BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

just off the top of my head I would think if the tire didnt seat right (depending on the kind of tire) it might bulge in that spot.

Like I said it is just off the top of my head

any ideas on how to fix that? I haven't a clue.

When you say sticking out, do you mean that the tire isn't sitting quite right as far as being consistently tucked into the rim at that point?

If that's it, I had a tire that wasn't seated right recently, and was told to do the following, which seemed to work:

(This was after "just reseating it / trying to shove it in there better" didn't work.)

1. note where it's not right (we were focusing on the places where the tire was too far *in* the rim)

2. deflate

3. get a rag with some soapy water, rub it in between the tire and the rim in the problem spots

4. overinflate (not sure how much. on the bike I was dealing with, and extra 30 psi did it. The tire just popped into place.)

5. back down to appropriate pressure.

You may want to wait for a more experienced forum user to better diagnose, but I thought I'd throw this out there in the meantime. (It's too hot to do anything but sit in front of the computer and type at the moment.)

I don't have a gauge on my pump, it's just a mini handpump...but the fact that I may be able to do this without removing the tire from the bike again is good news.

Let all the air out immediately. Without being there to show you, the best way is, with the wheel off, pump the tire up to about 15 psi and look all around the edge where the tire meets the rim and see if it looks even. At that low pressure you should be able to work the tube with your hands too and try and get it even all around, spin the wheel while holding it and see if it still wobbles. If it runs straight, pump it up a little higher and do it all again. Keep doing that until you get it up to full pressure. With a brand new tire you may actually have to repeat the process a couple of times, don't hesitate to let all the air out and try again.

If there are still wobbles after a couple tries but it looks almost right, you can try pumping it up to a higher than normal pressure (10-15 psi higher max) and see if that pops the bead out, but if there is any sign of the tube squeezing out of the tire let the air out right away.

So there's basically no way for me to get this right to ride to work tomorrow, huh?

I have no gauge on my tire pump to measure that, and I have very little time to spare.

Oh, gauge isn't that important. For the first step I described, just pump it enough that you can squish the tire with your hands, eyeball it so it looks even, then gradually pump it up as hard as you want it, keeping an eye on the bead.

If you're short on time flip the bike over and do the whole thing with the wheels on.

IMMEDIATELY.

From the description, it sounds like you're just about this far from a blowout.

It's possible that the tire isn't seated right and is pinching the tube. It's also possible that the tube is twisted inside the tire. And finally, it's possible that your tire is defective. Edmonds suggestion is the first thing I would try, but if that doesn't work, the tire comes off. Given that the tire hasn't blown yet, I'm leaning towards the twisted tube theory.

I guess I'm walking to work. Every time I get one area corrected, another goes wrong. I can't fix this. Fuck. I don't even know if I can get it fixed by tomorrow. I don't know how well I could handle a two hour walk to work two days in a row.

Last year I put on a new tire that seemed to have a defect - it bulged out in one spot. It looked so much like a tube bulge (like if you didn't put the tube in correctly), but it didn't blow like a tube bulge would. I took the tire on and off a few times, made sure the tube was in properly, etc. I consulted a few friends, decided it was a defect, and took it back to the shop I got it from.

I don't think I can get these tires off without damaging the tubes. I don't have those tire lever things.

use the end of a spoon! or fork!

my silverware has big plastic ends. I can't afford the fancy ones, ha

plastic is ideal! since it's generally softer than metal, it's less likely to scratch or puncture a soft surface, such as a tire or tube.

so here's a question, when you've got the stuff put together, and you've put air into the tube, can you see any of the inner diameter of the tire? like, can you see underneath the tire, between it and the rim? if you can, it's likely that the tire is not seated correctly, and it may not be a defect in the tire.

part of the inner diameter of the tire, called the bead, is supposed to seat on a lip inside the wheel's rim. if it doesn't, the tube can bulge out between the tire and the rim, and this is likely a catastrophic scenario. anecdote warning! last fall, i was on the other side of beechview (i live in shadyside), and after a small crash, the tire managed to unseat itself. i immediately let out all the air, and had to walk home. up and over beechview, then up and over mount washington.

Sounds like we need to all get together and Send RF some tools. Ill Offer up a set of tire levers, a bike tool and a copy of bike maintenance book from bicycling.com I have two of them.

This brings up something that might be good for another thread but what do you all think an average biker should have in the way of tools and know what to do in the way of maintenance?

RF I'm not sure where you live & if it's convenient for your work schedule but you should totally hook up with Freeride.

If you're still having trouble maybe walk the bike down to Thick and they can help you out.

well, my friend at work is stopping over today to help me, on the grounds that I pick him up a pair of pink tire levers from thick, so I did that, and grabbed a set for myself too. He's gonna show me what to do that I can do it myself next time.