Cleveland Wheel Tubes

[Bob Eilers]

Inspected my cleveland wheels this weekend using the SPOTCHECK dye penetrant inspection kit - no cracks. I noticed putting the tire and tube back on the wheel what sounded like a rubber bearing inside the tubes. A single bearing sized object that rolled around inside the tube. Do the tubes come with the bearing in them for some reason? Or is this something that develops over time as a result of dust/dirt etc. collecting inside the tube. It does'nt seem to hurt anything.

[LOWELL]

I've found the same thing over the years, it has created no problem. When mounting the tire put the RED dot at the valve stem, if no RED dot,make a mark on the side of the tire at the valve stem for location
when remounting the tire, this is for balanceing purpose.

[Nathan K. Hammond]

That “Bearing” is actually slag from the tube. The little piece of rubber that looks like a ribbon running on the seam of the tube also runs on the inside. A piece will fall off inside the tube and roll around collecting all the other bits of slag, trash... whatever. The constant rolling motion causes the rubber to pack really tight and in a perfect ball. I don't think it was a design idea, just a fact of life. A tire on a car will do the same thing, but the ball usually falls out when the bead is broke, so you never see it. They don’t hurt anything, and you can tell the kids it’s a tooth from a child that asked too many questions.

nkh