Okay, well, I got the tire mounted and have been trying to balance it.
Those cheap tire irons where quite helpful and RU-Glyde probably helped too. The hardest thing was getting the valve up in the rim. I didn't want to take the tube outside and get it dirty and go through the trouble of pumping it up, so I put some air in the tube in order to keep its shape and prevent pinching in the most primitive dumbfounding way one can thing of:
I put my lips on it with the core removed and blew it up like a balloon. Now Mom and Dad wanted to interfere. They threw a fit about this. They didn't think I should pump it up before I got it into the tire. (Technically, it might have been better to blow it up after getting the tube in the tire but... anyway....). Dad tried to let the air out. I had to blow it back in.
Then, as I worked with it,
I had to let some of it out.
Not easy to get the valve in with air in it.
Dad tried to help me mount the tire. He started helping.... And I ran him off. (well, to his recliner a few feet away
)
When it comes to brain surgery, I'd rather do it myself. ...and I did.
I pumped it up and removed the core a couple times. I think it's properly seated. I hope. The last time, I got it a few pounds over 40 psi. I think that's enough. Then I pumped it up to 37-38 psi. I just checked it, and it's closer to 36. I hope it's not leaking.
I hope it's just temp changes and air loss from using the gauge.
Before working on the tire, I worked on getting that sagging fender tightened up. I used some of that acetone-ATF mix that JOG recommended. One of the bolts was broken, so I used channellocks and had to drill it a bit to get it loose. Put new bolts in and found some washers. Works great.
I put the wheel on the bike partially (without the brake assembly) in order to balance the tire. I am guessing the old tire used more than an ounce, and I've already put up around 1-3/4 ounces (50 grams). It's still not quite there yet, so I'll probably have to do upwards of 2 ounces. I hope that doesn't point to a problem. I am using cheap 5 gram iron stick on weights. They are bulky, so I have to cut them apart and set them sideways on the rim. I weight both sides of the rim. I wipe the rim with acetone.
I didn't get the red dot aligned with the valve. I tried to initially, but by the time I got the tire mounted, it moved a bit. That probably won't help the balance, but I don't think it would cause this much trouble.
I am worried about fender clearance, as it's pretty tight on the brake side. I might have trouble.
Any comments?