how can you tell?

FSR_XC

How can you tell when a road slick is worn & needs replacing?

It's not like the tread gets low is it?

Parkey

Just a guess, but something along the lines of "pop! hisssssssss! thud!"?

redddraggon

It'll go flat - if you look at the profile of new tyres they are "round", when they wear most of the rubber will be taken off the middle making it look flat.

How flat before you replace them? Who knows - I normally replace them when I start to get loads of punctures.

Mog Uk

redddraggon wrote:

I normally replace them when I start to get loads of punctures.

+1

A few weeks back I got 3 rear punctures in 1 week... Changed the tyre and no punctures since ( touch wood )

FSR_XC

If it's anything like a motorcycle tyre, the rear will flatten, but fronts don't tend to.

geoff_ss

I replaced a rear tyre on my winter commuting bike when it went flat - as a pancake! When I went to repair the puncture I found the reason for the flatness - I'd been riding on the inner tube as the tyre was totally worn out. :oops: I managed to bodge it enough to ride the last 7 miles home. Never ride without a polythene bag to use as a gaiter.

My excuse is that I hadn't seen my bike in daylight for several weeks but I certainly got my money's worth out of that tyre

Geoff

redddraggon

FSR_XC wrote:

If it's anything like a motorcycle tyre, the rear will flatten, but fronts don't tend to.

That's because the front won't wear at any where near the same rate as the rear.

schlepcycling

Some tyres (Conti) have wear indicators on them, usually little round dimples along the tyre surface, once you can no longer distinguish where these dimples are it's tyre changing time.

Colby99

I would say when the bead starts to show through then they've had it :? .

Personally I replace my tires about once a year and I do about 5K on them.