Hey Gang,

How do you fold a folding tire so that it's nice and compact. I've done some searching and can't find any techiques for it. I know it can be done, I see them nice and neat and flat, but when I do it they turn into a twisted spinning tire glob.

Steve

Uh, you get it nice and unknotted.

Then you make it one long piece by pushing one half into the other half. The middle of your tire should now look like two shallow, nested u's.

Now take a 3-4 inch section from one end and fold it into the next section.

Rinse and repeat.

Ah! I was trying to get it to fold by twisting it into figure 8 shapes, thinking that I could get it to collapse on itself. I got so stuck on that technique that I never thought to try the simple way....

Steve
Who has been making the easy difficult for a LONG time now.

The smallest way to make a folding tire is to fold it in half, and then roll it into a ball; similar to a licorice wheel.

A folding tire is easy to fold...just fold the silly thing! Boston has a method where he rolls his and that may be the smallest way to it; but I fold mine down so that it's about 5 inches long then stand on it to squish it flat as possible and then put two strong rubber bands on to keep it that way and stuff it in my seat bag (if I rolled it and put it my bag I couldn't put as much stuff in my bag).

Thank you. That worked perfectly.

Wire bead tires are coiled up in a round shape 1/3 of the size, just like you'd do with a steel bandsaw blade,

except you don't have to be wearing thick leather gloves, to do it..

See also: How to Fold a Bicycle Tire

Sheldon Brown's site used to have a few pictures showing how to flip the tire and fold it, but it's been replaced by a fuzzy video.

You can't fold it in half, you must fold it in thirds and it will fall into place without nearly as much stress.

Oh, wait, I reread the question. A folding tire you should be able to cup half inside out, then fold again in half and reverse the cup on that half too. You need to accommodate the decreased circumferences each time. The above is how you fold a beaded tire, and how they are usually shipped.

You guys. This thread was never about wire bead tires. Also it's old.

It's old but it became relevant for me today.

Yeah, you got it.