Bicycle Mechanics - tyre seating problem

I fitted some Continental Contact Sports (559x32)to my rims yesterday - they were very difficult to get on, had to use the edge of my foot.

riding in this morning, I noticed a 'bump bump bump', thought, oh no, broken spoke.

It wasn't, however. It was the tyre bulging. I took a close look, and the tyre is seated too deep in 2 places on the rim, I can't persuade it to seat properly.

Any have any suggestions?

If the experts think it is because the tyre is too small for the rim, which brands tend to be on the generous size?

I've always had luck with Armor all on the bead of the tire and alittle extra psi to the tire to pop the bead in place.

I don't know if you've tried it yet but take tire down to about 30 lbs and grab the low spots and work them back and forth until the bead seats, there are probably high spots also which is what's causing the low spots. Unless the rims are totally unsuitable which they shouldn't be if they are 700c

What sort of rims and how old are they? I haven't used Contacts yet, but in my experience, it is very unusual for Conti tyres of that width to be tough to put on rims.

I wonder if Conti tires generally fit snugly. I need to use tire levers to install BOTH BEADS of my Ultra 2000 700Cx28s onto my Campag. Omega rims.

svt, I've tried that - it did help a lot. Thanks for the suggestion.

The rims are WTB 559 1.3
The tyres are contact sport 559 32

The rims are probably no more than 10 years old, and more likely less than 5.

svt, I've tried that - it did help a lot. Thanks for the suggestion.

The rims are WTB 559 1.3
The tyres are contact sport 559 32

The rims are probably no more than 10 years old, and more likely less than 5.

Glad I could help!

Have you ensured the bead on the opposite side you are trying to flip over the rim is sitting in the deepest part of the rim, rather than on the hook? And what thickness is the liner? Getting that bead into the deep part of the rim helps a lot, and along with a thinner liner. In the unfortunate likelihood of having to change tyres a lot, the thinnest possible liner might be helpful.

And, despite what some (many) will say, using tyre levers on the second bead is fine if you are careful about there the tube is positioned.

I have Contact Sport tires on my commuter. They are difficult to seat. The best thing to do is simply keep pumping them up until the bead pops into place. I've had to overpressure mine by 30-40 psi. It may also help to sponge a bit of soapy water on the bead before you start inflating.

Remember that maximum pressure ratings on tire sidewalls are quite conservative.

Ta, supcom. Maybe I'm not cracking up then.
I only have a minipump and no pressure guage, so maybe I'm not inflating them enough. I'll see if I can persuade a friendly lbs to blow them up to 95psi, then drop them to the max 85

Ta, supcom. Maybe I'm not cracking up then.
I only have a minipump and no pressure guage, so maybe I'm not inflating them enough. I'll see if I can persuade a friendly lbs to blow them up to 95psi, then drop them to the max 85

Buy an inexpensive floor pump with a gauge. You'll really be glad you did.

Supcom, floor pump purchased and on the way.

I really like the grip and roll of these tyres, so it will be a pain if I can't get them to ever seat properly.

Continental SportContact are extremely difficult to get on. I am unable to get it on my current rear wheel on my own. No levers are thin enough while being non-scratching, and my hand strength doesn't come close to what's required to pull them on. I don't have them on now (running fat studded tyres now) but when I had them on, and in the future when they're back on, I'll be unable to fix a flat on the road.

Hang on a minute:
Does anyone here not have a problem with getting contact sports to fit?

If you had a problem, do you use a different, but similar tyre (and what was it)?

Just for info.

Track pump arrived. I deflated the front tyre, pushed the bead into the centre of the rim. Re-inflated with track pump (turned out the tyres were at 65psi). Same old problem. Overinflated to 100, same problem. Took pressure up to 120, there was a dramatic pop, I expected a broken spoke. Nope, it was the tyre seating itself properly.

Dropped the pressure back to 80psi. Ride it great at this pressure.
Interestingly, the tyre profile has changed slightly. It now looks 'rounder'.

I noticed that the supplied inner tube was very large. Is this the secret behind Conti's puncture resistance; oversized inner tubes? It does ensure that the tube rubber isn't stretched, hence possibly more puncture resistant.