Silicone Spray - NOT

[cloudy]

Just a word to the wise..........

I had a buddy help me change my tires a week or so ago since I have his Coats 220 tire machine mounted in my shop and had never used one on bike tires before (he got it used and cheap, but had no room to mount it in his home shop).

He grabbed a can of silicone spray I had laying around to spray the bead to assist with tire removal and installation, and when I asked about that (I'd always used very diluted dish detergent), he said he's been using silicone spray for many years with no problem. As he's been a professional bike wrench for the last 35 years or so I figured - OK.

I noticed over the last few rides it seemed like the rear tire was way out of balance, so decided I'd take the rear off again and check it. Before I even removed it I checked to see where the tire's paint dot was located, and low and behold it was 90 degrees from the valve stem, which meant the rim had spun in the tire. I checked the balance and sure enough it was way off, so I removed the 1.5 ounces of weight I'd put on, rebalanced the tire, and went for a test ride and it was smooth as glass. (I'd also noticed the front tire had moved about 2-3" from its' installed position, but it still feels fine so I left that one alone.)

Moral of this story - use the proper tire lube.

[S1RR]

In 30+ years of biking, i've never heard of anyone using Silicone to lube tyre beads.

As you say, its either pukka tyre lube or mild soup solution.

[LiterBoy]

Originally Posted by S1RR

?... or mild soup solution.

I never used soup on my tires.

We gotta come up with a better auto-type function on these computers!

[Thruxton1]

Originally Posted by cloudy

Just a word to the wise..........

I had a buddy help me change my tires a week or so ago since I have his Coats 220 tire machine mounted in my shop and had never used one on bike tires before (he got it used and cheap, but had no room to mount it in his home shop).

He grabbed a can of silicone spray I had laying around to spray the bead to assist with tire removal and installation, and when I asked about that (I'd always used very diluted dish detergent), he said he's been using silicone spray for many years with no problem. As he's been a professional bike wrench for the last 35 years or so I figured - OK.

I noticed over the last few rides it seemed like the rear tire was way out of balance, so decided I'd take the rear off again and check it. Before I even removed it I checked to see where the tire's paint dot was located, and low and behold it was 90 degrees from the valve stem, which meant the rim had spun in the tire. I checked the balance and sure enough it was way off, so I removed the 1.5 ounces of weight I'd put on, rebalanced the tire, and went for a test ride and it was smooth as glass. (I'd also noticed the front tire had moved about 2-3" from its' installed position, but it still feels fine so I left that one alone.)

Moral of this story - use the proper tire lube.

Even the soaps and tire lubes can get us in trouble on bike tires. Hit the tire with a heavy dose of window cleaner. It will provide the tire mounting assist, evaporate quickly and lock the tire in.-T1

[S1RR]

Originally Posted by LiterBoy

I never used soup on my tires.

We gotta come up with a better auto-type function on these computers!

Hey, I always find that Mulligatawny soup gives the best lubrication.