Bead repair in tubed tire
 

I recently had a tube blow out and when replacing it I noticed the tire bead was in quite rough shape. The tube failure didn’t appear to be near the bead failure and afaik the tube was quite old.
Seeing as the tire is tubed and the bead doesn’t need to hold air (just not pop the tube) it seems like it would be viable to repair the bead with tape/stitching.
Has anyone made a repair like this before?
A new tire would cost about 30% of the total value of the bike.

Images are attached in imgur

imgur .com/a/ r7bw6ZM (remove spaces)

Sorry if this breaks the rules but this post is pretty useless without them.

Thanks for the help.

It looks iffy to me. Even if the bead stays intact the tire wall may separate from it. I wouldn't use it as it looks like too much of a risk of a blowout failure which at the very least will cost you a new tube and walk/lift home.

Tires are wear items. If a new tire is truly 30 percent of the bike’s value, assuming you mean what you paid for it, consider yourself lucky you have a bike you’ve put so little money into. Even a free bike needs maintenance and parts replaced occasionally.

Just get a new tire. If you have such a bike that is so cheap that even a really cheap $30 tire is a large amount of the bikes worth, then the tires on it are not worth repair and are likely to fail more. Tires are a part of the safety of the bike and a failing tire is something that needs to be replaced. Sadly yes sometimes tires blowout but the bead is integral part and there is really no real fix for it otherwise it would be well known and well employed.

I purchased a used Schwinn Paramount equipted with a Dura-Ace group in the early 2000s while living in Florida. I Paid $63.45 after tax. I replaced tubes, tires and cables for around $130. I used it to commute to work and on weekend rides with a bicycle club on the weekwnds for near 5 years. I didn't feel bad about spending more than the bicycle to make it useful.

Yep... Its headed for the trash.

I have seen a few brand new tires with separating beads. Be sure to inspect your new tiers bead closely. And thats regardless of their manufacturer or make...

Ok, thanks for the advice. I bit the bullet and bought a new set of tires. Figure it’s worth it to not have to worry about the whole thing failing unexpectedly. Appreciating more that what its worth is what you get out of it, just a bit of sticker shock after trying not the break the bank on the bike itself.

Good on you then! New tires're vastly cheaper than a broken wrist or concussion Rx I'd have to think. Falling off a broken bike at speed's never gonna be something to look back on with fondness.

And after looking at that imgur.com post I think you're lucky to be able to buy new tires for your two-wheeler! Surprised they held up as long as they have under you.

Tire beads may not see a lot of road wear, but they are stressed far higher than most other parts of the tire. Where the cords meet the bead is where all the huge amount of outward force from the air pressure is transferred to the bead wires/cords. Any weakness at the bead or poor bead seating often results in a big ol' kaboom.

Photo assist. Yup. The tire is toast. When you see metal bead, there is nothing to hold the tire on the rim anymore. It is headed for a blowout. Get a new tire.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b677e3a0b.jpeg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8c89f351a.jpeg

(above) Wow, that's worse than I expected. I thought perhaps just wire exposed on the edge side, but the wire has completely separated from the sidewall. I'm surprised the tube wasn't bulging out the side, maybe it was. Yep, toast.

By the way, if there was a cut in the sidewall of the tire, also requires replacing, but you can often limp home by putting a folded $1 bill between the tube and sidewall there, US paper money is tough. I helped someone on the road with that, a hole through the tread large enough for the tube to be bulging out, it got him home.

When the casing starts to separate from the bead, it's only a matter of time before it turns into a blow-out. Time for a new tire.

If the tube "blows out" it's not an issue with the tube, it's a problem with the tire, the rim, or improper mounting (seating). No, there is no repair to be done to that tire other than in a get me home emergency, and even then only as a last resort

Last year I bought a cheap bike and immediately spent more than I'd paid on tyres, brake blocks and cables etc. to make it ridable. Did I think "That's more than the bike cost" or did I think "That's a well sorted bike for a good price"? Tyres are one of the main components that affect how safe and comfortable a bike is to ride, money spent on tyres is an investment (also a risk - I've cut a tyre on a sharp rock the first time I used it, it went straight in the trash, but that's just the way it is sometimes; I tend to buy three tyres rather than two, that way I have a spare when one has to be replaced for wear or damage).

I'd put it back on to ride back home if I was more than a comfortable walk to the house. But I'd replace it before the next ride.

Compounded by the fact that bead failures are ones that are the hardest to boot or temporarily fix due to the stress concentration. This happened to me without warning in the fall of 2022 on my Bike Friday. No brake pad wear into the sidewall, no signs of obvious distress - just a tire that had seen a lot of revolutions on this bike.
​​​​​​​https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...83cf8125ec.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bc97f1573a.jpg

Even this would only hold less than 10 psi and only lasted less than an hour. And no, no matter how hard I worked at it, I could not get it to seat deeper on the rim.

Unless your name is "Larry." :roflmao:

I recently binned a couple of Marathons that looked like they were ready to fail at the bead, very few signs of wear otherwise but I know they were a few years old.

(Homer Simpson voice): "Donuts Duct tape. Is there anything it can't do?"