Should I return it?

[Dr. Tankenstein]

I picked up these Electra Townie Semi-slick tires from Amazon. They're a 20 x 2.125, unique tread pattern and only $6.46 a piece! They look pretty good, except the bead is bent on one of them. Is this something to worry about? Will it push out once it's mounted and inflated? Is there a way to fix it? Or should I just send it back? I've never returned anything to Amazon, is it a pain in the ...?

Cheers!
Dr. T

 

[Walker]

That's not that bad, bend it back and roll........

 

[CCR]

if the wire is just bent, it should straighten like Walker says and be fine. If it has a deformity in it i would think differently though

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

Thanks guys, I'll try to bend it back and see what happens. My rims should arrive on Monday, so we'll see then.

Cheers!
Dr. T

 

[scrumblero]

they always get bent when they tie em in a knot to get em in the box.. :roll:

 

[Wildcat]

I'd try to air it up first to see how it looks. The more you bend it the weaker the steel will be.

 

[DougC]

Bent beads are not the danger they used to be 30-40+ years ago. Be careful not to over-bend it back straight. (I would just put it on the wheel and inflate it)

Bicycles back in the day used steel bead wires that were a single-strand of solid wire, with the ends crimped together with a piece of sheet metal. This wire was like thin coat-hanger wire, and it was hardened. It was very stiff and if it got bent, it would tend to crack partway through if you tried to bend it straight again, seriously weakening it. You NEVER used a tire with a bent bead back in the old days!

Bicycle tires today use a piece of multi-strand cable wrapped around the circumference a bit more than two times. It is similar to brake cable or shifter cable, and flexing it (or it being bent) somewhat doesn't harm it. If you've been in Wal-mart, you've seen the way they get all their bike tires now--flattened, folded over a few times and crammed into tiny boxes.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Yeah I've run into that many times, I just bend it back gently if it's bad, if it's not bent that far I just throw a tube in it and install it on a rim and let it fix itself. Just inflate it halfway then check it to ensure the tire is even on the rim and the bead is seated properly all the way around, adjust if needed and inflate the rest of the way. That's a heck of a price too!