"Flat" spot on tyre after fairy visit leading to tyre apostasy...

[TheLurker]

An odd thing. Puncture yesterday, replaced tube, refitted tyre.  All apparently tickety-boo. Start towards home. God awful hammer blow effect from wheel on every revolution. Look for bulges, nada.  Nurse bike home.  On to workstand, check. Wheel appears to have lost roundness. Tyre and tube off re-check wheel - all tickety boo with wheel. Refit tyre and tube. Check again. Yup still flat spot, but in different place and not so pronounced.

Utterly baffled.

Gave up, committed tyre apostasy and fitted new Bontrager (aka Trek) race light hard case yada yada instead of Conti Gatorskin.  Checked again. All wonderful.  Did the back wheel while I was at it.   Anybody got a credible explanation of WTF happened?

BTW. It may be my imagination (or tired legs) but the Trek's seem to ride "slower" than the contis.  Anyone found similar?

[Biggsy]

The tyre was not seated evenly, with one part pushed into the rim more than the rest.  It happens sometimes with some tyres on some rims - I suspect more so with tyres that were not quite made right.

Anyway, refitting and fully inflating usually fixes the problem eventually.  Some talc might help if you're lucky.

[TheLurker]

OK, that sounds credible.  Except.... part of my tyre fitting routine is to "walk" around the tyre on both sides ensuring that the bead is sitting correctly and is also not pinching the tube.  And, and.... the tyre was swapped from back to front some months ago (to even out the wear) without this problem surfacing.  So I'm still a little bit hmmm, unsettled by this.

[Biggsy]

Yes, I don't have a credible explanation as to why it happens even after your best efforts with the best techniques.  Sometimes a tyre will be seated differently after it's inflated even when you got it fitted properly initially.

I've never had it happen with certain tyres on certain rims, so I suspect it is at least partly to do with the hardware being a bit "wrong" rather than all down to how you fit the tyre.

[ChrisO]

Nothing wrong with the Bontragers - I have had much better experiences with them than Continental or Paselas.

[TheLurker]

Nothing wrong with the Bontragers - I have had much better experiences with them than Continental or Paselas.

Tired legs it is then.

[Ian H]

The tyre casing might have been damaged if you rode it flat even for short distannce.

[ChrisO]

 And, and.... the tyre was swapped from back to front some months ago (to even out the wear)

BTW, forget your supposed Bontrager heresy, if Sheldon is God you're going to hell.

Tire Rotation

Perhaps it was Him sending you a sign.

[TheLurker]

The tyre casing might have been damaged if you rode it flat even for short distannce.

I did consider that, but the tyre was still at something like 60psi (as estimated by thumb test) when I dismounted so I'm reasonably confident the casing didn't suffer overmuch.

As for Sheldon's worries about blowouts... werl I can't remember ever having had a tyre blowout on a bike in over 40 years and anyway I'm a card-carrying atheist and don't believe in hell. 

[Paul]

and anyway I'm a card-carrying atheist...

Then you can't have had an apostasy.

[TheLurker]

and anyway I'm a card-carrying atheist...

Then you can't have had an apostasy.

Ahhh. I believe one commits apostasy, rather than has it.  If one is renouncing belief in one system (or product) in favour of another then one can be said to be committing apostasy.  The system (or product) in which you "believe" (or have faith) doesn't have to be religious although the term is more often used in that context.  *Sigh* That's the trouble with jokes, someone always takes them seriously.

As it happens I'd rather continue with Gatorskins as they've proved extremely reliable, but if the Bontragers come in at two thirds or less of the price per tyre for comparable performance then I know which way my wallet votes.