Smart Lever tyre lever review: an innovative solution, but unlikely to consign tyre levers to history

Smart Lever tyre lever review: an innovative solution, but unlikely to consign tyre levers to history

This well-designed tool could change how you think about tyre levers, but is it overkill?

14.95
16.50
22.50
28.00

Scott Windsor / Our Media

Published: May 17, 2025 at 9:00 am

“Tyre levers are history,” proclaims the British team behind the Smart Lever, a tyre lever that looks like a cross between a kitchen implement and a Transformer.

The idea is to use clever design in place of muscle strength to make it easier to remove and fit tyres.

The Smart Lever is the main component, but you also have the option of adding the Bead Lever, which is designed to help break the tyre bead away from the rim.

There's a chunky, high-quality feel to the construction, with the polished metal parts feeling sturdy

With the Smart Lever priced at £22.50 / $29.50 / €26.50 and the optional Bead Lever adding £12.50 / $16.50 / €14.95, it's expensive compared to a traditional tyre lever.

without being heavy, and the plastic pieces are tactile and well-formed.

However, there are an awful lot more parts and increased functionality, and it’s made in the UK. It’s not the most ergonomic tool to use, however.

Editor's note: this review was updated on May 17 2025, splitting out the scores of the tyre lever and Bead Lever.

Smart Tyre Lever performance

The Smart Lever tyre lever has a flap and roller on one side for fitting tyres and a scoop shape on the other for removing them. Scott Windsor / Our Media

The Smart Lever certainly takes some getting used to, because there are so many more swivelling, pivoting and clamping gadgets compared to the simple plastic blades most cyclists will be used to.

However, this tool is cleverly designed, offering a number of mechanical advantages.

Tyre removal

Rotate the metal handle 90 degrees for extra mechanical advantage – simple and effective. Scott Windsor / Our Media

Tyre removal is a similar process to a traditional plastic tyre lever; push the paddle-shaped piece beneath the bead, and lever the tyre up and over the rim.

The clever part is that the metal handle can rotate 90 degrees to help with sliding the tyre bead around the rim and off. 

The hinge on the Smart Lever’s spooned side (used for removal) is functional, enabling you to lever the tyre more easily over the edge of the rim than with a traditional tyre lever. It amazed me how much difference the addition of a simple pivot in the right place made to tyre removal.

Tyre fitting

A hinged slider makes sure the lever doesn't slide off the rim and the roller means the bead slides smoothly over the rim. Scott Windsor / Our Media

Fitting is where the Smart Lever sets itself apart from traditional tyre levers; slide the flat, horn-shaped piece under the tyre bead, then hook the nifty roller onto the tyre bead.

This should enable the easy fitting of even the tightest road bike tyres. It also leaves you with more processing power and space to check your inner tube is sat snugly inside the tyre and not pinched.

Even tight, tubeless mountain bike tyres were dispatched quickly.

My testing showed that the slippery plastic compound the Smart Lever’s contact points are made from slides easily over the rim, which eases fitting and removal.

Even though the main body is made of metal, it should be safe for use on carbon fibre rims without damage, thanks to these plastic sliders.

There’s even a Presta valve-core remover built into the stainless steel body of the Bead Lever.

Smart Lever bottom line

Smart Lever tyre levers
Smart Lever is a unique product with a host of features Jack Luke / Our Media

It looks nothing like a traditional tyre lever, but the Smart Lever offers genuine performance benefits for removing and fitting tyres.

Once you get used to how each of the tools unpacks and deploys, they are straightforward to use, but it will take a bit of study. There are some informative YouTube videos and written instructions with photos from multiple angles to help you reach this point.

It's a clever gadget that harnesses great design to make an otherwise frustrating job as quick and easy as possible. It's British and quality is evident, but it's an expensive alternative to tyre levers.

Bead Lever performance

The Smart Lever and Bead Lever combine to make a three-in-one tool. Scott Windsor / Our Media

You can also purchase the additional Bead Lever, which bolts onto the Smart Lever. It’s designed as a clever bead breaker to help pop tyres off the bead bed and into the well of the rim, ready for removal.

You simply bolt the Bead Lever onto the Smart Lever so that the spooned portion lines up with the plastic end of the Bead Lever.

Add the Bead Lever to the Smart Lever and tighten onto the sidewalls of the tyre with the wingnut. Scott Windsor / Our Media

To use it, loosen the clamp in the centre of the Smart Lever and pop the plastic claws over the tyre. Then tighten down the clamp and use the Bead Lever to pull the tyre and rim beads apart.

Unfortunately, in use, the Bead Lever didn’t appear to want to grip the tyre to pull it away from the rim. The lever would just slide across the sidewall without getting proper purchase.

Even tightening the wingnut up to the point of leaving imprints in my skin didn’t yield any effect on breaking the bead.

Smart Lever's Bead Lever is designed to help break the tyre bead away from the rim. Scott Windsor / Our Media

The inventor of the Smart Lever and Bead Lever, Mark Searles, got in touch with us to say: "We now include a socket screw and Allen key with Bead Lever (in addition to the wing screw) as these have proved surprisingly quick and easy to use and make fully tightening the clamp much easier for some customers."


Bead Lever bottom line

Bead Lever accessory bolts onto the body of the Smart Lever and promises to assist in breaking the bead free from the rim. Scott Windsor / Our Media

Bead Lever isn't without its issues. It's a clever design but was ineffective and difficult to use.

However, subsequent manufacturer updates could ameliorate these issues.

Product

Price A$28.00, €14.95, £22.50, $16.50

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