Cycling UK Forum

For the first time in several thousand miles I had a puncture in my Conti UltraGatorskin yesterday. It so happened that I was on top of a very exposed mountain in mid-Wales and didn't want to hang araound too long but for some reason I could not get the tyre to seat properly. Part of each side of the tyre, perhaps a quarter, was 'sticking' in the well of the rim and would not seat properly. With large clouds looming, I had to ride back 18 miles or so with a bumpy tyre. Today, I've spent well over an hour trying to get the damned thing to seat and it will not have it! I've cleaned the inside of the rim, made sure the tape is on square, used chalk, wax, fairy liquid, pumped to 150psi, all to no avail. Infuriating. So, before I bin the tyre and vow never to buy a Conti again, does anyone have any tips please? It’s a 28mm tyre.

Sorry to ask questions ...

The tyre was ok before you took it off to repair the puncture?

If so,
Did you have a problem with it when you originally fitted it?

If not,
What's changed?

Normally, when a tyre doesn't fit properly, either the rim or the tyre is not within tollerance. ie one of the two is wrong!

Mick F wrote:Sorry to ask questions ...
The tyre was ok before you took it off to repair the puncture?

Yes, it was fine.

Mick F wrote:If so, Did you have a problem with it when you originally fitted it?

Not as far as I can remember, I've had this problem with 406 rims before but never a 700c.

Mick F wrote:If not,
What's changed?

Nothing! By the look of it, the bead is in the well and presumably friction with the rim tape is stopping it moving out and sitting properly, hence all the various lubes.

Was the bump by the valve? I had this with a Conti ,a new rim tape sorted it.

No, its opposite the valve. I always position the tyre so that the label is at the valve position for such fault finding exercises. That is to be the next try, (but I'm too annoyed with it this evening), to move the tyres position on the rim, shouldn't make a difference but then again ...

I had problems like that with a Schwalbe Marathon Plus the other week. I put it down to an over-narrow tube not filling the tyre on the opposite side.

Put just enough air in to avoid pinching the tube and go for a gentel ride around the block. I sometimes have the same problem with Conti GP4000s.

The one I was taught was to inflate it just enough to make it tyre shaped then bounce it on the floor all the way round the wheel.

its one of those "between a rock and a hard place situations"

a loose fitting tyre is great for punctures etc, but can blow off on a descent where everything gets heated (the 100+ psi ones anyhow).
a tight fitting one inspires confidence on descents, but is a real bugg#r when you puncture.

hopefully, theres a middle ground somewhere. For me Vittoria Rubino pros are about right, but thats a racing/training tyre.

Of course, referring back to Mick F's post, the one thing that had changed, which drossall's post reminded me off, was that I put a new inner tube in rather than mending the old one on the top of the mountain. Today, I've repaired the puncture in the old (Michelin) tube, put it back in and voila, tyre seated properly no problem. The newer (Specialized) tube on examination seemed ok but did bulge rather inconsitently along its length. I suspect that as drossall says, the tube, although rated up to 28c, was not expanding enough to push the tyre onto the rim. Or something like that, who can say, having pumped up the same tyre 14 times in a row, I'm past caring. Thanks for other suggestions, tried 'em, none worked!

question on a similar topic. Why are some inner tubes over massive. So when you place say a 26 inch tube in a 26 in tyre/rim, there's lots left and you are left wondering if you have to fold some over. Its as if the 26 in tube would fill a 30in wheel (if such a thing existed). I'm very tempted to start buying 24 in tubes for my mtb wheels. Is it just me or what?

New Horizon wrote:Today, I've spent well over an hour trying to get the damned thing to seat and it will not have it! I've cleaned the inside of the rim, made sure the tape is on square, used chalk, wax, fairy liquid, pumped to 150psi, all to no avail. Infuriating. So, before I bin the tyre and vow never to buy a Conti again, does anyone have any tips please? It’s a 28mm tyre.

I have just worked through a similar experience. After several attempts to get a new Panaracer Pasela to sit correctly centred on the rim ( DRC STouring) I had to Swarfega the tyre bead and the rim . . . . plus talc inside of the tyre and inner tube to further minimise stiction.

Also had to manipulate the tyre whilst part inflated.

This is the first time I have had to take such measures.

At the beginning of this episode the bead of the new tyre was clean, dry and very "sticky" i.e. as soon as it made first contact with the rim it was immovable.

I have to say that I have had problems seating Gatorskins onto the rim before now. So when I put Marathon Plus tyres onto the same rims as a replacement, I was very careful to get the correct tube fit from a good supplier, also I find the other key bit of my armoury is my VAR tyre lever anda bit of talc (lavendar smell optional).

P.

I'm surprised at Graham's problem. Paselas usually fit very well in my experience & the DRC rims are OK. I suspect a bad batch of tyres out there!

PW: I have two new Paselas, bought at the same time, by mail order.
They both exhibit the same problem.
They had been twisted up to make a smaller package and have sat in an untwisted state in a shed for about six months. However, the beads do appear to have suffered from the "twisting up" for postage.

After careful lubing & manip., when fitting, the problem appears to be resolved.