Mis-shapen tyres

[rh100]

I've had some tyres delivered from an online seller. However they have packed them by folding them over themselves so half the size, and when unwrapped they are now slightly out of line. Is this normal and will they correct themselves when mounted on the rim? It's just a pair Continental City tyres, 700 x 32

 

[hubgearfreak]

will they correct themselves when mounted on the rim?

a flxible tyre on a rigid rim? - of course

 

[Moodyman]

Once you fit them and ride for a few miles, they'll sort themselves out.

 

[rh100]

Thanks, just wasn't sure if it would cause a problem

 

[biggs682]

just picked up a 501 framed racer got it home and rode it ,one really strange vibration and wobble checked wheels for buckles etc etc all ok , swapped tyre over for one that came through post and was twisted and out of shape left it hanging in garage for a few days then just fitted it on rear and hey presto all ok now

 

[e-rider]

Most on-line sellers use a 3-fold technique to reduce package size of wire bead tyres. If done correctly it is OK but I'm not too keen on it. If done incorrectly it can/will damage the tyre (it's not as simple as just folding 3 times!).

The only shop I can think of that sends tyres out in huge boxes without folding them is Wiggle.co.uk

 

[Steve Austin]

no tyre will get 'damaged' by folding 3 times.

if you got a new tyre thats 'wobbling' when first fitted, inflate to max, leave overnight, deflate, remove and refit.
if the tyre is still wobbling, then its a defective tyre, or you've not seated it properly

 

[Globalti]

Fit them with plenty of talc.

 

[rh100]

Have left them in the hall for a few days, they look like they have returned to shape a bit, so will bung them on and see how they go.

 

[phil.]

Hi all, I've stumbled accross this forum whilst googling about to try to find out if anyone has had any experience of this problem I've encountered which is more or less identical to the first post on this thread. I bought a pair of Continental Touring Plus tyres on Ebay for £25 the pair. Searching around other retailers this appears to be half price. They arrived unfolded via courier with just the continental sticker around them. I had a bit of a struggle getting them on as they were a tight fit. pumped them up as much as possible but they were wobbling all over the shop. On closer inspection I noticed they didn't seem to be sitting truly on the rims. This was easily seen as the reflective strip was not equidistant from the rim all the way round. in fact it appears to cut accross at one point causing a sort of flat spot. I've yet to remove them and re seat them but i'm serioyusly worried i might have been sold a pair of factory rejects as the tread also appears to cut accross rather than be equidistant all the way round. Any way I'll take the advice given here and let you know what happens.

 

[rh100]

Hi Phil, welcome to the forum.

As for my tyres, they fitted fine and have had a couple of rides out, all seems fine so far. Further reading since making the original post it seems that it is common practice to fold tyres for the post, but I'm still not keen on the idea.

As for your tyres, someone may be able to help you check they are the right size and not faulty, but just above the beading you should see a line moulded into the sidewall of the tyre called a 'witness line', when the tyre is mounted properley this should be an equal distance from the rim all the way around and on both sides. For your tyres, the shape of the reflective bit suggests it is not.

I had this problem with some Panaracer tyres on my old MTB wheels. Suspecting a fault I took them back to the shop, who struggled to fit them also, blaming cheap rims. After practice it took talcum powder and a bit of massaging of the tyre at various points of pumping up to get the bead to sit in the rim properly - a real pain in the ass when at the roadside - I ended up carrying a small tub of talc in the repair kit.

From Sheldon : http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

<H3>Seating the Tire

Once the tire is inflated, you may see that it is not as round as the rim is. Usually this will take the form of having most of the circumference of the tire in the correct place, but there will likely be one place where the tire either bulges out too far, or dips inward toward the rim. It may do this on only one side.
Most tires have a "witness line" moulded into each sidewall. This is a narrow ridge of rubber running around the side of the tire, just outside of the rim. Spinning the wheel and observing the witness line will help you locate the place where the seating might be off. Note, it could be OK on one side of the tire but not the other.
Seating A Bulging Tire

If one part of the tire bulges out farther than the rest, deflate it right away or it may explode with a loud bang! Manually re-arrange the tire to get it centered on the rim before re-inflating it. Make sure the tire bead isn't sitting on top of part of the inner tube.
If the bulge is right at the valve, this usually indicates that the tire is sitting on the reinforcing patch at the base of the valve. Completely deflate the tire, and push the valve up into the tire with your thumb, while pressing the tire down around it, then pull the valve back down before inflating. Seating a Tire that Dips Inward

If your tire dips inward at one spot, it is usually a sign of an unusually tight fit. This may make it a bit of a struggle to install the tire, but it also means that you can get away with considerable overinflation with no risk of blowing the tire off the rim. Indeed, the best way to seat a "dipping" tire is by temporariliy overinflating it until it "pops" into position. In some cases it may be beneficial to lubricate the side of the tire. This can be done with soapy water, but I usually use spray window cleaner for this, because it doesn't leave a soapy residue on the braking surface of the rim.
​

</H3>

 

[Tynan]

My now old front deformed after a long period of service, a long stop in strong sunlight with the tyre in the right place showd me that an inch of the sidewall was slowly parting from the wire

 

[phil.]

thanks for those replies, i'll try all that today. it seems to be a common problem with continental tyres maybe ? i'm not very hopeful as the tyres could be just too tight. they should fit as they are 700 - 28c and i've had 700 - 32c schwalbe tyres on the rims with no trouble.
i've found this on another forum;


Although having solved one problem, I seem to have created another in that my chosen tyres, Continental Top Touring, seem to stubbornly refuse to sit centrally on the rims. This has the effect of making the rim appear off centre with a corresponding up and down motion when riding. I am now spending a fortune on sea sickness pills! Have I missed the obvious or is my tyre/rim combination unworkable?

Probably it's the tyre. As I mentioned in February (Vittoria tyre trouble), whereas rim diameter is closely controlled, tyre manufacturers are a law unto themselves!

I have Conti Top-Touring on the same rims and they fit fine. However they are a few years old and not the new 2000 model. Lately Continental have tended to make tyres a tighter fit — to be extra sure they won't blow off. So it's most likely one of your tyre beads (or both) is a bit small to sit easily on the ledge called a bead-seat provided for it in the rim, resulting in one section of tyre bead stubbornly remaining down in the rim well, so the tyre dips in that place.

 

[e-rider]

Hi all, I've stumbled accross this forum whilst googling about to try to find out if anyone has had any experience of this problem I've encountered which is more or less identical to the first post on this thread. I bought a pair of Continental Touring Plus tyres on Ebay for £25 the pair. Searching around other retailers this appears to be half price. They arrived unfolded via courier with just the continental sticker around them. I had a bit of a struggle getting them on as they were a tight fit. pumped them up as much as possible but they were wobbling all over the shop. On closer inspection I noticed they didn't seem to be sitting truly on the rims. This was easily seen as the reflective strip was not equidistant from the rim all the way round. in fact it appears to cut accross at one point causing a sort of flat spot. I've yet to remove them and re seat them but i'm serioyusly worried i might have been sold a pair of factory rejects as the tread also appears to cut accross rather than be equidistant all the way round. Any way I'll take the advice given here and let you know what happens.

The tyres are probably fine - you just haven't seated them correctly. And don't look at the reflective strip as this is just stuck on and is not always perfectly alighned.