Varsity Blues, errr Greens. 1962 Schwinn Varsity

[soddruntlestuntle]

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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Sorry you had that problem. It’s funny though, I bought the same tires for my Varsity and mounted them without a hitch.

 

[cyclingday]

Yeah, I’ve been using these tires for years, on prewar bikes, but hadn’t mounted them on
S-6’s (Which they were specifically made for) until now, and had never had a problem.
Maybe these were from a bad batch?
I don’t know?
I bought them back during the pandemic, when there was a supply chain problem, so I figured I’d better stock up in case they weren’t going to be produced anymore.
They went onto the rims by hand, so they weren’t that undersized, but just didn’t want to seat all the way during inflation.
Once I tried a little lubricant, everything was fine.
Strange for sure, but I just thought I’d share my experience in case others were having the same difficulty.
Big thanks, to Kenda for making these tires!
Without them, there would be millions of shoeless Schwinn lightweights out there in The World.

 

[acg_schwinn]

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.

You're not inflating the inner tube outside of the tire, right? If it's not restrained by the tire casing, it will indeed go all bulgy in a weird pattern, as there are some thickness variations in the inner tube (it tends to be a little beefier around the base of the valve, for example), and the thinner areas are going to expand first.

My practice is to unfold the new inner tube and arrange it inside the tire before putting any air at all into it. I then pump just enough air into it to form it into its final shape inside the casing, and then move on to mounting the tire on the rim. (I have a thing about getting the tire valve positioned directly below the tire pressure specs on the sidewall.)

In cases where some portion of the bead has sunk below the rim, I'll deflate it again, turn the wheel under very hot running water to soften the tire all over, then promptly reinflate it all the way to 60 PSI. That usually gets it properly seated on the first attempt. Rarely will I have to do that twice.

 

[GTs58]

You're not inflating the inner tube outside of the tire, right? If it's not restrained by the tire casing, it will indeed go all bulgy in a weird pattern, as there are some thickness variations in the inner tube (it tends to be a little beefier around the base of the valve, for example), and the thinner areas are going to expand first.

My practice is to unfold the new inner tube and arrange it inside the tire before putting any air at all into it. I then pump just enough air into it to form it into its final shape inside the casing, and then move on to mounting the tire on the rim. (I have a thing about getting the tire valve positioned directly below the tire pressure specs on the sidewall.)

In cases where some portion of the bead has sunk below the rim, I'll deflate it again, turn the wheel under very hot running water to soften the tire all over, then promptly reinflate it all the way to 60 PSI. That usually gets it properly seated on the first attempt. Rarely will I have to do that twice.

Yes, 5-10 max PSI outside of the tire. One quick shot of air with a compressor to get the folds out and check for leaks. The tubes I replaced were Schwinn from 1961 and I inflated the one good one the same way. You could install it on the rim and it looked like a tire. No expansion in diameter and no deforming. Pop a litttle air in the Kenda tubes and you'll see how F'd up those tubes are. After seeing this, I will never install a new unknown/tested tube into a tire I'm mounting without checking on the tube quality first.

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

Yes, 5-10 max PSI outside of the tire. One quick shot of air with a compressor to get the folds out and check for leaks. The tubes I replaced were Schwinn from 1961 and I inflated the one good one the same way. You could install it on the rim and it looked like a tire. No expansion in diameter and no deforming. Pop a litttle air in the Kenda tubes and you'll see how F'd up those tubes are. After seeing this, I will never install a new unknown/tested tube into a tire I'm mounting without checking on the tube quality first.

I seriously doubt any tube could hold 2-3 pounds of air without being contained inside the rim/tire. Testing the tube before you fully mount the tire and wheel is wise but you will not find any high pressure leaks this way. John

 

[GTs58]

I seriously doubt any tube could hold 2-3 pounds of air without being contained inside the rim/tire. Testing the tube before you fully mount the tire and wheel is wise but you will not find any high pressure leaks this way. John

The tires and tubes I were replacing were on a 1961 1/2 continental purchase from the original owner’s family. The valve stem gave out on one of them so when I replaced them, I did new tires also. The one good Schwinn tube that was left took the air pressure mounted on the rim solidly and kept it shape without warping. The bike was purchased in Phoenix so I have to assume the tubes were the thicker thorn resistant.

 

[soddruntlestuntle]

Well that was easier than I thought it would be. Not perfect, but better than I anticipated for my first attempt. Hope I can duplicate it!

 

[GTs58]

Did you go with one roll or two rolls? Looks like your lapped over really good except where the first bend is at the top.

 

[Eric Amlie]

Yah, nice job.
I always have trouble getting the exposed "V" right at the brake levers.

 

[soddruntlestuntle]

Did you go with one roll or two rolls? Looks like your lapped over really good except where the first bend is at the top.

Just one roll. Yeah, had a little trouble at that bend, should’ve stopped and adjusted it. But I was in the moment and wanted to keep going. Live and learn.