Tire help needed.
 

Just picked up a new for me 1987 Centurion Dave Scott Expert.

The bike is completely unmolested, with the exception of tires. All of the original group is present and in place to include tires, pedals and even the original bar wrap, and will be detailed in a seperate thread once I figure out how to post pictures here.

The problem I have is totally dry rotted tires. They had about 30 lbs in them when I picked them up, so I aired them up, and of course I didn't get one crank on the pedals before there was a deafening pop, and the front one pretty much disintegrated. I pretty much expected that, so no harm no foul.

Here is the problem.

I have several pairs of Continental wire bead tires that I bought as trainers, because they were a very good price. They have served me very well on an old Univega with rims of similar vintage, but they are just about impossible to mount on the CTL-370 SuperHard Araya 700C Rims. 2 broken tire levers, and 1 bent one, and I finally got them on, only to find that I had pinched one of the tubes, and had to take the tire back off.

Wow, I thought they were hard to get on, but that was cake compared to getting them back off.

Soooo, has anyone experienced similar difficulties. Obviously, they are not a good match for the rims, but I am unsure whether to blame the rim, or the tires. I need a good durable tire that I can get a few miles on before they are shot. I have a pair of Kevlar bead folders that I put on from time to time, and I carry one as a spare on long rides, but most of my solo riding is done with heavy, cheap tires and heavy slime tubes. I hate flats.

Anyone have any recommendations for a cheap durable tire that mounts easily on that particular rim. I really don't want to drop a lot of money, only to find that I still have the same problem.

For what it's worth, once the tires were on, they required no effort to set the bead. Never had one inflate in just the right spot, without working the bead a little. These locked right in place. I just cant see myself fighting to get them off and on, on the side of the road, trying to fix a flat.

Thanks
Doug

I find Continentals on Campagnolo Omega rims to be a very tight fit, so I feel your pain. I find tightly fitting road tires to be a general trend, which I ascribe to fear of litigation from beads popping over the tops of rims at inopportune moments.

I watched a local bike shop mechanic teach a flat-fixing clinic, and instead of doing multiple separate bead scoops, as I always have, he set one teflon tire tool down between the tire and rim, scooped the bead over the top of the rim, and then ran that lever around the rim.

Thanks, but these are more than just tight. I seat the tire by hand, all the way around, and then just flip the last 6 or 8 inches up over the rim, usually, and have never had issue with it. In this case, that last 6 inches was closer to a foot, and would literally break the spoon off the lever.

Getting them off was even worse.

With one of these - even the meanest, nastiest tire/tube can be hauled-up and deposited into the rim of the most cruel, unforgiving rim. Only problem is that it's a bit large to carry. VAR makes one that's smaller and light-weight, but they are hard to come by - look in the UK if you want one.

These work by attaching to the rim on the side that you do manage to get one bead onto, then it straddles the rim and grabs the free bead. Then pulling it back towards the side you have mounted pulls the bead up and into the rim.

Magic!

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...e.aspx?sc=FRGL

Take a look here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=507582

Now look at it.

Rims are expected to have a bit of a valley for the bead on the far side of the tire to drop into to make installation easy or at least possible.

There are some rim designs that don't have this. Or enough of it. There isn't an excuse for that. It is simply bad engineering or good engineering in the service of bad design or evil marketing. Dilbert works for a company that makes rims like that.