Tubes from Hell

Okay, I have changed many, many tires by this point in my riding career (coming up on a year of serious cycling) for myself and others but this mystifies me. I blew a tube a few days ago on my commuter. I replaced it with my replacement tube, but thee valve broke on that tube. So, I am not replacing it again. Getting the tire and tube on is fine until you get near the valve stem. It will "go in" as far as the tire is all on there and nothing seems to be preventing it, but the bead is really not in there. And this means that when I inflate it, it just sort of billows out. I have tried multiple times and it has taken me about 3 hours of work and I STILL can't figure it out. Help!

Trying to picture exactly what you are talking about. Is it that you can't get the wheel rim all the way around the tire?

It sounds like you're having trouble getting the tire bead to seat correctly near the valve, is that right?

Do you start seating the tire bead at the valve before you continue around the rest of the wheel and finish on the opposite side? Is there a lot of air in the tube when you're trying to seat the tire? Are you pushing the valve back into the rim a little to allow the tire bead to seat well below the edge? (The valve is to be without the retaining ring on the rim side for this)

It could be that the tire bead is broken or deformed too, so that you need a new tire. Does this billowing happen at the valve also when you move the tire a bit relative to the valve?

I have tried everything - inflated, completely flat, starting by the valve, starting away, starting in the middle. Nothing works. It just billows by the valve pretty badly. The rest of the tire is on there, just not the part by the valve.

Very frustrating when stuff like this happens. Maybe the valve hasn't seated properly? With the tube deflated (but installed), push it firmly into the tyre, so that you can feel it touch the tyre then allow it to come back to normal position through the rim. I've had some tubes that don't seat easily and it prevents the tyre bead from settling. Good luck.

you could try switching the tire with the one on the other wheel, just to see if the same thing happens. If it does, it's the combination of rim and tube that's the problem. I guess you could have a tube with a wonky valve mounting, or a rim that's giving way, but I'd think you'd notice that otherwise.

If the problem goes away, it's the tire that's the problem (or the tire with that particular rim). I've only experienced this with a tire bead about to give up the ghost.

If I understand you correctly I had this happen once. The tube might be getting a little twisted as you install the tire. Once you inflate the tube to be sure it works, deflate it so there is just enough air to "hold its shape." Then install the tire, starting at the valve, and working simultaneously down both sides. Once the tire bead is on, and before you inflate the tire, inspect the tire all the way around, and on both sides, to be sure the tube is fully seated inside the tire, and the valve stem is still in the right place. Then you can reinstall the wheel on the bike, and inflate the tire.

There are lots of videos online that will show you how to do this.

I don't believe it is twisted. I had that happen a number of times when I first installed a new tube (when I first started riding and changed out my first two tubes- they were old, as was the bike!). I have done it now at least 10 times to no avail. These are cheap tires, so that may have something to do with it. My race bike has easy tires - even when they were new. But who knows! I am going to go by the LBS tomorrow and see what I can do about these dang tires! I am not a noob, so this should not be so hard! I just changed the tube a few days ago and everything went swimmingly until the valve broke on the other tube and I had to replace it.

Anyhow, I am not as worried about it (annoyed still) after a ride on my other bike.