Road bike tyres.

Chinook said:

My Schwinn Fastback Sport is fitted with tyres it came with. I'm a beginner, and led to believe these are Vittoria 23mm with Kevlar. Yesterday cycling to work, I ended up with glass lodged in the front tyre. Whilst it didn't penetrate and puncture the inner, it has left quite a nice hole. My question is how do I repair it..? If at all. If not... what tyres should I use to replace it..? I realise there are lots of different kinds. I need it just for simple road cycling. I use the bike for work 25 miles (40Km) away.

Advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Super-GLUE the cut AFTER cleaning it with rubbing alcohol or acetone (let dry) ...

If there is actually a hole, then try some SHOEGOO ...

To state the obvious, the tread protects the casing ... the casing holds the tube ...

If road hazards are common, then you may want to consider some AIRFREE tires for your commute:

[center]airfreetires.comSalePage.htmlOpen ↗[/center]

The MONACO fit 622-15 rims better than the DAYTONA ... the DAYTONA fit 622-13 rims better than they fit 622-15 rims, but can be used with 622-15 rims. You'll want the installation tool!

[center]airfreetires.com700x28.htmlOpen ↗[/center]

I don't know about availability (i.e., shipping cost) outside the US ...

Thanks for that! 🙂

is superglue really effective?
Would you inflate the tyre 110% of its rated pressure whilst the glue is curing, and then deflate slightly...
e.g. if tyre is rated at 110 psi maximum, pump to about 120 psi to stretch the crack,
when the glue sets, go back to 110 psi....
This may reduce the chance of the glue popping out of the crack because of the flexing of the tyre....after hundreds of rotations and flexing it would have to come loose...
has anyone tried superglue?
interesting to hear any comments...
normally I just keep an eye on any cuts to see if they grow bigger.....

Aussie Steve said:

is superglue really effective?
Would you inflate the tyre 110% of its rated pressure whilst the glue is curing, and then deflate slightly...
e.g. if tyre is rated at 110 psi maximum, pump to about 120 psi to stretch the crack, when the glue sets, go back to 110 psi....
This may reduce the chance of the glue popping out of the crack because of the flexing of the tyre....after hundreds of rotations and flexing it would have to come loose...
has anyone tried superglue?
interesting to hear any comments...
normally I just keep an eye on any cuts to see if they grow bigger.....

Hi Steve
If I over-inflate the tyre the glue won't set at all. The cut is 4mm length by 1 mm width. It's not a straight cut and is visibly wide. It doesn't seem to have gone all the way through the tyre and it's not pushing the tube through at all. My aim with the glue was mainly to plug the hole rather than a complete repair. If I thought it needed repairing that much (with the mileage I do on the bike) I'd replace it I think. I thought the glue might just plug up the hole to prevent it getting worse or more glass getting in there.
C
🙂

Aussie Steve said:

is superglue really effective?
Would you inflate the tyre 110% of its rated pressure whilst the glue is curing, and then deflate slightly...
e.g. if tyre is rated at 110 psi maximum, pump to about 120 psi to stretch the crack,
when the glue sets, go back to 110 psi....
This may reduce the chance of the glue popping out of the crack because of the flexing of the tyre....after hundreds of rotations and flexing it would have to come loose...
has anyone tried superglue?
interesting to hear any comments...
normally I just keep an eye on any cuts to see if they grow bigger.....

SuperGlue is NOT A FILLER ... it cannot span a(ny) gap in a meaningful way.

You want to re-bind the cut portions ... so, the tire should NOT be inflated ... to "expose" the cut, you only have to flex the uninflated tire's casing ... add a drop of SuperGlue into the exposed cut ... close ... the SuperGlue should FILL & "overflow" ... if not, immediately spread the gap, and add enough (another drop) ... allow to set with the tread "FLAT" ...

Either wear a rubber glove, or stick your hands in some bread bags ... whatever it takes so that you don't get SuperGlue on your fingers!

If you want/need to FILL a gap, then you would use SHOEGOO or GOOP with the tire inflated ... after squeezing/spreading the SHOEGOO/GOOP into the gap, MOLD the SHOEGOO/GOOP by strapping the effected area with tape -- either duct tape OR "clear" packing tape OR masking tape (whatever is available) -- as an ad hoc female-mold. LET HARDEN (about 24 hours).

IN BOTH INSTANCES, THE CUT MUST BE CLEAN & DRY BEFORE THE REPAIR CAN BEGIN.

Chinook said:

Hi Steve
If I over-inflate the tyre the glue won't set at all. The cut is 4mm length by 1 mm width. It's not a straight cut and is visibly wide. It doesn't seem to have gone all the way through the tyre and it's not pushing the tube through at all. My aim with the glue was mainly to plug the hole rather than a complete repair. If I thought it needed repairing that much (with the mileage I do on the bike) I'd replace it I think. I thought the glue might just plug up the hole to prevent it getting worse or more glass getting in there.
C
🙂

With a cut that big, I wouldn't use the tire for anything other than riding on the trainer.

A purists would replace the tyre. I'd probably apply a patch to the inside of the tyre. The superglue sounds like a great idea, I'll try it next time.

BTW, the patching works over quite big holes, to get you home, works on side walls too!

Hmmm...I have a cut similar in size to Chinook's on the tread of my Vittoria Rubino tyre. Not straight either. I check it every few days and it hasn't lengthened...yet. The tyre has about 20% tread depth remaining so I think I'll keep using it till it's nearly bald, and if the cut looks like it's worsened I'll try the Shoe-Goo trick.

And thank you for spelling the word as "tyre"...I gather from your preferred usage of imperial measurement, you may be from the UK or some non-American country....

Cuts in kevlar don't seem to get any bigger, so if you can live with it as it is, then you should be fine for the life of the tyre.

On training tires I just live with the cuts... check the clinchers regularly to ensure they do not get any bigger (mine never have) and ride the tire until it is time to change it...