Varsity Blues, errr Greens. 1962 Schwinn Varsity

[Schwinn Sales West]

Here’s a little Varsity Blues,
I just went 15 rounds trying to get the Kenda K23 tires to seat right on the S-6 rims.
There was always one area that didnt want to pull up to the bead when inflated.
I’ve used these tires on prewar Lobdell, Superior and Dunlop rims and never experienced the grief I encountered trying to mount them on the S-6’s.
Have you guys experienced the same problems with this tire/rim combination?
The sidewall of the tire says they fit the Schwinn S-6 rim, but not without great difficulty.
So, after the 14th round and nearly throwing in the towel, I decided to try some Vaseline on the sidewall to see if that would get the tire to slip into position, and sure enough, it did.
All’s well the end’s well!
I used some Goo Gone to clean up the mess, and everything looks great!
I just hope the tires don’t spin on the rim the first time I hit the brakes.
There on there pretty damn tight, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem.
So if you guys are having trouble getting these tires to seat correctly on the S-6 rim, try a little Vaseline.
It was just the combination I needed when I thought I was down for the count.
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Or just ask your "Old Riding Buddy" what's the "super-secret back room" method. Hint, It's too brutal for the tender ears of The Cabe vintage collectors.

It's not a Kenda problem. Schwinn built their rims "by measuring circumference". The acceptable +/- amount is shown right on their Original Factory Blueprints. You have a rim with the maximum allowed positive variance. And your tire likely has the minimum allowed circumference variance resulting in a "tight fit". How would a Schwinn Dealer that ran into this problem five times a day in the 60's and 70's figure out a solution? HMMM? What would be a "one and done" solution?

John

 

[cyclingday]

Find a new old stock pair of Schwinn Breeze tires that most likely were made specifically for these rims?

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

Find a new old stock pair of Schwinn Breeze tires that most likely were made specifically for these rims?

Schwinn never made one bicycle tire. They were all sourced through various tire companies both in the USA and abroad. Carlisle just happens to be the last tire company that manufactured bicycle tires and tubes in this country. You will not often hear me saying that something was built in the USA "for too long". But the day Carlisle stopped manufacturing bicycle tires was the best day in the bicycle industry. The quality control in Carlisle produced rubber products was atrocious. Their poor products were the #1 Warranty Expense for Schwinn. Schwinn "dual sourced" many tire sizes and tire models to assure a continuity of supply chain for their factory production. The USA/Carlisle made Puff's, HP Sports, and Breeze tires (both gum and black walls) all had the same fitment issues you have experienced with your Kenda's. If you look in a Schwinn parts dealer catalog, you will find dual numbers on what looks like the same tires. The USA made tires were 62,000 part numbers. The imported (Panasonic/National) tires were 67,000 numbers. As a Schwinn Sales Rep, many of my dealers would only accept the imported versions for replacement because they were easier/faster to get a bead fit.

John

 

[cyclingday]

I’ve been a big fan of the Kenda K23, as they are still being made to accommodate all of us ludites that still want to ride these old American made steel bikes around.
Now that I’ve learned my lesson on dressing these tires with a little lubricant to get them to seat correctly, I probably won’t have that much trouble with them ever again.
I’d much rather have a tire that was slightly too small than one that was slightly too big.
At least I know these things won’t ever blow off the rim.

 

[GTs58]

I’ve been a big fan of the Kenda K23, as they are still being made to accommodate all of us ludites that still want to ride these old American made steel bikes around.
Now that I’ve learned my lesson on dressing these tires with a little lubricant to get them to seat correctly, I probably won’t have that much trouble with them ever again.
I’d much rather have a tire that was slightly too small than one that was slightly too big.
At least I know these things won’t ever blow off the rim.

Can I ask what tubes you were using?

 

[cyclingday]

Can I ask what tubes you were using?

These did seem to be a bit on the small size, so maybe that was the problem?

 

[SirMike1983]

That is a pretty common experience with the S6 and Kendas. More often than not, there is one spot that won't pop out all the way. I put a little windex in to encourage it to slip out and seat when I have that problem.

 

[GTs58]

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These did seem to be a bit on the small size, so maybe that was the problem?

Well, that’s gotta be better than the Kenda cheapies. I always put some air in new tubes prior to install to check for leaks, etc. I did that with some Kendas and I couldn’t believe how deformed and oversize that tube got. it looked like some weird thing that the circus clowns made out of those long balloons. And it did make it somewhat a pain in the butt when installing the tires because it seemed like the tube was too long when trying to put the other side of the tire on the rim

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

First when you have a tire bead seating problem, you want the wheel to be "off the bike" to ease the work.

Next, you want to deflate the tire completely.

You need to use a seating solution. Dish soap is a common seating solution, but it dries while you're working and it's messy. My all-time favorite was #73200 Schwinn Spray Polish. This was a one-step spray-on wipe off polish/wax cleaner that left no residue. The closest thing I have used like the old Schwinn Spray Polish is Honda Spray Polish/Cleaner. The motorcycle guys love the Honda stuff for cleaning dried bugs from windshields and helmet visors without scratching the clear plastic. In any case, the Old Schwinn Polish, or the new Honda Spray Polish does not dry while you are working the tire bead seating. Wipe it off without any residue.

With the tire deflated, spray the polish between the tire bead and the rim bead all the way around the tire. You are now ready to begin.

Inflate the tire to 60 PSI (basically fully inflated for most tires). You want to walk over to your bench vise. Hopefully, you have a "Large Vise" at least with 4" jaws. Hopefully, it's an old vise, not one with new sharp jaws that will tear the tire sidewall. Spin the wheel and locate the bead seating problem area. Place that area "away from you". Clamp "the tire" into the large vise being careful to clamp so the tire is clamped, BUT the bottom edge of the rim rests against the front vise jaw. Squeeze the tire in the vise. The tire will be almost completely pinched in the vise and the front vise jaw will become your fulcrum point. Pull the wheel/Tire forward (towards you) and let the pressure off of the vise. Depending on how exact you placed the problem area into the vise you might have to take one or two swipes at the problem area. It works every time.

If any of you have the Bicycle Reasearch aluminum tire seating pliers, this works exactly the same way, "only better, and easier".

Generally, if your having a problem when seating a new tire, the problem is easy to overcome. The real PITA problems are when you get a tire in your shop that has "never been properly seated" and it's been tucked into the rim and inflated improperly for years.

John

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

Well, that’s gotta be better than the Kenda cheapies. I always put some air in new tubes prior to install to check for leaks, etc. I did that with some Kendas and I couldn’t believe how deformed and oversize that tube got. it looked like some weird thing that the circus clowns made out of those long balloons. And it did make it somewhat a pain in the butt when installing the tires because it seemed like the tube was too long when trying to put the other side of the tire on the rim

I also "pre-air" my tubes before they are installed. But, depending on how much air you put into them, and how long you leave them inflated it's easy to over stretch the tubes and they are then hard to fit. In the good old days, they made tubes in all tire sizes, but it seems today one or two sizes of tubes are supposed to fit multiple tire sizes. My pet peeve is why is a 1.75" tube supposed to fit a 2.125" tire width?

John