My friend's tire got a TUMOR!!!

[Jiffer]

I was cycling with my friend this morning when she had to stop at around mile 7 because something wasn't right. At first she thought it was just her back brake rubbing against her tire. As I examined the tire with her, I realized there was this very large bubble on her tire that closely resembled a tumor! It was the strangest thing!

We also realized that the tire was rubbing quite severely on the frame, so much so, that we could hardly get the wheel to turn at all. She let out some air and the "tumor" went away. Then we took the wheel off, put it back on and it seemed to be adjusted properly. The tire spun freely. We put air back in and all seemed well.

Very bizarre. We (and my husband) figure that the wheel wasn't quite on their correctly (since her last flat tire a couple of rides ago) and was probably slightly rubbing right in that area where the tumor eventually grew.

Have any of you ever had a tumor on your tire???

[Grog]

Yes. Sometimes it's just a matter of reinstalling the tire and making sure that the bead is well seated in the rim.

However it can also be a sign that there is a defect in the tire and that can lead to pretty catastrophic consequences if it's on the front wheel of someone who, like me, likes to go down hills really fast.

I'd take the wheel/tire/tube combination apart and inspect the tire really well, put the whole thing back together, inflate at max psi and inspect really carefully again.

[spindizzy]

I'm a scaredy cat. I would be fretting every time I flew down a hill! I would liken that bubble on the wheel to an aneurysm or a hernia. Ready to blow at any time. I wouldn't have been comfortable; I would have had to replace the tire or tube or both.

[kie_fujo]

my husband has gotten these. usually i have to take it apart and reseat the tube and tire and then it's fine.

[Jiffer]

Well, my friend's tire was completely flat the next morning. She skipped the club ride today and is taking her bike to the LBS to have them check it out.