[Jayzonk]

Hi Guys,
I'm hoping someone with some wheel experience can help me with this one:
I've noticed that my back tire has a wobble in it, NOT the rim! I put the rear wheel up on my truing stand, and there is no side to side play in the rim. I took the tire off and changed the tube, and put it back on the wheel, but there appears to still be a wobble in the tire in the EXACT same location. I checked over the tire, and it looks fine.
I can feel this wobble underneath me when I ride. What's going on?
Even though there is no side to side play in the rim at this spot, is it possible that there is just too much of a difference in spoke tension at this spot? I can't figure out why the tire would wobble, but not the rim!

 

[Zen Cyclery]

It sounds to me like the bead of the tire is getting snagged on the inside of the sidewall of the rim. An easy solution to this would be to get some soapy water and douse the outside of the tire before installation. This will ensure that the bead seats completely on the sidewall. If this does not fix it, take it to the LBS and have them check it out.
It is unlikely but it is possible that you have a defective tire. If the bead is seated completely then this may be the only other possible catalyst. Good luck

 

[Jayzonk]

Thanks for the reply!
I don't think it's the tire, as I've rotated it on the rim a couple of times, yet the wobble stays in the same place.
I think your suggestion about the tire not seating on the bead properly seems likely to be the problem. HOWEVER! If that was the case, I thought I would see a little gap between the tire and the rim at the point of the problem. Is this not the case? I haven't noticed any gap!

 

[frpax]

possibly a defect in the casing?

 

[Zen Cyclery]

You usually would not see a gap between the rim/tire. When the bead isnt properly seated you will see an absence of the bead indicator strip which is a small ridge that should sit just above the top of the sidewall of the rim. This should be an even distance from the sidewall of the rim all the way around the tire. If its too low or not there, your tires caught down in the rim. If its too high it means your tube is stuck under your tire and its about to blow!

 

[Jayzonk]

After your first post, I decided to re-examine the tire. I pulled it off, then reattached it at a different point in the rotation. And YUP!! It's the TIRE! :thumbsup:
The tire must have a manufacturing glitch in it. I could tell that the wobble appeared just in the tire, and not in the rim. I'm not sure how this could happen with a tire, and I've never had it happen before, but, yes, it's the tire!
I'm a little disappointed with Schwalbe tires. This set is a Schwalbe Marathon, with Kevlar. It rolls fast, and provides good traction on gravel, and the tire wear has been excellent. But to have a manufacturing defect in one of the more expensive products leaves me a little sore. And I have NEVER come across a manufacturing defect in a tire before this incident, so that's a first in a twenty-five year road cycling career.
I aslo purchased some Schwalbe mountain bike tires (Racing Ralph's) and had one HECK of a time getting them on the rim. Yikes! Thought I was going to blow my gord! I ended up going with a cheaper Kenda tire that fit on really quickly and easily just to save myself the agony of another tire change. And yes, I did put on the right size of tire!