5d ago

Is this tire mantle okay or do I need to send it back?

I ordered two new tires, or mantles I believe is what they’re called. One looked fine and I mounted it on my bike. The other one looks quite warped. It’s not soft but rather pretty sturdy, so I worry it wont sit correctly if I try to install it.

I’m a newb to this, first time I even changed a tube by myself. So let me know if I need to add more information.

Thanks!

Edit: thanks everyone! I’ll give it a try tomorrow.

8 comments

It doesn't matter what it looks like before it's mounted. It could be completely misshapen. Especially if the bead is not steel. Mount it on and see if it sits correctly once you inflate it.
I use Panaracer Pasela or Gravel King. Those come completely flat so there isn't even a round structure to go into the rim. I have to unfold them, then shape back into a tire before I can put it on the rim. It's annoying. Once I inflate them, they get into a perfect tire shape, perfectly sitting into the rim bead channels.

I'd say that as long as the bead catches the rim all the way around, it should be fine. Assuming it's still within the designed measurements, the rubber will settle in even and round out properly as you air it up.
It could prove to be a slight hassle at first, just start with very low tire pressure in the tube, just enough to put pressure on the tire all the way around, yet low enough that you can adjust and manipulate it by hand until it settles evenly and balanced on the rim.
I'd do that step with the rim mounted on the bike, so you can spin the tire and make sure it settles in evenly. Once you accomplish that, then go ahead and air it up to full pressure.
If after all that, you still can't get the tire properly mounted, then send that shit back. But it can't hurt to at least try, I got a feeling it's probably fine.

It'll be fine. Just put it on and inflate to a high pressure, that will push it back into shape within a few days.
Just fitted a pair of new tyres on my bike as well. Previous set was so far worn out, the thread was completely gone. The sidewall had a tear that made the inside have a nasty bump. I've been using Schwalbe Spicer Plus for years now, excellent tyres. Schwalbe is a good brand.

I happen to have the EPlus variant of that Schwalbe Marathon, and when I received it, it looked in about the same condition. However, after mounting onto rims, checking that the bead seats properly, and then adding air, there was only minimal deviation when rotating the tire. And after a few laps on warm pavement and in the sun, the deviation was gone and it's been perfectly fine for the past 9 months.
On a separate note, I'm not familiar with the term "mantle" for a bicycle tire, as a speaker of American English. Is that a regional term? Here in California, we call it the same as for an automobile: tire.
- Cheers!
  On the side note, I’m not a native English speaker. I used the word mantle because that’s a literal translation of the correct German term, according to my 20 minutes of research I did when ordering new tubes and tires. And when I wrote my question here in English, I googled to see if ”tire mantle” is a thing, got some results and thought, alright, I’ll just use that then.
  Well, at least the picture helped you folks understand what I was talking about, I didn’t manage to confuse you too bad :)
  
  Out of curiosity, what is the German word?
- Australia checking in. It's a Tyre. Tire is seppo spelling.

8 comments