Tire Wear

Mr. Beanz said:

Just think it's funny. I keep an eye on my tires and wear indicators (Continentals) not wanting a mishap riding at night or down hill. Seems to wear slowly then one day, BOOM!!!!

Threads showing through AFTER the ride. Surprises me every time. I look at my bike as I rack it thinking I ran through milk or something.

Nope! New tire time!

Sometimes, life just ain't fair. 😄
[ATTACH=full]6795[/ATTACH]

I never worn a bike tire down to the threads yet. I only started serious riding since Covid and been on the same tires since. My tires have already done well over 10,000 miles and the center rubber is still thick!

I'm using Panaracer Ribmo is one of the cheap puncture proof high mileage tires. It has very poor rolling resistance performance as a consequence.

Chances are, I'll suffer the same fate as you, not realizing it until the threads are showing!

Straight up badass. Hold on a second - that's a front wheel !

Which leads to a perhaps dumb question , Mr BeanZ do you rotate tires interval or just replace both when rear gets the big flat spot. I'd seen both those who rotate and those who wont. Can I guess this tire was run in back at least for a while ?

Fourlegsgood2wheelsbad said:

Straight up badass. Hold on a second - that's a front wheel !

Which leads to a perhaps dumb question , Mr BeanZ do you rotate tires interval or just replace both when rear gets the big flat spot. I'd seen both those who rotate and those who wont. Can I guess this tire was run in back at least for a while ?

Nope! I myself would never place a worn tire in the front.

Not only wear but I also believe that removing and replacing tires on and off the rim can lead to problems.

Fourlegsgood2wheelsbad said:

Straight up badass. Hold on a second - that's a front wheel !

Which leads to a perhaps dumb question , Mr BeanZ do you rotate tires interval or just replace both when rear gets the big flat spot. I'd seen both those who rotate and those who wont. Can I guess this tire was run in back at least for a while ?

I only swapped the front and rear tires once like after a year if use. At the 5000 mile mark. Now my tires have over 10,000 miles on it.

Both tires still not worn out and seems good for another 5000 miles. The rubber at the center is still thick. Small cuts along the center tread still goes deep before reaching the nylon threads and the anti-puncture layer. These tires have only been punctured once ever on one tire by a spring wire (from a coil spring, we don't have spring season in this country). Considering the road conditions these tires endure, very bumpy roads from neglect, lots of garbage and other debris like glass shards from broken beer bottles on the bike lanes or the sides of the roads, I'm getting incredible value from these tires.

cobbwheels said:

I only swapped the front and rear tires once like after a year if use. At the 5000 mile mark. Now my tires have over 10,000 miles on it.

Both tires still not worn out and seems good for another 5000 miles. The rubber at the center is still thick. Small cuts along the center tread still goes deep before reaching the nylon threads and the anti-puncture layer. These tires have only been punctured once ever on one tire by a spring wire (from a coil spring, we don't have spring season in this country). Considering the road conditions these tires endure, very bumpy roads from neglect, lots of garbage and other debris like glass shards from broken beer bottles on the bike lanes or the sides of the roads, I'm getting incredible value from these tires.

Only tire that gave me 5,000 miles was this old school Specialized Armadillo. Heavy as heck but lasted through a ton of mountain rides, roads trails you name it. Training for a timed event. Not one flat, felt the drag but I wore it out till the red protective band was showing through the entire outer diameter of the tire. But not one fat and when I went to a race tire for the event, felt like I was floating.

Good Training rear tire.

I also built the wheels. Best riding bike I've had. Lemond carbon aluminum mix but frame broke along the aluminum section. [ATTACH=full]6813[/ATTACH]

Mr. Beanz said:

Only tire that gave me 5,000 miles was this old school Specialized Armadillo. Heavy as heck but lasted through a ton of mountain rides, roads trails you name it. Training for a timed event. Not one flat, felt the drag but I wore it out till the red protective band was showing through the entire outer diameter of the tire. But not one fat and when I went to a race tire for the event, felt like I was floating.

Good Training rear tire.

I also built the wheels. Best riding bike I've had. Lemond carbon aluminum mix but frame broke along the aluminum section.

People who have used the same tires I had have also used Armadillo at some point. I also heard from some doing 10,000 miles on their armadillos until the protective band showed up.

The drag on my Ribmo tires is you'll be able to tell if you're a few PSI's down! The center tread tread is like several millimeters thick and I'm not exaggerating. That, the 27 TPI thread, and the protective band makes it the opposite of supple.

The lack of suppleness of my tires makes me considerably slower on bumpy sections of the road. I have no idea how supple race/road tires feel. I think the most common response I read is the comfort and you could run these tires at reduced PSI without losing any speed.

I did notice on mild gradient descents where I'm pedaling around 180 watts in aero posture to maintain 25 mph, those on GP5000s or Ultrasport III would pass me on the way down coasting, without pedaling! I also have high drag equipment on my bike and my lose shirt and shorts probably slowing me down even further. I'm hoping all these strength training would make a difference and so far, it does.

Hey there! I've had a similar experience with Armadillo tires. They're definitely durable, but the trade-off is the added drag. You can really feel it when the PSI is slightly lower. The thick center tread and protective band make them less supple, which slows me down on rough roads. But hey, at least they offer great puncture protection! ‍♀️

cobbwheels said:

People who have used the same tires I had have also used Armadillo at some point. I also heard from some doing 10,000 miles on their armadillos until the protective band showed up.

The drag on my Ribmo tires is you'll be able to tell if you're a few PSI's down! The center tread tread is like several millimeters thick and I'm not exaggerating. That, the 27 TPI thread, and the protective band makes it the opposite of supple.

The lack of suppleness of my tires makes me considerably slower on bumpy sections of the road. I have no idea how supple race/road tires feel. I think the most common response I read is the comfort and you could run these tires at reduced PSI without losing any speed.

I did notice on mild gradient descents where I'm pedaling around 180 watts in aero posture to maintain 25 mph, those on GP5000s or Ultrasport III would pass me on the way down coasting, without pedaling! I also have high drag equipment on my bike and my lose shirt and shorts probably slowing me down even further. I'm hoping all these strength training would make a difference and so far, it does.

The GP 5000 literally rolls away with itself . I'd only ridden the clincher in a 32 . However once cleared to ride by the sturgeon - I've a set of the GP's in TR ( other sled)

Not enough miles or varied terrain ridden ( ratios type of paved -unmantained of paved road ) and locations to comment on the punctures -or lack of with GP 5000

Fourlegsgood2wheelsbad said:

The GP 5000 literally rolls away with itself . I'd only ridden the clincher in a 32 . However once cleared to ride by the sturgeon - I've a set of the GP's in TR ( other sled)

Not enough miles or varied terrain ridden ( ratios type of paved -unmantained of paved road ) and locations to comment on the punctures -or lack of with GP 5000

Nice! but now I'm not sure anymore it's the tires that's making me slow. Couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to draft 5 ft behind a big rider. We're averaging 21 mph on the smooth section of the road. I had to soft pedal or coast from time to time to keep distance. Even when I sat upright, it still felt easy.

I was wearing casual clothes that time. Cargo shorts, flannel shirt, etc. When I left his wheel, it became a tempo effort. From Zone 1, the effort became borderline Zone 3. Huge difference! Strava tells me I'm doing over 250 watts but feels more like 150 watts or less.

It probably won't be as easy on a bumpier section of the road. It seems my drag is still mostly aerodynamic - on a smooth road that is. But ofc, on a long ride like 70 miles, much higher chances of going over bumpy sections and all that wasted energy adds up and bad to have too much drag.

My tubed ribmo tires is well over 10k miles now but because of the thick center tread rubber, no exposed treads yet. It has two fabric layers, first, the puncture proof later, then the 27 TPI structural layer. Only punctured once ever and that puncture did not cause the tire to lose pressure until I removed the wire upon returning home so it was easy fix.

Hey there! That's a really interesting observation you made while drafting behind the big rider. It sounds like aerodynamics play a significant role in your speed and effort level on a smooth road. It's impressive how much of a difference it made for you when you were no longer drafting. And you're right, on a bumpier section of the road, the drag might not be as noticeable, but it can still add up during a long ride.

Your tubed ribmo tires sound really durable with the thick center tread rubber and the puncture-proof layer. It's awesome that you've been able to ride over 10k miles without any exposed treads or major punctures. That definitely speaks to their quality and reliability.

Thanks for sharing your