On Mon, 15 Jun 1998, Andy wrote:
> you guessed it, it's diluted liquid soap. I think it's more to help the bead
> slide on the rim without damage than anything else; but then I'm often
> wrong.
Setting the bead on a tire is, shall I say, a throughly exciting
experience.
If the bead is not set, the tire will leak.
Sometimes you can't get the bead to set, and an inner tube has to be
installed... this is not always the best thing for radial tires, as they
move about a lot more than bias-ply, and tend to get hot.
To set the bead on a tubeless tire, you need a strong compressor, strong
arms, and a love of things that go "kaboom". It also helps to have some
method of clamping the wheel down, as it's likely you'll let go of the
tire when the bead sets.
The trick is to wiggle the tire on the wheel so that one side is
seated. Then swab the other side with the soapy water. Have the air
feeding into the tire (40-60 psi...?), and squeeze the tire, yanking up
(or out) to make the other bead "jump" into place. If you get it right,
the air will stop coming out around the rim(s), the tire will fill up a
bit, you'll get a grand "kaboom" and the bead will be set.
Sometimes it's hard to do... if you have difficulty, take the tire to a
tire shop, avert your eyes while they bugger up your nicely painted wheels
on the tire machine, and have the kid do it for you ;-)
good luck,
-Malcolm
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