Close call?

I mentioned getting new tires; didn't mention why, exactly... ;-)

Was checking over the bike as usual before a ride and just happened to have
the back tire rotated right. In the center was this tan-grayish area. Being
nearsided I had assumed it was dirt, but the light was right and I suddenly
realised it was the threads in the tire showing through. Dayum!

I quickly scoped the rest of the tire and realized that except for a short
section I had worn the tired down to the threads and then some all around
the tire.

Got the bike (and tires) in Feb this year. Is it not odd to have this much
wear in only 7 months? Front tire was worn also - LBS guy said it needed
replaced too, b/c it was flattened out in a 1/4" patch around the center.
(700x25c).

Had I missed this and continued to ride would it likely have been a
catastrophic flatting, or would it have just developed a slow leak?
Anyone had experiences with blow out or flatting due to excessive wear?

I've read here (I think) that others have ridden their tires down to the
threads - is this common? How many months should I normally expect to get
on a set of tires? (Current mileage about 3Kmiles).

TIA

jj

jj said:

I mentioned getting new tires; didn't mention why, exactly... ;-)

Was checking over the bike as usual before a ride and just happened to have
the back tire rotated right. In the center was this tan-grayish area. Being
nearsided I had assumed it was dirt, but the light was right and I suddenly
realised it was the threads in the tire showing through. Dayum!

I quickly scoped the rest of the tire and realized that except for a short
section I had worn the tired down to the threads and then some all around
the tire.

Got the bike (and tires) in Feb this year. Is it not odd to have this much
wear in only 7 months? Front tire was worn also - LBS guy said it needed
replaced too, b/c it was flattened out in a 1/4" patch around the center.
(700x25c).

Had I missed this and continued to ride would it likely have been a
catastrophic flatting, or would it have just developed a slow leak?
Anyone had experiences with blow out or flatting due to excessive wear?

I've read here (I think) that others have ridden their tires down to the
threads - is this common? How many months should I normally expect to get
on a set of tires? (Current mileage about 3Kmiles).

TIA

jj

It would have probably gone with a resounding 'Boom' at 100 PSI or so.
I think even the best tires are only good for maybe 2,000 miles on the
rear and 3,000 on the front. I wore out my MTB knobbies at about 4,000
on the rear, while the front is still in use as a spare in my bike shed.
I haven't got enough miles on my road bikes 27" and 700cm to comment yet.
Bill

I submit that on or about Sat, 01 Oct 2005 08:23:57 -0700, the person
known to the court as Bill <[email hidden]> made a statement
(<[email hidden]> in Your Honour's bundle) to the
following effect:

Quoted message said:

It would have probably gone with a resounding 'Boom' at 100 PSI or so.

More of a crack than a boom. DAMHIIJKOK?

Quoted message said:

I think even the best tires are only good for maybe 2,000 miles on the
rear and 3,000 on the front. I wore out my MTB knobbies at about 4,000
on the rear, while the front is still in use as a spare in my bike shed.
I haven't got enough miles on my road bikes 27" and 700cm to comment yet.

Maybe. I have got 5,000 miles out of a Michelin Club Tourist back in
the day, but 1,500 is good going for a Stelvio on the 'bent. Overall
I find that real touring tyres like the Conti Top Touring and Schwalbe
Marathon last much longer than no-name tyres or performance tyres like
the Vredestein s'Lick. The most disappointing tyre I used was a
Panaracer Pasela slick - wore out in no time and punctured if you so
much as hinted that there might be a stone in the next county
somewhere. But the Panaracer Pasela TourGuards we had on the triplet
(as in three seats) were barely worn after something over 2,000 miles.

If you are really concerned about tyre life, ask a tandem rider for a
recommendation. My tandeming friends are mainly on Conti Top Touring
at present, I think, but some are experimenting with Marathons.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

I don't ride my 700cc roadie that often, so its tires are still pristine...

However, I ride my 27x1.25 Hybrid at least 60mi per week, so I can
comment...

Both tubes are "slimed" and the rear has at least four (sealed) punctures
that I can find...

The tires were puchased in Dec. last year (merry Xmas, me) and although the
rear tread hasn't worn thru yet, it's very definitely wearing thin. Will
probably swap the front tube AND tire for the rear tube AND tire. (downside
of slimed tubes -- the tubes get STUCK to the tires.)

On Sat, 1 Oct 2005 12:24:32 -0700, "Brian Sanderson" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I don't ride my 700cc roadie that often, so its tires are still pristine...

However, I ride my 27x1.25 Hybrid at least 60mi per week, so I can
comment...

Appreciate the input.

Tires are tires, and would wear similarly hybrid or road bike, afaik.
Unless you're riding on other than asphault, such as sand or packed dirt or
crushed granite. I'd think the abrasive shear (just picking a term) would
be the greatest on the hardest surface. On packed dirt I'd think a tire
would last a very long time, more than a year's worth of 100mile weeks. On
concrete/asphault, apparently it's about 8 months. Might be greater for
heavier riders; pressure, friction has to be higher for heavier riders.

Quoted message said:

Both tubes are "slimed" and the rear has at least four (sealed) punctures
that I can find...

Uh, not related, istm - I'm talking about grinding down the rubber of the
wheel down the centerline over time.

Quoted message said:

The tires were puchased in Dec. last year (merry Xmas, me) and although the
rear tread hasn't worn thru yet, it's very definitely wearing thin.

Ok, that's interesting - how do you know it's wearing thin if you can't see
tread. Just curious.

I think one way to tell is the width and depth of the 'flattened' center
strip. Newer medium narrow tires (25c for example) almost have a slight
'peak'. When that wears down it become a 1/4" wide flattened part. When it
reaches about 1/2", then the thread starts to show, ime.

Quoted message said:

Will probably swap the front tube AND tire for the rear tube AND tire. (downside
of slimed tubes -- the tubes get STUCK to the tires.)

Yeah, I think I'd spring for new tires rather than muck around with that
stuff. Never had a flat since I bought the original tires. Even with
frequent flats, I think I'd avoid slime. How much does your bike weigh?
Wouldn't be surprised if the slime added a pound.

Thanks to all commenters.

jj

Brian Sanderson said:

I don't ride my 700cc roadie that often, so its tires are still pristine...

However, I ride my 27x1.25 Hybrid at least 60mi per week, so I can
comment...

Both tubes are "slimed" and the rear has at least four (sealed) punctures
that I can find...

The tires were puchased in Dec. last year (merry Xmas, me) and although the
rear tread hasn't worn thru yet, it's very definitely wearing thin. Will
probably swap the front tube AND tire for the rear tube AND tire. (downside
of slimed tubes -- the tubes get STUCK to the tires.)

A better idea, is to put a new tire and tube on the front, and put the
old front tire and tube on the rear. While front tires last much
longer, rotating the tires, means you now have a crappy old tire on the
front, and a front tire blow out, usually results in a loss of control,
and that is not something you really want.

W

The Wogster said:

Brian Sanderson said:

I don't ride my 700cc roadie that often, so its tires are still
pristine...

However, I ride my 27x1.25 Hybrid at least 60mi per week, so I can
comment...

Both tubes are "slimed" and the rear has at least four (sealed)
punctures that I can find...

The tires were puchased in Dec. last year (merry Xmas, me) and
although the rear tread hasn't worn thru yet, it's very definitely
wearing thin. Will probably swap the front tube AND tire for the rear
tube AND tire. (downside of slimed tubes -- the tubes get STUCK to the
tires.)

A better idea, is to put a new tire and tube on the front, and put the
old front tire and tube on the rear. While front tires last much
longer, rotating the tires, means you now have a crappy old tire on the
front, and a front tire blow out, usually results in a loss of control,
and that is not something you really want.

W

That is pretty much what I do to get the last mile out of a tire.
Usually, common sense makes me toss the worn down tire, but sometimes I
need one in a pinch, and only when riding close to home. Walking a mile
or two I can handle, but a blowout 20 miles from home would really ruin
my day. Even slime can't help a worn out tire if you have ridden it
through the cord.
Bill

jj said:

I mentioned getting new tires; didn't mention why, exactly... ;-)

Was checking over the bike as usual before a ride and just happened to have
the back tire rotated right. In the center was this tan-grayish area. Being
nearsided I had assumed it was dirt, but the light was right and I suddenly
realised it was the threads in the tire showing through. Dayum!

I quickly scoped the rest of the tire and realized that except for a short
section I had worn the tired down to the threads and then some all around
the tire.

Got the bike (and tires) in Feb this year. Is it not odd to have this much
wear in only 7 months? Front tire was worn also - LBS guy said it needed
replaced too, b/c it was flattened out in a 1/4" patch around the center.
(700x25c).

Had I missed this and continued to ride would it likely have been a
catastrophic flatting, or would it have just developed a slow leak?
Anyone had experiences with blow out or flatting due to excessive wear?

I've read here (I think) that others have ridden their tires down to the
threads - is this common? How many months should I normally expect to get
on a set of tires? (Current mileage about 3Kmiles).

TIA

jj

Eeeek.. I remember something like that happening to me. I was on a ride
and heard something flapping... like something was stuck to my tire. I
thought it was one of those maple seedlings or some other junk.. when I
stopped I saw it was a piece of tire peeling away. Looked sort of like a
sharks tooth, and the tube was exposed and bulbing out. I thought
"that's not cool!" And decided to head home, hoping that nothing would
happen. The next day I got a new tire.

Bill said:

The Wogster said:

Brian Sanderson said:

I don't ride my 700cc roadie that often, so its tires are still
pristine...

However, I ride my 27x1.25 Hybrid at least 60mi per week, so I can
comment...

Both tubes are "slimed" and the rear has at least four (sealed)
punctures that I can find...

The tires were puchased in Dec. last year (merry Xmas, me) and
although the rear tread hasn't worn thru yet, it's very definitely
wearing thin. Will probably swap the front tube AND tire for the
rear tube AND tire. (downside of slimed tubes -- the tubes get STUCK
to the tires.)

A better idea, is to put a new tire and tube on the front, and put the
old front tire and tube on the rear. While front tires last much
longer, rotating the tires, means you now have a crappy old tire on
the front, and a front tire blow out, usually results in a loss of
control, and that is not something you really want.

W

That is pretty much what I do to get the last mile out of a tire.
Usually, common sense makes me toss the worn down tire, but sometimes I
need one in a pinch, and only when riding close to home. Walking a mile
or two I can handle, but a blowout 20 miles from home would really ruin
my day. Even slime can't help a worn out tire if you have ridden it
through the cord.

That's true, actually a good idea, is to replace a tire BEFORE you get
to the cords. When you get a tire to the point where it should be
retired (yeah the pun is intended), take it off the back, put the front
tire on the back, put the new tire on the front, throw the old one in
the garage or basement, as a spare. If you already have a spare, take
it to the bike shop or a automotive shop, and see if they recycle tires.

W

Marlene Blanshay said:

jj said:

I mentioned getting new tires; didn't mention why, exactly... ;-)

Was checking over the bike as usual before a ride and just happened to have
the back tire rotated right. In the center was this tan-grayish area. Being
nearsided I had assumed it was dirt, but the light was right and I suddenly
realised it was the threads in the tire showing through. Dayum!

I quickly scoped the rest of the tire and realized that except for a short
section I had worn the tired down to the threads and then some all around
the tire.

Got the bike (and tires) in Feb this year. Is it not odd to have this much
wear in only 7 months? Front tire was worn also - LBS guy said it needed
replaced too, b/c it was flattened out in a 1/4" patch around the center.
(700x25c).

Had I missed this and continued to ride would it likely have been a
catastrophic flatting, or would it have just developed a slow leak?
Anyone had experiences with blow out or flatting due to excessive wear?

I've read here (I think) that others have ridden their tires down to the
threads - is this common? How many months should I normally expect to get
on a set of tires? (Current mileage about 3Kmiles).

TIA

Eeeek.. I remember something like that happening to me. I was on a ride
and heard something flapping... like something was stuck to my tire. I
thought it was one of those maple seedlings or some other junk.. when I
stopped I saw it was a piece of tire peeling away. Looked sort of like a
sharks tooth, and the tube was exposed and bulbing out. I thought
"that's not cool!" And decided to head home, hoping that nothing would
happen. The next day I got a new tire.

Hah. Glad you got home OK. Somehow, until you experience it, actually
wearing down your tires on a bike seems surprising, especially after only 8
months. Guess it's only natural to compare it to a car tire which lasts
years.

New tires are working fine, uh, not that I notice any difference. Got new
brake pads in the rear - that's nice. Bike will actually stop on a hill
now. ;-p

jj

Just zis Guy said:

Maybe. I have got 5,000 miles out of a Michelin Club Tourist back in
the day, but 1,500 is good going for a Stelvio on the 'bent. Overall
I find that real touring tyres like the Conti Top Touring and Schwalbe
Marathon last much longer than no-name tyres or performance tyres like
the Vredestein s'Lick.

I get about 7000 miles on the front with Conti TT2Ks, on the rear wheel
I get about 2500 miles. I'm thinking about trying the Schwalbe Marathon
Plus next. Especially since the Fall/Winter rains are starting up here
in Seattle. An extra 100-200 grams of tires to avoid having to change
a tube by the roadside in the cold/dark/wet/windy conditions is worth
it.

--
Dane Buson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
To err is human,
To purr feline.
-- Robert Byrne