Seating the bead ,middle of nowhere
 

Hi,

I've just had a struggle seating the bead on a tubed tyre. The thought has occurred to me , what do you do if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere on a trip and you can't get the bead seated ?

Thanks for any advice :thumbup1:

With some soap, a clean rim and a good pump it can always be done.
If not it will probably seat after a few kms.

...and if it doesn't, just ride slowly until you get to a convenient place to take it apart again and polish the rim. I have found that if I take a scotchbrite wheel on a drill a polish the hump on the rim that the tire needs to pop over, when I am fitting new tires at home, that it will still be smooth enough to allow the bead to seat for a couple tire changes on the road.

A tube tire does not require the bead to be 100% seated to ride.
As Andy T says, just air it up, ride on. Very tough to 100% seat the bead with a crappy bicycle hand pump, depending on tire type and state of rim.

You need at least 15 PSI to ride the bike, maybe 20 PSI for a heavy twin. When you get somewhere with a good compressor, then deflate tire,, make sure tube is evenly placed in tire, apply tire lube on tire bead and rim edge, re-inflate with compressor. Proper tire lube really works well.
(better than WD40 or dish washing liquid)

The bead should Pop somewhere between 50 and 80 PSI. A good, fresh tube is a good idea too. Also, as mentioned, riding can sometimes allow the bead to fully seat. On road you may feel a bump bump bump going down the road with an unseated bead. No worries, just get it fully seated when you can.

More common problems are guys who've never changed a tire or don't have good tire irons and are not sure how to use them. I carry 3 irons. Practice at home. It's hard work but gets easier as your technique improves. bier

Thanks very much for the replies guys :thumbup1: Some really good tips there.

Thanks again:clap:

Tubeless
 

If you're trying to get a tubeless tyre to seat enough to get air into it and it won't, then wrap a tie-down around the centre of the tyre. This will help force the beads into the edge of the rim and make it hold air.

Cheers

Nigel in NZ

Lubrication and pressure... Both are required.

You can also bounce the tyre against the pavement OPPOSITE where tyre won't seat...

Having a clean, polished rim certainly helps a lot too...