This happened at some point in the course of an uneventful 20 minute ride to the library and the bank. I did hop one curb but I popped the front wheel up over and went real slow bringing the back wheel up over it. I didn't notice the bike riding strangely and didn't notice this until I got home. Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think. What should I do?

It seems like your inner tube shifted somehow during what you did or you installed it with a twist and preceded to inflate it. Anyhow, just unmount your tire and tube and reinstall correctly and you should be good.

Deflate, take the tube out, see if the tire itself is like that, put it back together if not.

Edit: Leuky won.

You could have damaged the inner layers of your tire when you hopped that curb. I've seen it happen to UltraSports more than a few times.

Going literally 3 or 4 mph, if that? If so I should probably be riding a different tire. I don't hop curbs a ton but I don't want to run the risk of damaging tires every time I do.

When I pulled it apart it did seem like there was a kink in the tube. I'll have to re-install and see what happens.

It can happen. UltraSports don't exactly have the most durable sidewalls.

Every conti I have ever owned *besides a gatorskin* have blown sidewalls. Go figure.

The damage looks to have more to do with the serious skid mark on the tread of the tire, than in slowly hopping a curb.

I've had a Gatorskin sidewall blow out one night while I was sleeping. Inflated at 100psi. Continental replaced it, needless to say.

Gatorskins are like teenagers; temperamental and ready to explode at any time.

I had a Gatorskin blow out the sidewall on my morning commute last week. It was only a couple months old. I never thought to deal with Continental. Damn I just threw it out yesterday!

Yeah. Definitely looks like a ruptured casing. I've had that happen with tubulars, but never clinchers.

There's a double set of train tracks here in town that is notorious for killing numerous tires in that very same fashion.

Almost certainly a casing failure. It can happen by itself with a defective tire, but is much more likely when abused - as fixie riders tend to do.

damn those fixie riders!

+1

Such a great ride, but such horrible sidewalls. I switched to Schawble and couldn't be happier.

lol, really? On my front wheel? Nah, not a skid mark, that tire's been up front the whole time.

This is a lot more likely than the curbhop to be the problem. There are several sets of tracks that I ride over, not every day, but I've been over them 8 or 10 times on those wheels going pretty hard.

Are there some wheels out there that are of similar/better ride quality and lightness that hold up better or does this kinda come with the territory? I do not trick or hop curbs (other than a couple times, very very carefully). I like to ride mostly straight and fast, so I'm not willing to give up much in terms of lightness or ride quality.

I did see the recommendation for the Schwables. Any particular model? Others? Hope that's not too "be my personal shopper"-y of me, and if it is, I'm prepared to suffer the consequences.

Schwalbe Durano Plus have a reinforced sidewall, are still pretty light and are holding up extremely well for me. They're expensive but worth it, imo.

https://www.schwalbetires.com/node/2123

I think it's a conspiracy. The poor German women that have been forced to hand make the damn things since WWII are just pissed off and are deliberately performing sub-par workswomanship just piss off the American market!