Peptidoglycan

I fixed my first flat tire today but afterwords I realized I put the patch on upside down(black circle down against tube and all orange side up). This is wrong right?

When the tire is inflated there is a dip in its shape where the patch might be( don't remember exact location). Could a upside down patch cause this to happen or is the tire/tube just not set right?

1nterceptor

If the patch is not leaking air, it is on correctly.

HillRider

The upside down patch shouldn't cause any noticable change in the tire's shape but it won't bond very well to the tube. I'd take everything apart and patch it correctly. I expect the current patch will peel off rather easily while a properly glued on is very difficult to remove

Greenfieldja

very often the area where the tube is patched will be distorted like you describe when the tube is inflated outside the tire. This is because the patch is less stretchy than the tube. When inflated inside the tire there will not be any distortion.

If the bond is good and it holds air ride it. If you are concerned about it peel/scrape it off and repatch.

-j

z90

This is normal, and has nothing to do with the patch being upside down. If it's holding, and it looks well bonded, I wouldn't worry about it.

Edit: This is only normal if by tire you really mean tube. (see Kimmo, next post)

Kimmo 

OP seems to be saying the tyre itself is skew-iff, not the tube

Peptidoglycan

There is a dip in the shape of the tire after installing and inflating the patched tube

LarDasse74

THe shape of the tube should not affect the shape of the tire. The casing of the tire determines its shape and the tube simply stretches to fill that shape. If the tire is not shaped properly and it was before then one of two things could be happening: the tire is not 'seated' correctly on the rim (this is likely); or the casing of the tire is damaged and you have a bulge.

If it is a 'dip' in the tire then the correct fix is to let most of the air out of the tire, look between the tire and th rim to make sure the tube is not trapped somewhere, then and physically pull the tire out where the dip is, then spin the wheel to see if you have had any effect; if no effect, then pull it some more and check again. Often fully inflating or slightly over-inflating the tire will cause the tire to 'pop' into the correct position on the rim, but I do not recommend this as I do not know your particular set-up.

Peptidoglycan

The tire is not set right. I have been wrestling with it to try and move the sidewall to the edge of the rim to no avail. I tried pumping the tube as much as possible but it still didn't pop out. Any suggestions on how to adjust the tire.

I went back and replaced the patch

z90

How about a picture?

Peptidoglycan

I'll try to get a picture up later. For now the dip is 1/8 inch measured from the line on the rim to the start of the tread. One area of the sidewall is curled in and wont lift up/push out. I managed to remove the dip in one area and the tire curls in at another place. I took the tire off the rim today and noticed some of the rubber covering the wire bead was scraped off somehow.

At this point I might just take the tire to the LBS to see if they can seat the tire properly

Peptidoglycan

According to my LBS I damaged the sidewall when removing the tire so its time for a new one. I'll have to be more careful when using tire levers in the future.

LarDasse74

I cannot remember seeing a tire damaged by a tire lever. I have seen many tires damaged by road debris, mal-adjustefd brakes rubbing on the tire, or riding with too-little tire pressure. I have also seen a couple of tires damaged because the owner mounted the tire then walked the bike to a bike shop to use the pump and the weight of the bike pressed the rim down into the sidewall of the tire.

Do you use metal tire levers or motocross tire 'spoons?'

Peptidoglycan

It might have been that instead since I walked my bike home 1.5km after it flatted.

LarDasse74

Well, either way a ruined tire is a ruined tire. Although your description of the damage (some rubber scraped off the bead) would result in a failure unlike the one you described (part of the tire not out as far as the rest). Generally, a frayed or damaged sidewall will bulge out, not get stuck in. And a severly damaged or frayed sidewall near or on the bead can result in a catastrophic, noisy blowout.

And walking or riding a bike with a flat tire will usually create a long linear 'fray' above the bead - not on the bead itself.

Either way, I cannot tell for sure as I don't have the tire in my hand. And the possible result of a damaged tire is serious enough to err on the side of caution.

ThePritchett

before replacing the tire, try letting some air out, then sponge some soapy water between the tire and rim (inner side walls) to lubricate the bead. When re-inflating, the tire should pop into place and you might hear a couple of "ping" sounds. This is the easiest way to consistently and evenly seat a tire.

This assumes that the tire is not actually damaged... which it could be. hard to tell with no pictures.

Peptidoglycan

Sorry about the quality these were taken from my phone. These two pictures are the same area of the tire on opposite sides. The rubber is missing in these sections and there are two other smaller areas where the rubber is peeling.