A Tire lever is a tool for removing tires from bicycle rims.
Bicycle
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Tire levers for bicycle tires have one end that is tapered and slightly curved. The other end is usually hooked so that it can be hooked around one of the spokes keeping the bead free of the rim at one point, and thus allowing a second lever to be manipulated forward progressively loosening a larger segment of the tire bead from the rim.
A common feature of tire levers is the lack of sharp edges. The slightest pinch of an inner tube by a lever can weaken or puncture it. It is good practice to examine a set of tire levers for any sharp edges and file them smooth and round. Classically tire levers were made of metal, however plastic ones are now manufactured which are even less sharp and less likely to puncture the tube, and even some single lever varieties, which can be popped under the bead at one point then just quickly pushed around the rim popping the bead off.
Tire levers are not necessary or desirable in all cases. In many cases, the tire can be reinserted on the rim, and sometimes removed from the rim, without the use of tire levers, which helps reduce the chance of puncture.
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