My friend put on a new front tire (Hutcheson) on his road bike, rode two blocks down a hill, and on the first turn (gradual turn and modest lean but going about 20 mph) the front tire suddenly and completely slipped out from under him. He went down on his side, broke two ribs, and got a huge hematoma above his hip bone that required surgical drainage. Surface was good quality blacktop, dry, no oil, no sand or gravel.
Anyone know if there is something slippery on brand new tires that needs to be removed or roughened up before use? Anyone know of particular problems with Hutcheson tires? Would appreciate any advice.
That is a very strange occurance. Maybe some tires do need the front to be roughed up first, but I would think a tire company would have that ready to ride for you. Im going to be looking at some tires tomorrow if i can convince my brother to stop at a bike shop, But im looking into Specialized armadillo, as the roads that i wish to bike on have a bit of glass on them, and i want to take some precautionary steps BEFORE i ride them...
Maybe write the tire company (hutchinson) and ask if there was pre-installation care needed. Also, did he over-inflate the tires? that could cause a loss in traction as well. My front tire is always 5 psi less than my rear, because the front needs more traction, and more suppleness to roll over foriegn objects.
I hope your friend heals and gets back on the bike soon!
It was mold release that was on the tire. It's stuff that keeps the tire from sticking to its mold. Being shiny or not has nothing to do with it. Dunlop used to--and may still--make racing slicks for motorcycle roadracing that came out of their molds with a nearly mirrored finish. And they stuck like snot as soon as their temp was up. In fact, the shiny finish--a result of the finely finished mold--helped them to come up to temp more quickly as heat wasn't wasted destroying a mold release compound.
Your friend could have also crashed because his tire pressure was too high.
It was mold release that was on the tire. It's stuff that keeps the tire from sticking to its mold. Being shiny or not has nothing to do with it. Dunlop used to--and may still--make racing slicks for motorcycle roadracing that came out of their molds with a nearly mirrored finish. And they stuck like snot as soon as their temp was up. In fact, the shiny finish--a result of the finely finished mold--helped them to come up to temp more quickly as heat wasn't wasted destroying a mold release compound.
Your friend could have also crashed because his tire pressure was too high.
Well, when I was roadracing motorpickles, the idea was to increase lean angle throught the course of a warm-up lap, possibly even spinning up the rear tire exiting the last corner or two.
On a bicycle.....I guess if you're anal, you could take sandpaper to the tire. Me? I just ride. Running a new tire at the low end of the inflation pressure range for the first few rides will help, too.
The tire was a 23 x 700, and inflated to 110 psi. Don't know what the tire rating was, but perhaps as mentioned, this was a bit high, especially for a brand new tire. Looking at the shape my friend is in, I think I am also going to scrub off my new tires before the first run.
I also agree with the mold release theory. I raced motorpickles too and it was always a cautions first few laps to scrub off the surface of the tyre. In fact, once I took a bike for a test ride from store and crashed it in the first corner - they didn't tell me the tyres were brand new (I should have checked).
Anyway, drop those pressures for the first ride or two and just feel you way through corners and gradually increase your speed and lean angle. After a ride or two, put the pressures back up.
Some reason this popped up in my head... and I am sure this case is really not possible, but here I go...
What if the tire was pumped in a cool air-conditioned room...? Let's say about 75F. Also, tires get only hotter when you ride... So... your friend could have been riding with high pressure tires.
This theory is from my 11th grade year Chemistry class.
