Tight and lumpy tire?

yadnom1973

I've got new wheels, new tires, and new inner tubes. I had a pinch puncture today which seemed to happen very easily but when I put a new inner tube in I found it very difficult to get the tire on and off, I broke one tire lever and was worried about damaging the rims. Once on and pumped up to the recommended pressure there was a fat bit on the tire. Back home now I have taken the tire on and put the inner back in checking that there are no twists or places the inner is caught but there is still a slightly fatter point at the valve.

I don't recall having these problems before so I thought I'd post here and see if it's just a very tight fit or if anyone knows if I'm doing something wrong?

Tires are Continental Gatorskin 26-622 700x230. Wheels are Mavic Aksium 700 622x17c. Inner tubes are Continental Conti Tube Race 28 (700c), 700x20c - 700x25c.

joe_totale-2

Gatorskins are notorious for being a pain in the backside to get on and off rims and generally being poor quality tyres.
As you've experienced first hand, they don't seem any better at protecting against punctures either.

davebradswmb

That's a bit harsh on Gatorskins! But I do agree that they are rather stiff and this makes them harder than average to fit and remove. I also have had a problem with a lumpy tyre when using Gatorskins, I solved it by smearing a bit of washing up liquid around the inside of the rim when I fitted the tyre so that it would seat properly, other people say use talc.

On the whole I don't have any issues with Gatorskins, they have been pretty good for puncture resistance and I haven't noticed the lack of grip that everyone seems to moan about. I only use them on my commuter/winter bike though, and I must admit that I don't exactly push the envelope on this bike it has always stayed upright.

yadnom1973

Really, I'll remember that for next time the guy in the shop advised those as the ones to get. If they are known as being tight then that would answer why I was struggling to get the tires on and off the wheels.

yadnom1973

This is a bike I use as my main transport about town so puncture resistance is quite high in my priorities. Thanks for the tip on the talk/washing up liquid I'll try that and see if it helps. Good to hear that it's not just me too.

davebradswmb

The last tyre I bought for this bike was a Schwalbe Durano Plus after reading good reviews on this site. I can't honestly say that I can tell the difference when riding, but it was easier to fit and I didn't have any problems seating it. It was also a bit cheaper than the Gatorskins at my LBS so that kind of sealed the deal! Puncture resistance seems to be at least as good as the Gatorskin and wear resistance seems to be roughly the same, though I haven't had it on long enough to wear it out yet.

Mhrock86

I got Schwalbes... my second set and I've had absolutely no issues getting them on or off.. Or indeed inflated correctly.. they seem good quality and nice and grippy. Only issues I've had is I punctured an inner tube myself by accident but the schwalbes were absolutely fine. No punctures so far whilst cycling on mixed surfaces.

simon_e

The irregular shape might be because the bead isn't seated uniformly on the rim. Look at whether there is a bit that dips in closer than the rest, the ridges/markings should help with identification. If so then deflate, push the valve in so it can't get in the way, then work the tyre, pushing it side-to-side in each direction. Then inflate the tyre and check again.

You can stretch a new tyre by over-inflating it and leaving it overnight (or longer) before reducing the pressure to a normal level but don't exceed the max pressure stated on the sidewall.

A well known method to ease removing and fitting tight tyres is to push down on the tyre so that the bead sits in the well of the rim. I've followed the advice in this video by Spa Cycles to fit my Durano Plus tyres and it does work - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUFVrl0UT4 though I've not needed the toe clips.

svetty

Never had any issues c Gatorskins myself, good puncture protection and grip well. Ride is a bit wooden though....

roger_merriman

Svetty wrote:

Never had any issues c Gatorskins myself, good puncture protection and grip well. Ride is a bit wooden though....

I would echo others that Gatorskins, do have worse grip, compared to most due to having a hard wearing and thus less grippy rubber al being equal.

I certainly noticed that even on the rear they would step out or twitch where other similar tyres wouldn’t. This said the difference wasn’t huge, noticeable but not huge.

Mhrock86

Whilst we are on the topic of new tyres, has anyone fitted a new inner tube and tyre, and then inflated the tyre successfully, and then the next day had it completely flat?

When it was flat, re-pumped it back up and it seems fine since....unsure of whether I have pinched a hole in the inner tube or if it was just "finding its seat"?

Let me know what you guys reckon! Cheers!

darkhairedlord

Mhrock86 wrote:

Whilst we are on the topic of new tyres, has anyone fitted a new inner tube and tyre, and then inflated the tyre successfully, and then the next day had it completely flat?

When it was flat, re-pumped it back up and it seems fine since....unsure of whether I have pinched a hole in the inner tube or if it was just "finding its seat"?

Let me know what you guys reckon! Cheers!

If you have used levers you have probably damaged the tube.

Mhrock86

darkhairedlord wrote:

Mhrock86 wrote:

Whilst we are on the topic of new tyres, has anyone fitted a new inner tube and tyre, and then inflated the tyre successfully, and then the next day had it completely flat?

When it was flat, re-pumped it back up and it seems fine since....unsure of whether I have pinched a hole in the inner tube or if it was just "finding its seat"?

Let me know what you guys reckon! Cheers!

If you have used levers you have probably damaged the tube.

That'll be two tubes down then! Yes I used levers, but it seemed fine at the time. The first one I did I pinched the tube when levering. I guess its a fine art!

capt_slog

yadnom1973 wrote:

there is still a slightly fatter point at the valve.

.

I've had this problem when the tyre beads were sitting on top of the knobbly bit inside the tube that the valve stem joins to. Try reassembling it so that that all the tube (and the knobbly bit) is inside the tyre and just the stem protrudes through the beads and see if that helps.


The tyres.
My son trouble with a new bike once, he couldn't get the tyres on/off, and just as you described, he broke tyre levers doing it. It was so bad that he couldn't even get the first bead onto the rim (even without a tube in place) without straining. We began to wonder if there was some odd size mix up that had happened at the bikeshop.

It turned out to be the wrong rim tape had been put on the wheels, and also too much of it. There was nowhere for the tyre to go when it went into the well of the rim and so no slack when trying to get the rest of the tyre on.

Mhrock86

I thought you were supposed to put the valve stem through the wheel first?

capt_slog

Mhrock86 wrote:

I thought you were supposed to put the valve stem through the wheel first?

Yes, I know. But I have seen combinations where that isn't possible and it causes a lump if you do it that way.

keef66

You can do it before or after mounting the tyre, but push it up into the tyre when seating the bead at that point.

If you had a tyre go flat after fitting, but then stayed up when reinflated it suggests the valve was leaking the first time but seated itself correctly the second time around.

IME innertubes pinched on fitting don't miraculously heal themselves...