I am running a pair of Vittoria Rubino' s at the moment. One of them is splitting round the tread area. I wonder if any one else is seeing this on their tyres. They have only done about 400 miles.
Now, I have seen cuts due to road debris and cracks round tread blocks which don't usually worry me but this looks different.
What concerns me is that the splits show that there is a reinforcing layer 15mm wide under the contact area between casing and rubber (presumably the kevlar band). It looks as though the edges create the stress riser which is causing the lifting. Internally the casing looks ok.
The uninflated tyre has a fairly rigid & flat tread area so it has to be "forced" into a rounded shape by inflation pressure. Can't be good?
The thing is, when cracks have propagated all round is it likely to be just a tatty looking tyre or is there possibility of it becoming unstable?
I am seeing an increasing number of tyres of different makes and types coming through the workshop with this type of fault. What on earth is going on? I do think it is age related rather than use related. Do you know if your tyres are fresh or old stock?
The thing is, when cracks have propagated all round is it likely to be just a tatty looking tyre or is there possibility of it becoming unstable?
I've never seen multiple splits quite like that before in any tyre. It looks dangerous NOW. I would demand* a refund, even if the tyre has been used quite a bit.
I am running a pair of Vittoria Rubino' s at the moment. One of them is splitting round the tread area. I wonder if any one else is seeing this on their tyres. They have only done about 400 miles.
I am seeing an increasing number of tyres of different makes and types coming through the workshop with this type of fault. What on earth is going on?
I suspect the reinforcing band and rubber are laid out flat onto the casing for ease of manufacture. Inflating it to a circular section puts the rubber under tension (worse for narrow tyres with smaller bend radius) promotes cracking and then makes them gape.
Tyres always crack but having them gape open makes it look worse. The real concern is not about the cosmetics so long as there is no risk of the cracks undermining and having the layers peel away.
Quoted message said:
I do think it is age related rather than use related. Do you know if your tyres are fresh or old stock?
They are only marked with a batch number with no obvious date element. I bought them about a year ago.
I am running a pair of Vittoria Rubino' s at the moment. One of them is splitting round the tread area. I wonder if any one else is seeing this on their tyres. They have only done about 400 miles.
Yes. I noticed at the start of a tour last year, and they were 6 months old but not been ridden through the winter (it's my summer bike).
I e-mailed the manufacturers, sent them back to the UK distributor and received replacement folding versions (the ones I returned were steel-beaded.
I've used the replacements for the last couple of months and they are already showing the same problem.
I shan't be buying this model again - previous Vittorias (Techno Twin Tread) have been fine though. --
