Seating a New Tire (Help)

[Misha1809]

Greetings All,

I have an odd issue that I'm wondering if anyone else experiences. With brand new tires, part of the tire does not "pop out" when I inflate. It sits lower in the rim than the rest of the tire. The bead never gets out of the groove within the rim (700c 23 mm). I had this problem with my kenda tires but once I got some wear in them, they loosened up. My new gatorskins now have this issue.

I'm thinking that once I get them broken in, they will loosen up. I think it's just that the rubber is too tight being brand new. Does anyone else have this issue?

Thanks,

J

 

[alfeng]

I have an odd issue that I'm wondering if anyone else experiences. With brand new tires, part of the tire does not "pop out" when I inflate. It sits lower in the rim than the rest of the tire. The bead never gets out of the groove within the rim (700c 23 mm). I had this problem with my kenda tires but once I got some wear in them, they loosened up. My new gatorskins now have this issue.

I'm thinking that once I get them broken in, they will loosen up. I think it's just that the rubber is too tight being brand new. Does anyone else have this issue?

You probably need to lightly talc the inside of your tire & inflate the tube with ~2 lbs. of air prior to inserting the tube in the tire.

 

[tonyzackery]

Before inflating to final pressure, put only 20-30psi in and check the tire for proper seating. If not properly seated all the way around, you can still work the bead by hand at this low pressure. Then inflate to spec.

Manufacturing tolerances will have rims and tires be within acceptable specs, but definitely IME some tires are simply a PITA (Vittorias come readily to mind such that I don't run 'em anymore because they're so tight) to install. The Mavic rims I had seemed to be a bit on the small side so installing tires was done without the necessity of levers...

 

[billydonn]

Good advice above. I would NOT ride it until you get it seated properly. FYI Schwalbe makes a rubber lubricant that helps with this. Or you could try a little diluted dish liquid in the difficult area.

Easy Fit - Tire Mounting Fluid | Schwalbe North America