cessanfrancisco

...I was going to say something lewd but thought better of it.

Anyway. Moving right along...

I have a set of wheels. They're old. They have "cost effective" Alex rims (model? No idea. I forgot to read the sticker closely before tearing it off) and Formula hubs.

The problem: No matter what tires I try to put on these mother****ers it's like what I would image giving birth must be like (pushing a watermelon through a hole the size of a walnut). So, I wonder, do I just have a wheelset with a freakishly large diameter? Or am I just really bad at putting tires on? Note: I am really good at putting tires on my other "cost effective" rims (Weinmann's with "No Name" hubs). Therefore, If I do have freakishly over-sized rims, how can I tell what tires would best be suited for these rims?

By the way, I have no idea what the ISO is, and there's nothing stamped on the rims. Again, I failed to read the stickers closely before removing.

Also, now that I've finally wrestled these things into submission, mounted some new tires on them (Freedom Thickslick Sport 23c), and pumped them up to about 100psi (max is 110psi) I'm getting a little bump in each tire. Not a massive bulge, mind you, rather just a little hiccup when I'm riding. Any suggestions for getting that out?

Could this issue be related to the tight rim issue?

thanks.

hueyhoolihan

check that the bead is seated to an even depth all around the tire. especially where it hops. IME, it's often around the valve.

if not seated evenly i would then deflate the tires and check closely that the tube is not under the bead. push the tire away from the rims with both thumbs and you should see only the rim tape and/or the rim. if there is any tube showing it needs to be massaged back under the tire and out of sight.

a rim strip that has ridden up the inside of the rim during a difficult mounting can also cause the tire to not seat properly.

and yes, there are tires and rim combos that are just hell to get on. i've had some where i had to use two tire irons, WITHOUT RIM STRIP OR TUBE just to get ONE BEAD over the rim. i eventually got the other bead over the rim and let them sit like that for a couple of weeks. then had a heck of a time just getting the tire back off the rim. remember, i didn't even have any rim strip OR TUBE in there. unbelievable!!!

Looigi

I'll go with "all of the above". Likely the tire is tight on the rim and an improvement in technique could help get tires on. Thin plastic rim tape could help too. What I do for getting the second bead on:

• Lube tube and tire beads liberally with talc. Helps keep the tube from getting pinched and getting the bead around the rim.
• Inflate tube slightly blowing with mouth and stick it in. Just enough to help keep it from getting pinched.
• Stand the wheel crosswise in front of me with the bead in question facing away and the valve at the bottom. Valve at the bottom because if at the top it can prevent the bead from going all the way into the trough in the rim.
• At the top, push the bead into the trough in the center of the rim and holding it there work my thumbs down each side toward the bottom keep tension on the tire so the bead remains in the trough. I usually let some air out because it can prevent the bead from staying in the trough of center of the tire. I might have to do this twice.
• Finish at the valve. I push the valve in to move the tube out of the way of the last bit of the bead.

Talc also helps the bead seat. Soapy water can also be used. I have gone 10-15 psi above rated pressure to get a recalcitrant bead to seat. Rated pressure is the max operating pressure and has some margin, so going a little above it to seat a bead causes no issues.

cessanfrancisco

Thanks for the input, all!

I noticed something odd. I was spinning the wheels trying to ascertain where the lump in the tire is and I discovered that it's not actually a lump. It's the opposite! There is a concave section of tire. WTF?!!

I stopped by my local bike shop and the first thing the guy said was, about 50% of the Thickslick tires he's seen are garbage.

Ugh.

hueyhoolihan

a depression can be caused by a poorly seated bead too.

cessanfrancisco

I found the answer to the issue...

I wrestled the Thickslicks off and put them on a different set of wheels. They went on the other wheels much easier but with still a little wrestling. I rode up the street and back on them and they're super smooth now (like butter). I think the previous wheels were just a few millimeters too big for the tires.

Then I took an old pair of Kenda tires, laying around the garage, and they went on the first set of wheels without much effort at all.

I guess it was just a bad tire/wheel combo.