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Tire Lever, Tire Iron
A special tool for prying the bead of a tire over the rim. Most tire levers have a rounded end which slips between the rim wall and the tire. The other end of the lever is bent and has a notch. Once you have inserted the first tire lever and pried one section of the bead over the edge of the rim, you can hook the other end around a spoke. This leaves your hands free to stick another lever in, usually two spokes over from the first.
One or two tire levers are usually enough to get all but the most recalcitrant tire beads over the rim, but in extreme cases you may need three. When the third is in place, the middle one can be removed and re-inserted farther over. Tire levers are usually sold in sets of three, since you never need more than three.
Since most newer tire levers are made of plastic, the term "tire iron" is a bit anachronistic.
