Blow outs with Schwalbe Marathon winter plus

[robbin]

I've just had my fourth blow out on my rear tire with my Schwalbe Marathon winter plus 50-622 tires.

The fort two times this was because me not properly setting the bead when installing. So when the bead finally moved it exploded past the hook and continued onwards.

The next times I seated it properly, needing a touch of washing up liquid to slide on the very grippy rim tape.

I've noticed that the amount of gap you have for the bead on the rims of my Turbo Vado 3.0 2018 is quite tight, and the bead on the Schwalbe tires is rounder in comparison to the Trigger tires that came as standard, I believe this makes it less forgiving to mount.

Now I've switched back to the standard tire for the rear, and wondering: Can the first two blow outs be the reason that the tire doesn't set anymore, leading to the third and forth blow out?

It would be great to hear the experiences of others, if this problem has been experienced by anyone else? Maybe I got a bad tire, maybe the first blow outs removed all margin I had on my side.

 

[fooferdoggie]

it sounds like a bad tire. the first two times could have damaged it. I doubt the tire blowing off could damage the rim you would notice it. it feels fine with your finger? no damage you cant see?

 

[PedalUma]

@robbin, Welcome! Have you seen some videos? That could help refine your technique and may give a couple of helpful tips.

 

[kahn]

I've just had my fourth blow out on my rear tire with my Schwalbe Marathon winter plus 50-622 tires.

The fort two times this was because me not properly setting the bead when installing. So when the bead finally moved it exploded past the hook and continued onwards.

The next times I seated it properly, needing a touch of washing up liquid to slide on the very grippy rim tape.

I've noticed that the amount of gap you have for the bead on the rims of my Turbo Vado 3.0 2018 is quite tight, and the bead on the Schwalbe tires is rounder in comparison to the Trigger tires that came as standard, I believe this makes it less forgiving to mount.

Now I've switched back to the standard tire for the rear, and wondering: Can the first two blow outs be the reason that the tire doesn't set anymore, leading to the third and forth blow out?

It would be great to hear the experiences of others, if this problem has been experienced by anyone else? Maybe I got a bad tire, maybe the first blow outs removed all margin I had on my side.

Perhaps the rim was damaged. This could particularly be the case, if the blow-out led to the rim smashing into the road surface with force????

 

[rich c]

Seems like terms in Europe are different on that too. A blowout is an instant failure of the tube and/or tire. It's not the tire coming off the rim while inflating. A good technique is to put just a little air in and get the tire centered and in place. Inflate a little more and check it, then final inflation.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Well @robbin I have used Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus 47-622 for the 2019/2020 winter, and then the 50-622 for the next two winters on my Vado 5.0/6.0, and met no issues. However, the wheels on that e-bike are in good shape, and (honestly saying), I was always giving the work of swapping the summer for winter tyres to a professional person...

 

[robbin]

Seems like terms in Europe are different on that too. A blowout is an instant failure of the tube and/or tire. It's not the tire coming off the rim while inflating. A good technique is to put just a little air in and get the tire centered and in place. Inflate a little more and check it, then final inflation.

The last one was not catastrophic, I was on the bike and felt a wobble and saw that it was coming off, managed to deflate the tube to a pressure that still held it in place and take it past a repair shop.

2 and 3 where proper explosive blow outs where the bead lost its seating, the tube ruptured beyond repair and I was left with a ringing in my ears for a while.

1 was a combo where I noticed something was off, dismounted and then it went, scaring me and some innocent bystanders.

I've picked up a massage regime to set it now, but that was after 2, or technically 3 blow outs.

 

[robbin]

Perhaps the rim was damaged. This could particularly be the case, if the blow-out led to the rim smashing into the road surface with force????

I thought about that, but I now have the original tire back on the rear, and last time I checked it's still on there. I haven't heard any explosions from the garage yet

 

[robbin]

@robbin, Welcome! Have you seen some videos? That could help refine your technique and may give a couple of helpful tips.

Thank you! Yeah, I went back to school after the two first blow outs and picked up the soapy water trick to help slide it in place som YouTube a long with som tire massageing techniques whilst inflating. But I suspect it was to little too late.

 

[robbin]

it sounds like a bad tire. the first two times could have damaged it. I doubt the tire blowing off could damage the rim you would notice it. it feels fine with your finger? no damage you cant see?

I've gone through the rim and tire, and what I can see is that the bead is quite frizzled at the problem area, you can see the cord at some places. I'll take some pictures and share.

However the LBS that changed it said that this is a tricky rim and that the tire likely still would work on a more forgiving rim, he couldn't answer to the state of the tire and if the blow out was due to that. He was more focused on selling me on a tire from a different manufacturer

 

[robbin]

I've gotten a replacement tire sent to me from the retailer where I got the first one. I'm glad there was enough of a chance that it might be a bad tire that they sent me a replacement.

When comparing the Trigger tire with the Schwalbe one it is quite a different profile on the beads. Whilst the Trigger one is like a triangle in profile where a point faces the rim, the Schwalbe one is more rounded, meaning that it doesn't offer as much bite.



Combining that with the very small clearence in the rim it's apparent that it's going to be trickier to seat.

I had to soap it to get it in place, and it does not give that satisfying pop sound when it seats like you get from the Trigger ones.

I've done what I can, I have a spare tube. Now let's see if it can sit throughout the night without achieving entropy.

 

[Allan47.7339]

I have also made the mistake of not making sure the line above the bead is not visible and even all around the rim on both sides. It is a visual indicator the tire is seated correctly all the way around.

Edit to add: I used Schwalbes (both studded and marathon plus) on my Turbo S and I found I had to inflate to about 15-20 psi (1 bar) and then recheck I had the tire bead centered and adjust as necessary before inflating to full pressure. A couple of times particularly during roadside repairs I would see the tube peeking out if I was not careful inflating.

 

[Nomad]

Is there a compatibility issue with that rim and tire or is it an installer error? A good shop should be able to sort that out. Schwalbe make good tires.

 

[steve mercier]

All rims are not exactly the same. I know that my brother in law can get easily slip those Marathon Winter tires on his Giant Explore rims whereas I must wrestle with great difficulty getting the exact same size tires onto my Ghost rims. I have not found a better studded tire so I am resigned to the struggle but I can only hope never to experience the kind of blow outs you describe. May you get it sorted ASAP.