Park Tool Tire Levers - Hooked TL1.2C

I have something to say about tire levers. Specifically, the Park Tool TL-1 levers have attracted my ire. But before I begin ranting about what went wrong with them and why you never put blue polish on a three toed sloth, let's focus on what is right with the equation.

I am a fan of hooked tire levers and the TL-1 have nice ones. Their overall shape has plenty of arc in the bend which makes it easy to hook on a spoke – even with today's fatter rims. Breaking the bead of a tire that is filled with sealant is a tedious moment. I like to hook one lever at the 2 o'clock position then insert and slide the second lever towards 10 o'clock. Hooking it in place after a certain point will give you enough working area to discard old sealant and continue with repair or removal of the tire. Many levers have insufficient bend or length to make this easy. The TL-1 levers have a very nice shape and are the correct length.

Their stepped profile allows the three levers to snap together with the same satisfaction you get from lego bricks. I only bring two levers on rides so I would snap two together and leave the third at home as an extra. Overall, the levers function and are fully useable, but here's where the beef starts. The working side of the lever that meets the rim surface has a narrow end that tapers wider as it meets the handle. That widened area is about 1-2 millimeters too fat and interferes on some rim and tire combinations. The handle could be 1-2 millimeters thinner or better yet, that taper could be moved back a few millimeters and the clearance wouldn't be an issue.

The blue nylon material has a particularly slick and hard feel to it. This makes the lever slippery to use and they have a sharp brittle feeling in your hands. I have an older set made by Park Tool that is darker blue and seems to be made of a softer material. I don't know if all of the newer ones feel this way or this set had too much mold release added, but it is annoying. I wanted to love these levers and spend more time with them out on the trails, but because of the above mentioned flaws they have been demoted to garage duty where other options are available when they fall short. 3 stars for the overall review.