Origin of the balloon tire (research)

[NBHAA]

There is no confusion whatsoever. If one knows this history, then the history is quite clear.

• As I stated earlier, Europeans (this included Swedish) were early adopters of balloon tires on bicycles. But the belief that balloon tires in Europe were somehow limited to Germany is (with all due respect– and I have German ancestors) absurd. This is yet another myth perpetrated and perpetuated by Schwinn worshippers.

• I also stated that whether 26 or 28-inch makes no difference. It is the cross-section of the tire and fatter profile along with lower inflation pressure that defines "balloon" tires. This holds true whether bicycle, motorcycle or automobile. And since we've gone here, there were also 16-inch, 18-inch and 20-inch balloon tires for bicycles.

• There were also early motorcycles that had what amounted to balloon tires, but people today (including "experts") have forgotten this– or never knew it.

 

[Cooper S.]

Most of what is being expressed here about Schwinn and "balloon tires" and the invention of same... and introduction of same... is a huge, never-ending myth. But this myth is firmly believed and even exaggerated by Schwinn worshippers down on their knees giving praise. And by this crazy hobby in general. No matter how much evidence to the contrary has been presented over the many years and is obvious... if one only does proper and full research.

I have said this many times over the years. I have written this many times over the years. I have advised people making speeches before audiences NOT to say such stuff. But nobody reads or listens.

Open your minds to new horizons. The reasons why balloon tires were wonderful are not all what people today seem to imagine.

• Bicycle companies didn't invent balloon tires. Europeans didn't invent balloon tires even though they generally adopted them on certain bicycles earlier than North American bicycle companies. American car tire companies and car companies did. Many years prior to the 1930s and well prior to what people in this hobby believe– or want to believe.

• The term, "balloon tire" is almost certainly American in origin. It was probably coined by Good Year Tire & Rubber, but was also used by others like Musselman and more. European companies in the early times of this tire design used other descriptions for them. One bicycle company in England referred to them as "...oversize tyres..." and suggested they were best for use on rough pavement... and (most of all) off of paved roads (uh-oh... this gets into off-road riding far away from where people today think this stuff was born– and we don't wanna go there, do we?).

• Sears Elgin bicycles had balloon tires on their bicycles well before Arnold, Schwinn & Company. Anyone could buy them. Don't take my word for it... look it up. Yes, of course I have ALL of the Elgin catalogues.

• Montgomery Ward Hawthorne bicycles had balloon tires well before Arnold, Schwinn & Company. Anyone could buy them. Don't take my word for it... look it up. Yes, of course I have ALL of the Hawthorne catalogues.

• Arnold, Schwinn & Co.'s promo sales ads and literature did NOT say the company invented balloon tires. It merely said that ASC was "introducing" balloon tires. Huge difference.

• There are NO valid arguments for whether a balloon tire was 26-inch or 28-inch in circumference. What made a balloon tire a balloon tire was the fact that it had a fatter cross section and lower pressure... whether on a bicycle or a car.

This is a huge subject and I alone can't undo myths and resolve it here any more than I have. However, the facts can indeed be found... if anyone decides to simply look.

Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)

Sources?

 

[Cooper S.]

As per the 50 years of schwinn built bicycles

 

[Jesse McCauley]

Here is a glimpse into an early 20th century tire offering for US market, clincher tires in 24", 26" & 28" (x 2.25") options well before Schwinn "introduced" the balloon tire.

 

[SKPC]

(Edited) So perhaps we can agree(specifically 26")(Bicycles only) that "Super Balloon" included the main tire casing with a separate tube as per the Schwinn ad provided by GTs58. In 1933/4 when the wider 26" wheels & tires came out, were they ALL two-piece "Super Balloon" setups or were there any "Balloon" 26" one-piece tires? During this time, there seems to be two metal clad wood 26" rims made by Lobdell. One was a narrower single tube version and the other has a milled out channel that will accept a modern tube with beaded tire, or "Super Balloon" tire. Could this clarify as AS mentions what we are talking about here? Does the 1933 Elgin sporting the 26" fatties have the single tire/tube "Balloon" rim shown below or the wider clincher tire/tube rim with the bead edge channeled into the wood interior?
Lobdell non-clincher single tube 26" below. Not sure if for "Balloon" tires??..

Lobel clincher "Super Balloon" below. Same rim as above but wider with factory bead channel that accepts modern 26" 559's tires and tube. This rim must have preceded the steel single wall triple-step rim in 34 and most likely on the 33 Elgin & "others"?

Lobdel "Super 26"

And the scarce 34 Colson 26" single wall clincher.

Hmmmm.....

 

[Hukah]

Great job gathering all of this information in one place so that the “bumps” can be ironed out.
Looking forward to seeing what else comes next.

 

[NBHAA]

Two more fallacies:

1.) Sources: it is erroneously believed in this hobby (and many other places) that only printed matter (primarily "books") are valid "sources"... and not human beings. That is, unless said human being has the seal of approval from a group or grand poobah, or commune of some kind. All knowledge is not written down in books. And all books are not accurate. There are numerous errors in the book referenced earlier. It is a wonderful book and I have a few of them. BUT... you certainly can't expect a book about a certain company, written by a member of that company and published by that company to be referencing other companies who beat them to the punch, would you?

THIS is why the hobby and bicycle history went along for so many decades having people argue and insist upon calling "Pierce" bicycles as "Pierce-Arrow"... with every kind of absurd argument imaginable. Books, articles, the internet and "museums" continued with "Pierce-Arrow" for decade after decade. And there are still to this day, people who want to argue this point. I did my level best to stop this Pierce-Arrow bicycle silliness... but it pretty much took over 50 years to slow that train. Today, most of the "Pierce-Arrow" silliness has finally faded away. However, nobody ever stood up and said... hey, this guy was right! You're welcome.

2.) Balloon tires are what people in the hobby today imagine they were... and not what they actually were.

For bicycles (and even wheel goods) the balloon tire is and was a 2.125 size. And/or generally a much fatter size, with much lower air pressure. I have already also pointed out that there were balloon tires for cars as of at least the 1920s... and yes, they were indeed called "balloon tires." SOME children's tricycles and pedal cars also came equipped with balloon tires.
• It does not matter the circumference of the wheel or tread.
• It does not matter whether Arnold, Schwinn & Company (ASC) had anything whatsoever to do with it.
• If does not matter whether someone or some company added modifiers like "Super Balloon" or "Gum-Dipped Balloon" or "Silent Tread Balloon" etc., etc., etc. Balloon tires for bicycles were still balloon tires for bicycles.
• It does not matter whether the tire had a separate innertube (which in the old days was called "Double-tube") or if the tire had no innertube (which in the old days was called "Single-tube"). A balloon tire was still a balloon tire. YES there were indeed single-tube balloon tires for bicycles. Fact.

SOME bicycle brands (prior to ASC) called out the fact that their bicycles had "balloon" tires. Others used different names. For instance, Dunlop early balloons were referred to as "Oversize Tyre"... since they were fatter than typical bicycle tires of the day which were all skinnier single-tubes.

The excuse that Schwinn had clincher beads and separate innertubes again is refuted (for one case) by Dunlop's already existing design in this same format.

ASC introduced A balloon tire... and frankly, to their great credit, they popularized this type of tire. But it existed previously.

I have already stated that balloon tires were on American-made bicycles prior to ASC's "introduction of said tires. And I have given you source information to do your own research on this topic... at least as a starting point.

 

[Cooper S.]

Two more fallacies:

1.) Sources: it is erroneously believed in this hobby (and many other places) that only printed matter (primarily "books") are valid "sources"... and not human beings. That is, unless said human being has the seal of approval from a group or grand poobah, or commune of some kind. All knowledge is not written down in books. And all books are not accurate. There are numerous errors in the book referenced earlier. It is a wonderful book and I have a few of them. BUT... you certainly can't expect a book about a certain company, written by a member of that company and published by that company to be referencing other companies who beat them to the punch, would you?

THIS is why the hobby and bicycle history went along for so many decades having people argue and insist upon calling "Pierce" bicycles as "Pierce-Arrow"... with every kind of absurd argument imaginable. Books, articles, the internet and "museums" continued with "Pierce-Arrow" for decade after decade. And there are still to this day, people who want to argue this point. I did my level best to stop this Pierce-Arrow bicycle silliness... but it pretty much took over 50 years to slow that train. Today, most of the "Pierce-Arrow" silliness has finally faded away. However, nobody ever stood up and said... hey, this guy was right! You're welcome.

2.) Balloon tires are what people in the hobby today imagine they were... and not what they actually were.

For bicycles (and even wheel goods) the balloon tire is and was a 2.125 size. And/or generally a much fatter size, with much lower air pressure. I have already also pointed out that there were balloon tires for cars as of at least the 1920s... and yes, they were indeed called "balloon tires." SOME children's tricycles and pedal cars also came equipped with balloon tires.
• It does not matter the circumference of the wheel or tread.
• It does not matter whether Arnold, Schwinn & Company (ASC) had anything whatsoever to do with it.
• If does not matter whether someone or some company added modifiers like "Super Balloon" or "Gum-Dipped Balloon" or "Silent Tread Balloon" etc., etc., etc. Balloon tires for bicycles were still balloon tires for bicycles.
• It does not matter whether the tire had a separate innertube (which in the old days was called "Double-tube") or if the tire had no innertube (which in the old days was called "Single-tube"). A balloon tire was still a balloon tire. YES there were indeed single-tube balloon tires for bicycles. Fact.

SOME bicycle brands (prior to ASC) called out the fact that their bicycles had "balloon" tires. Others used different names. For instance, Dunlop early balloons were referred to as "Oversize Tyre"... since they were fatter than typical bicycle tires of the day which were all skinnier single-tubes.

The excuse that Schwinn had clincher beads and separate innertubes again is refuted (for one case) by Dunlop's already existing design in this same format.

ASC introduced A balloon tire... and frankly, to their great credit, they popularized this type of tire. But it existed previously.

I have already stated that balloon tires were on American-made bicycles prior to ASC's "introduction of said tires. And I have given you source information to do your own research on this topic... at least as a starting point.

for a research paper only actual printed sources matter. I can’t exactly cite as a source “some guy on a forum page said so”

“ASC introduced A balloon tire... and frankly, to their great credit, they popularized this type of tire. But it existed previously” considering what the topic of the research paper I’m gonna write, yeah that’s kinda the point

It’s of no personal concern to me whether or not schwinn introduced the tires or not, but rather if I can find actual citable sources either way. You have a whole bicycle literature library from what I’ve heard, if you can find textual sources for your claims i will more than gladly use them to write.

 

[Archie Sturmer]

The thread below shows some non-erroneous source materials that reflect what I imagine balloon tires to be:

First and Last Ballooners? | Classic Balloon Tire Bicycles 1933-1965

This is the Classic Balloon Tire Bicycles 1933-1965 category. But which bike is credited with the very first Balloon tire? Which was last?

thecabe.com

Any relation to Cooper Tires?

Who We Are | Cooper Tires

Learn all about Cooper Tire, the history of the company, values, mission and where Cooper Tire is headed in the future.

coopertire.com

 

[SKPC]

Good to see someone writing about the subject. Clarifying the discussion certainly helps, good posts. Very ambiguous discussion. Maybe another question more easily answered is who made the 1st 26" clincher rim designed for the over 2" tire/tube combination with a bead seat close enough to 559mm? Like crankarms and chain rings. The chain rings were made to fit the arms.