saying it will always happen but the chances are increased.
  • 3 5
 Tire levers should not be used with tubeless tires , put a kink in the bead and they will be fooked
  • 3 1
 How do you get pinched tubes putting on tubeless tyres? I use the same smoothed off metal levers I got for my 6th birthday with my Supergoose.
  • 2 0
 Tyre levers on tubeless Enve's? Have you seen what damage you can do by using them on carbon rims?
  • 26 2
 People who can afford enves can afford to get heli lifted back to the shop anyway. Or a pocket gnome mechanic.
  • 5 0
 Anyone who has mounted a car tire knows this is a good idea.
  • 3 1
 HAHA @ pocket gnome mechanic. lol
  • 23 0
 Thought "Uncle Dick" was doing time in prison? that perverted old bastard wasn't even my real uncle
  • 19 0
 I had to read the product name more than once. I assumed it was a Dick Beard and wondered why there might be one of those on PB.
  • 1 1
 almost choked
  • 18 0
 The article says that Uncle Dicks white paste doesn't leave a mess..... Lucky guy
  • 13 2
 The product nobody asked for.
  • 17 0
 Strongly Agree, im a mechanic, ***you should not need "bead lube" to install a tire,*** i could see the purpose of this being to seat a bead that just wont seat, and im sure that is the real purpose behind the design but Chapstick comes in stick form and is about 99cents at the dollar store
  • 1 0
 I agree, this is to aid seating, just like what's used in the automotive industry.
  • 1 0
 I get this by the big 5lb tub in my automotive shop for $30... I would imagine it is the same stuff.
  • 13 2
 Is this lube friendly to skin? just asking.
  • 4 0
 It's for tires - that is all.
  • 26 1
 Yes, it is repackaged ass lube.
  • 19 1
 recycled ass lube
  • 3 1
 Pinkbike has me dead right now haha!
  • 2 1
 recycled ass lube. Please, NO!!!
  • 1 1
 Uncle Dick's is probably the worst possible name for lube, if you know what I mean giggity.
  • 7 0
 oh dear! awsome article Big Grin in Slovakia we call uncircumsized parts the ,,rim" so after slipping this tight rubber on, I just hope uncle richard doesn't left me with white pase behind my rim. Ewww!
  • 7 0
 Spray bottle the sealant onto the rim/tire sidewall interface zone does the same thing and it also helps seal the thing faster.
  • 1 0
 Bingo.
  • 4 0
 A note from UD,

Ok, its suppose to be funny, semi-paradoxical and be a viable product... Don't use soapy water it will travel down and cause your rim strip to move around thus exposing machined spoke hole, boom and your flat.. The product is sold in the US and Canada thru bicycle distributors such as Podium Imports, BTI, Olympic and Cyclone.

Don't put anything on your expensive tires protect your investment and use approved tire products... If you want to buy it in bulk you are free to do that, too. Do you buy Chain Oil in bulk or Stans juice buy the gallon. No, you buy what you need for a number of practical reasons. Also, google the product take a look around its been reviewed by a host of viable unpaid publications. Such as NSMB and MTBAction which covers a pretty wide user group.

Lastly, the company started in Oct of 2013, small one owner/operator and there's a demand for the product, people like and use it and I'm kinda proud of that. What idea have you brought to the cycling market..? Go ahead, you make it, package it, brand it, shipping it, sample it, insure it and build a web site for it and tell me how much profit is in it for you.. Its a scale of economy kids, as I sell more and have larger footprint the price will drop and in 8 short months we are satisfying customers everyday.


I'm not the first to use tire wax and not the last just bringing an old concept/product to market because there's a need for it.

UD
  • 5 0
 Or you can buy a big tub of tyre soap at a fraction of the price. You know, the stuff that garages use loads of. Jeez some of the overpriced crap this industry rams down peoples throats
  • 5 0
 Pretty sure soap and a spray bottle is a cheap and proven alternative to this lube. Or you can just take an air compressor and inflate the f--k out of it
  • 1 0
 Ive noticed the old soap and water method can help "seal" the bead when inflating it.
  • 3 0
 i have worked in a Tyre fitting shop and we use exactly the same stuff only difference is we get a 3 liter tub for the same price but where it helps tires on it also helps them off! best thing to use is quite strong solution of washing up liquid at least it drys and does not cost a load of money!
  • 2 0
 WTF!!!!!....are folk seriously gonna spend that much money.....just buy silicon spray..£3.99.., a tin will last forever, totallly harmless to the rubber and a piece of piss to apply to the rim, and overspray doesn't affect braking as it burns off after first use of brakes...... dont use WD40, GT85 etc as i've found it ruins tubes and tyres by perishing them .
  • 1 0
 Yes......avoid petroleum products. Use KY if you have to!
  • 6 0
 And then you realize you have installed it the wrong way arrrrgghhhh
  • 5 0
 What's so wrong with using a tire lever.....?
  • 2 0
 If you're a hack, it's pretty easy to damage the tubeless tape with the lever. Not that I know anything about that..
  • 5 0
 Or just use fairy washing up liquid slightly watered down.
  • 2 0
 Exactly!
  • 3 0
 keeps ya hands soft too!
  • 1 1
 To be honest if you know the right technique to fitting tyres you don't need any lube.
  • 1 0
 Helps the tyre pop into the rim too...
  • 1 0
 Well this product has come in useful once. I still run tubes and before reading these comments I would have assumed that it was OK to use levers when putting tubeless tires on, since the reason you don't use levers when putting normal tires on is to avoid damaging tubes. Now I know otherwise Thanks Uncle Dick
  • 1 0
 They better just sell this to Kmart bikers because it seems the "high end" bike community isn't really falling for this one.
My dad showed me how to use baby powder back when I was a wee lad and that's my tried and true go to, from mx to dh, works like a charm.
  • 1 0
 One of the more unfortunate names for a product. Almost as bad as the name SPIZ. The stuff is wonderful (SPIZ that is), but when someone asks "What are you drinking?" and the reply is "SPIZ" people either blush or just walk away. .

www.spiz.net

Plus, I'd have to explain "Uncle Dick's Bead Slip" on the CC bill to the wife. She like a little kink now and then, but certain lines shall NOT be crossed. And explaining that it just a lite lube for when the rubber is too tight for the rim isn't going to cut it!

Why didn't they just name it "Uncle Dick's Rim Lube" and put it in a rainbow colored can?
  • 1 0
 I bet a little glycerin would do the trick at about $3 bucks for enough to last the rest of your natural life.

I have to clean out and reseal my tires soon and will give that a whirl & post back.

Save me $17.00 bucks and the thought of anything with "Uncle Dick's and white paste" is just wrong
  • 1 0
 I can think of 20 things that are cheaper, i have around the house and are likely work just as well: Crisco, lard, chapstick, lithium grease, KY, motor oil, dish soap, bar soap, bacon fat from sunday breakfast (added bonus, you get to smell bacon while you ride), spit, pomade, Wd40, 3-in-1 oil, carnuba wax, vasoline, hand lotion, chain lube, synthetic wheel bearing grease, tire dressing (the stuff that makes your tires on your car black again) and pencil graphite (my favorite actually).
  • 5 1
 Shoulf have been called "Uncle Dick's Rim Lube"
  • 1 0
 Ive carefully used plastic tire levres on tubeless tires for years. Ive never had any problems. I just brush some Stans on the bead/rim to make it easier, since i put stans in the tire anyway.
  • 2 2
 The solution to never need tire levers for MTB wheels/tires = Change Motocross tires and tubes for a few years. I haven't met a wheel/tire combo I have needed a lever for since.
  • 2 0
 While I would normally agree with you, try putting a schwable super gravity on a stans wheel by hand. Pretty much impossiburu without levers.
  • 3 0
 Interesting name for a lube
  • 1 0
 ^this
  • 3 0
 coconut oil anybody? it works everywhere Wink
  • 1 0
 Yeah, olive oil too. Better for your hands. Nothing fucks up your hands like mounting a tire with soap.
  • 1 0
 Go to car tire shop and U'll find buckets of that paste for much less Smile Personally I use Schwalbe Easy Fit and it's cool but also too expensive.
  • 2 0
 Is this a belated April Fools Joke or something? Product definately not needed.
  • 2 0
 In the automotive world, it's $30 for a 25lb bucket of tire soap. This is crazy.
  • 2 0
 water and soap in a spray bottle does the job fo rme, but this was good for the lols
  • 1 0
 I simply use dish soap for any tight tire beads since 1998.........dissolves eventually with enough water and doesn't harm the rubber.
  • 1 0
 Hahahaha. Uncle dicks white cream. Ahhhhh man. My side. Ahhhhh... Good times. Good times. Full of fantastic gems.
  • 1 0
 Rubbing alcohol. Mounts up crappy wire beaded tires on a 19mm rim with a hand pump.
  • 2 0
 what's wrong with dish soap?
  • 2 0
 or just whipe some mucoff or soapwater on the tyre and rim edges...
  • 1 0
 You can call him Richard for long if saying dick makes you uncomfortable....good old uncle Richard and his bead slip.
  • 1 1
 Best idea since dropper posts. My thumbs just gave a massive sigh of relief.
  • 1 0
 Is there a problem with washing up liquid doing the same job?
  • 1 0
 Slickoleum ... revitalize the rubber while its there
  • 1 0
 Good god. This product and these comments have made me laugh out loud.
  • 1 1
 Good tires on good, industry standard rims install just fine without tricks.
  • 1 0
 it looks like average silicone grease
  • 2 0
 grow some muscles?
  • 1 0
 Just bought some... We'll see if I wasted $22 in a couple days.
  • 1 0
 Is it possible to install a DH tyre without levers? Because I just can't.
  • 1 0
 Uncle Bead's Dick Slip....whoops lookout kids!
  • 3 2
 Windex... Mx tire secret
  • 12 0
 Not really a secret anymore now is it
  • 1 0
 Just spit on it
  • 2 2
 lol, dick Big Grin
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