newbie question: tyre life

raisethe said:

1) Should I accept that c.2k miles is the limit of the tyre's useful
life (at £20 per cover that seems quite pricey)?

Seems a low for a standard Marathon, but I suspect it depends a bit on
how smooth your pedaling is (smoother = less acceleration /
deceleration = less wear) and whether you like rear wheel skids....
What sort of pressures do you run your rear tyre at?
IMHO as the tyre tread wears thinner you are more likely to get flint
penetration, but you <can> keep going until the threads show up (if
you are desperate).

squeaker said:

raisethe said:

1) Should I accept that c.2k miles is the limit of the tyre's useful
life (at £20 per cover that seems quite pricey)?

Seems a low for a standard Marathon, but I suspect it depends a bit on
how smooth your pedaling is (smoother = less acceleration /
deceleration = less wear) and whether you like rear wheel skids....
What sort of pressures do you run your rear tyre at?
IMHO as the tyre tread wears thinner you are more likely to get flint
penetration, but you <can> keep going until the threads show up (if
you are desperate).

Hi

"raisethe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Hi

I'm a 'born again' cyclist; been going for a year or so now. I have
been puncture free until two weeks ago, but since then the fairy has
visited me twice. Two seperate 'flint' type punctures in my rear
tyre, The tread of my Schwalbe Marathon rear tyre also looks quite
worn compared to the same on the front.

So I am wondering if either I have had an unlucky period or my tyre
has now gone beyond its useful life (2,400 miles - also, bear in mind
I weigh 20 stone).

My questions to the group are:

1) Should I accept that c.2k miles is the limit of the tyre's useful
life (at £20 per cover that seems quite pricey)?

2) Will Slime help to extend tyre life / prevent punctures? I ride
predominently on tarmac, but tour in strange countries where different
conditions apply, and also occasionally ride in the UK on farcilities.
Also, will Slime reduce the pleasure of cycling?

I'm not sure about the life expectency of your brand of tyre but I get
around 2,500 miles from my Panaracer Pasela tyres and they do become more
puncture prone as they wear down. I'm not a fan of slime it can be messy
and wasn't totally successful when used on my son's bike when he went
through a phase of puncturing on a daily basis. I doubt that slime will
extend tyre life it doesn't prevent punctures - it seals punctures and
merely delays the inevitable need to repair punctures.

20 stones - you're a light weight! I'm heavier and have just done 800 miles
in France on a variety of surfaces without a puncture while cycle camping.

Rear tyres will wear more than the front ones - it's a function of weight
distribution and traction.

squeaker said:

raisethe said:

1) Should I accept that c.2k miles is the limit of the tyre's useful
life (at £20 per cover that seems quite pricey)?

Seems a low for a standard Marathon, but I suspect it depends a bit on
how smooth your pedaling is (smoother = less acceleration /
deceleration = less wear) and whether you like rear wheel skids....
What sort of pressures do you run your rear tyre at?
IMHO as the tyre tread wears thinner you are more likely to get flint
penetration, but you <can> keep going until the threads show up (if
you are desperate).

Thanks for the response.

I'm pretty smooth in my acceleration (probably due to my excess
weight) and I don't partake in rear wheel skids (tho' it sounds like
fun).

I inflate to 95-100 psi, topping up weekly.

My tyre shows tread wear BUT there is no sign of threads. The sidewall
is fine as the tyre is only six months old. I'm not desperate, and
reliability is vital, especially as I have Nexus8, so OTR rear
punctures are preferably avoided.

I suppose £20 and 2k miles seems a bit steep when I'm used to £35 and
9k miles on a motorbike, and £40 and 20k miles in a car, particularly
considering the lack of material in a cycle tyre.

Cheers
Ray

raisethe said:

Hi

I'm a 'born again' cyclist; been going for a year or so now. I have
been puncture free until two weeks ago, but since then the fairy has
visited me twice. Two seperate 'flint' type punctures in my rear
tyre, The tread of my Schwalbe Marathon rear tyre also looks quite
worn compared to the same on the front.

So I am wondering if either I have had an unlucky period or my tyre
has now gone beyond its useful life (2,400 miles - also, bear in mind
I weigh 20 stone).

My questions to the group are:

1) Should I accept that c.2k miles is the limit of the tyre's useful
life (at £20 per cover that seems quite pricey)?

You really need to look at the tyre to decide whether to
replace it. If it looks worn down to the tread (if there
is one), then it needs replacing. Note that the rear
(being the drive wheel) usually wears out long before the
front.

In the last eight months I have had three or four
punctures, all in the same week in the middle of winter. I
am still using the same tyres on that bike, and have not
had problems since. So it could be bad luck, or it could
be a worn out tyre.

Quoted message said:

2) Will Slime help to extend tyre life / prevent punctures? I ride
predominently on tarmac, but tour in strange countries where different
conditions apply, and also occasionally ride in the UK on farcilities.
Also, will Slime reduce the pleasure of cycling?

TBH I don't like slime, If I have a puncture I like to
repair it. (I have never used slime).

raisethe said:

My tyre shows tread wear BUT there is no sign of threads. The sidewall
is fine as the tyre is only six months old. I'm not desperate, and
reliability is vital, especially as I have Nexus8, so OTR rear
punctures are preferably avoided.

I suppose £20 and 2k miles seems a bit steep when I'm used to £35 and 9k
miles on a motorbike, and £40 and 20k miles in a car, particularly
considering the lack of material in a cycle tyre.

It may be a weight thing. 2.5-3.5k is what I typically get out of a rear
road tyre - much less from my off-road tyres. What you can do is swap
over the rear and front tyres for another 2.5k miles then change them
both.

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

vernon said:

"raisethe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...
Hi

I'm a 'born again' cyclist; been going for a year or so now. I have
been puncture free until two weeks ago, but since then the fairy has
visited me twice. Two seperate 'flint' type punctures in my rear
tyre, The tread of my Schwalbe Marathon rear tyre also looks quite
worn compared to the same on the front.

So I am wondering if either I have had an unlucky period or my tyre
has now gone beyond its useful life (2,400 miles - also, bear in mind
I weigh 20 stone).

My questions to the group are:

1) Should I accept that c.2k miles is the limit of the tyre's useful
life (at £20 per cover that seems quite pricey)?

2) Will Slime help to extend tyre life / prevent punctures? I ride
predominently on tarmac, but tour in strange countries where different
conditions apply, and also occasionally ride in the UK on farcilities.
Also, will Slime reduce the pleasure of cycling?

I'm not sure about the life expectency of your brand of tyre but I get
around 2,500 miles from my Panaracer Pasela tyres and they do become more
puncture prone as they wear down. I'm not a fan of slime it can be messy
and wasn't totally successful when used on my son's bike when he went
through a phase of puncturing on a daily basis. I doubt that slime will
extend tyre life it doesn't prevent punctures - it seals punctures and
merely delays the inevitable need to repair punctures.

20 stones - you're a light weight! I'm heavier and have just done 800 miles
in France on a variety of surfaces without a puncture while cycle camping.

Rear tyres will wear more than the front ones - it's a function of weight
distribution and traction.

Thanks for your comments Vernon. I would like to use Slime if it
works, but my only related experience with a similar product is in S
Asia on a motorcycle, where I still got punctures but couldn't find a
hole in the tube. And it was messy. Maybe it was a waste of time as
you say.

Cheers
Ray

raisethe said:

Hi

I'm a 'born again' cyclist; been going for a year or so now. I have
been puncture free until two weeks ago, but since then the fairy has
visited me twice. Two seperate 'flint' type punctures in my rear
tyre, The tread of my Schwalbe Marathon rear tyre also looks quite
worn compared to the same on the front.

It is normal for rear tyres to wear faster.

Quoted message said:

So I am wondering if either I have had an unlucky period or my tyre
has now gone beyond its useful life (2,400 miles - also, bear in mind
I weigh 20 stone).

My questions to the group are:

1) Should I accept that c.2k miles is the limit of the tyre's useful
life (at £20 per cover that seems quite pricey)?

Should get more from that sort of tyre. Keep the air pressure high to
minimise the scrubbing action.

Quoted message said:

2) Will Slime help to extend tyre life / prevent punctures? I ride
predominently on tarmac, but tour in strange countries where different
conditions apply, and also occasionally ride in the UK on farcilities.
Also, will Slime reduce the pleasure of cycling?

It won't extend tyre life at all. It will seal /some/ punctures. It will
slightly increase rolling resistance (maybe not enough to notice). It will
make fixing the punctures it doesn't work for more messy and complicated.

Instead, if you can't bear to get/fix punctures, consider Marathon *PLUS*
tyres -- which are about as puncture resistant as any pneumatic tyres can
be. No need then for gimmicks inside the tyres when the actual tyres are
protecting so well.

~PB

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It may be a weight thing. 2.5-3.5k is what I typically get out of a rear
road tyre - much less from my off-road tyres. What you can do is swap
over the rear and front tyres for another 2.5k miles then change them
both.

Sheldon says put the old front on the back and put a new one on the front,
which seems like sensible practice to me.

Re slime - some people love it, but it depends a bit on how many punctures
you get - >20 in one season from thorns would seem a good reason to put up
with any disadvantages, but I don't have those problems.

cheers,
clive

raisethe said:

I inflate to 95-100 psi, topping up weekly.

What width are the tyres?

Quoted message said:

My tyre shows tread wear BUT there is no sign of threads. The sidewall
is fine as the tyre is only six months old. I'm not desperate, and
reliability is vital, especially as I have Nexus8, so OTR rear
punctures are preferably avoided.

I suppose £20 and 2k miles seems a bit steep when I'm used to £35 and
9k miles on a motorbike, and £40 and 20k miles in a car, particularly
considering the lack of material in a cycle tyre.

As I'm sure your realise, not much of the money goes towards the actual
material; and the less there is, the less well it will last! :-)

~PB

Tony Raven said:

raisethe said:

My tyre shows tread wear BUT there is no sign of threads. The sidewall
is fine as the tyre is only six months old. I'm not desperate, and
reliability is vital, especially as I have Nexus8, so OTR rear
punctures are preferably avoided.

Quoted message said:

I suppose £20 and 2k miles seems a bit steep when I'm used to £35 and 9k
miles on a motorbike, and £40 and 20k miles in a car, particularly
considering the lack of material in a cycle tyre.

It may be a weight thing. 2.5-3.5k is what I typically get out of a rear
road tyre - much less from my off-road tyres. What you can do is swap
over the rear and front tyres for another 2.5k miles then change them
both.

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

Your figures would suggest that it is weight related. If I am going to
get 500 -1,000 miles per tyre less than normal then I will live with
it.

Swapping front and back to improve economy is a good idea - thanks for
that.

Ray

Quoted message said:

1) Should I accept that c.2k miles is the limit of the tyre's useful
life (at £20 per cover that seems quite pricey)?

It's prolly either bad luck, or thething wot caused the p*nctures is still
in the tyre (when fixing a p*ncture, running a thumb around the inside of
the tyre is how I catch the buggers). If the rear is in fairly good
condition I'd swap it with the front - front tyres puncture less often so
it makes sense to have the one with most rubber on the back.

Although tyres are slightyl more prone to p*nctures as the rubber wears
away, marathons have a kevlar layer in so are much less vulnerable than
cheaper/sportier tyres. I'd continue running it until it's properly worn
out (or becomes unsafe). When you eventually buy a new tyre, consider
running a Marathon Plus on the back. Almost literally bomb proof.

--
Mark T

raisethe said:

Swapping front and back to improve economy is a good idea - thanks for
that.

It only improves economy in the long run for tyres that decay from old age
before they wear out from normal use. This is usually only the case with
bikes that aren't ridden much, or rubbish tyres, or maybe bikes stored
outdoors all the time catching a lot of UV light.

Otherwise replacing rear tyres frequently and fronts infrequently is no more
expensive than replacing both moderately frequently. The amount of life and
wear in total is the same, wherever you put the tyres.

Punctures might be reduced by putting the best tyre on the back (since most
punctures are at the back), but a tyre has to be badly worn down to make
much difference. Sheldon Brown advises doing the opposite (having best tyre
on front) because, although rarer, front punctures are more dangerous.

~PB

raisethe said:

Hi

I'm a 'born again' cyclist; been going for a year or so now. I have
been puncture free until two weeks ago, but since then the fairy has
visited me twice. Two seperate 'flint' type punctures in my rear
tyre, The tread of my Schwalbe Marathon rear tyre also looks quite
worn compared to the same on the front.

So I am wondering if either I have had an unlucky period or my tyre
has now gone beyond its useful life (2,400 miles - also, bear in mind
I weigh 20 stone).

My questions to the group are:

1) Should I accept that c.2k miles is the limit of the tyre's useful
life (at £20 per cover that seems quite pricey)?

Bit low, but remember you never wear them out, it's the increasing rate
of punctures that does for them in the end. You might have been
unlucky, I'd see how long before the next one is.

Quoted message said:

2) Will Slime help to extend tyre life / prevent punctures? I ride
predominently on tarmac, but tour in strange countries where different
conditions apply, and also occasionally ride in the UK on farcilities.
Also, will Slime reduce the pleasure of cycling?

Never tried it. Born in the saddle Marathon Plus or Marathon XR man is me.

"raisethe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

vernon said:

"raisethe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Thanks for your comments Vernon. I would like to use Slime if it
works, but my only related experience with a similar product is in S
Asia on a motorcycle, where I still got punctures but couldn't find a
hole in the tube. And it was messy. Maybe it was a waste of time as
you say.

The stuff was criticised in the UK motorcycle press when used in tubless
tyres as it made the repair of tyres difficult when puntured making the use
of innertubes necessary. I never used it in my motor cycles tyres because I
could not put my faith in the product's ability to keep air in the tyres -
just a gut feeling but vindicated much much later by my experiences with my
son's bike tyres.

Pete Biggs said:

Instead, if you can't bear to get/fix punctures, consider Marathon
*PLUS* tyres -- which are about as puncture resistant as any pneumatic
tyres can be.

Or the even more bombproof Dutch Perfects.
http://www.dutch-perfect.nl/frm-gb.asp

I agree about slime. It may seal some small punctures but if one of them
goes or you get a puncture it can't handle then you have a real mess and
throwing the inner tube and replacing it is about the only option then.

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

Pete Biggs said:

raisethe said:

I inflate to 95-100 psi, topping up weekly.

What width are the tyres?

32mm, 95 is the max pressure shown on the tyre wall.

Quoted message said:

As I'm sure your realise, not much of the money goes towards the actual
material; and the less there is, the less well it will last! :-)

True. Someone must be creaming off a fair amount of money on bicycle
parts - probably the retailers.

raisethe said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I inflate to 95-100 psi, topping up weekly.

What width are the tyres?

32mm, 95 is the max pressure shown on the tyre wall.

If I was your weight, with those tyres I'd use something like 110 psi rear,
95 front.

~PB

In article <[email hidden]>, Pete Biggs
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

raisethe said:

Swapping front and back to improve economy is a good idea - thanks for
that.

It only improves economy in the long run for tyres that decay from old age
before they wear out from normal use. This is usually only the case with
bikes that aren't ridden much, or rubbish tyres, or maybe bikes stored
outdoors all the time catching a lot of UV light.

It used to be that tyres hardened with age, so you'd get more wear but
less grip from an old one than a new one. People would buy a stock of
tubs and let them mature before use, and I always used to do the front
one on the back, new one on the front shuffle. Maybe with modern tread
compounds that's no longer the case.