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First folding bead tires question.

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First folding bead tires question.

Old 09-18-17, 04:52 PM
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First folding bead tires question.

With my old wire-bead tires, installing was a breeze, since the tire stayed pretty much round. Now that I have a new pair of (Vittoria Adventure Trail) folding bead tires, I'm going nuts, trying to get rid of the "ripples" and the "bobbles"

Is there a correct procedure for properly adjusting and seating a folding bead tire so that the tread is straight rather than snake-like, and the rim-to-tread height is consistent around the whole tire? I am surely doing it wrong...

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Old 09-18-17, 05:09 PM
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Those Vittorias are 35mm or 38mm tires.
What tires did you have before? Old and new tires are both 700C?

I always check the first inflation after mounting a tire:

Hold the wheel by the axle, and spin it with a finger against a spoke. I look at the "witness line", a molded-in ridge near the bead. It should be the same distance from the rim edge all the way around. Typically, you'll see it dip down, under the rim, and the tire will be lower there. Reaching over the tread and pulling up on the sidewall with my fingers sometimes helps to get the bead seated correctly.

On my recent install of wide tires, I had to pump up to almost the maximum pressure (75 psi) before the bead seated evenly. I normally run these 39mm tires at just 40 psi front, 45 psi rear. So, I let some air out and set the correct pressures after the bead is seated correctly.

I think that I've occasionally had to deflate, push that side's bead back to the center of the rim all the way around, and reinflate. I suppose a bit of soapy water at the trouble area might help too.

An example of a witness line (at the green arrow).
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Last edited by rm -rf; 09-18-17 at 05:18 PM.
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Old 09-18-17, 05:30 PM
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Thanks. Both old and new were 700C x 38mm. I went from Maxxis Overdrives to this set of Vittoria Adventure Trail tires (bought for me on my birthday, on closeout). Trying to massage them into alignment while partially deflated was like playing whack-a-mole, with every adjustment in one area, "un-adjusting" another area...

To get max pressure, I'm going to have to use my compressor (I hate the noise!), since my floor pump died years ago, and using my bicycle pump for that will likely see me dying of heart failure!

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Old 09-18-17, 05:34 PM
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I inflate just barely enough so the tire stays put, visually inspect for any obvious misalignment caused by installer error, then inflate to max while keeping an eye on things. I've never had to use soap, talcum, or manually manipulate a tire in nearly 50 years. I just pump the snot out of them and they uniformly seat themselves at or about max PSI, every time. Dumb luck.
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