Tire/tube deformation?

My wife and I did a recent ride on our GTT and hit a cattle guard at speed (30+?). The far side of
the guard had a raised pavement edge that really gave us a jolt. Later, in the rear tire we
developed a kind of pinch flat that seemed to be from where the tuffy strip had shifted and lay in a
diagonal across the tube. The main issue, however, was certainly the impact that slammed the edge of
the strip into the tube. Might have been worse without the strip--dunno. But the situation now is
this: I've fixed the flat but now see a bulge in the tire in afflicted region. Not huge but
noticeable. Can a real jab like this just tweak the tire/tube permanently? The tire is an almost new
Tioga Comp Pool. I'm wondering if a little more riding might just even out the tire.

Scott A bit out of round but still rollin'...

Scott wrote:
>
> My wife and I did a recent ride on our GTT and hit a cattle guard at speed (30+?). The far side of
> the guard had a raised pavement edge that really gave us a jolt. Later, in the rear tire we
> developed a kind of pinch flat that seemed to be from where the tuffy strip had shifted and lay in
> a diagonal across the tube. The main issue, however, was certainly the impact that slammed the
> edge of the strip into the tube. Might have been worse without the strip--dunno. But the situation
> now is this: I've fixed the flat but now see a bulge in the tire in afflicted region. Not huge but
> noticeable. Can a real jab like this just tweak the tire/tube permanently? The tire is an almost
> new Tioga Comp Pool. I'm wondering if a little more riding might just even out the tire.

Scott,

There is a very good chance that some of the cords/threads [1] in the tire are broken, in which case
the tire should be replaced. I suggest replacing the tire or at least carrying a spare tire and
extra tubes [2] in case the tire ruptures.

[1] I did this to two automotive tires recently as the result of hitting a pothole.
[2] A flat on the rear of a tadpole trike while riding will most likely be an inconvenience - for a
single track vehicle I would replace the tire due to the potential loss of control/balance in
the event of a blowout.

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)