Bead showing - is it fatal?
rpaul
Posts: 23
Hiya,
I've been putting on a new Michelin Tracker tyre for commuting and noticed that wire bead was showing in one place, from the innermost side. Not a great stretch, about 1/2", and I've put the tyre on and covered about 200 miles on it without any trouble.
The question is, still, how big a problem is it? I've tried on an old Tracker, and the compound around the bead is so soft you can literally scratch through it to the wire with your thumbnail - I've tried and succeeded, so it's hardly functional. The fibre under the compound isn't that much of a muchness either; the old one ended up just splitting on me after about 5k miles along the side, at the point of contact with the outermost side of the rim. The one with bead showing got most probably damaged when I was putting it on, although I've been using plastic tyre levers and washing-up liquid, and in general I can - and have many times in the past - put tyres on without ruining them.
It's not so much a question of whether I should return it - it's too late anyway, and they go for a tenner a piece on CRC, so not worth the hassle. The reason why I'm asking is that I'm setting off on a 500-mile trip out in the far Northwest of Scotland in a few weeks, and I'm wondering whether I should bin this one and get something else.
I was trying to figure out how structurally important is the bit that goes around the bead, and by my limited understanding it falls into the category of 'bloody well important', to the degree of the thing potentially blowing under load. But then, why is it so weak? Or did I just get a faulty tyre? The RRP is £20, so far from hi-end, but not the cheapest ones around either.
Sorry, I've got no pics at the mo - the tyre is on the bike and I've got no spares. And I'm cycling every day. I could get a snap over the weekend - I was thinking of going over to a local shop with it to get their advice anyway.
But any thoughts and/or advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
I've been putting on a new Michelin Tracker tyre for commuting and noticed that wire bead was showing in one place, from the innermost side. Not a great stretch, about 1/2", and I've put the tyre on and covered about 200 miles on it without any trouble.
The question is, still, how big a problem is it? I've tried on an old Tracker, and the compound around the bead is so soft you can literally scratch through it to the wire with your thumbnail - I've tried and succeeded, so it's hardly functional. The fibre under the compound isn't that much of a muchness either; the old one ended up just splitting on me after about 5k miles along the side, at the point of contact with the outermost side of the rim. The one with bead showing got most probably damaged when I was putting it on, although I've been using plastic tyre levers and washing-up liquid, and in general I can - and have many times in the past - put tyres on without ruining them.
It's not so much a question of whether I should return it - it's too late anyway, and they go for a tenner a piece on CRC, so not worth the hassle. The reason why I'm asking is that I'm setting off on a 500-mile trip out in the far Northwest of Scotland in a few weeks, and I'm wondering whether I should bin this one and get something else.
I was trying to figure out how structurally important is the bit that goes around the bead, and by my limited understanding it falls into the category of 'bloody well important', to the degree of the thing potentially blowing under load. But then, why is it so weak? Or did I just get a faulty tyre? The RRP is £20, so far from hi-end, but not the cheapest ones around either.
Sorry, I've got no pics at the mo - the tyre is on the bike and I've got no spares. And I'm cycling every day. I could get a snap over the weekend - I was thinking of going over to a local shop with it to get their advice anyway.
But any thoughts and/or advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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Comments
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I would change it.I don't do smileys.
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Parktools0 -
Change it , there is no point risking it and you will keep thinking about until you do.0
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Yep, decided to change it, but also wrote to CRC to see what they could suggest. They said 'it would probably be fine', but also sent me a free replacement without me even asking! Now is that service or what. I had a new tire in two days from making the inquiry.
Now,the learning is that that half an inch of the bead showing certainly IS fatal. Two hundred tarmac miles on it over two weeks, pumped to 40 PSI, which is within the Michelin's recommended range and just above their 'optimal' 35; and when I was replacing the tyre tonight, I found to my dismay that half an inch became three inches, and another one opened up - perhaps from another split I haven't noticed. At this rate I think I would be lucky to get another week's worth of riding out of it.
So I think I'll need to strip it down again before the trip to see how the new one behaves, I've lost all confidence. I've also noticed that the new Trackers are significantly harder to put on the rims than last year's. I suspect they might have changed the spec or something?0
