When is a tire fit for replacement?

VinceEager
VinceEager Posts: 247
edited April 2009 in Workshop
Reading this (below) from Sheldon Brown I was quite surprised:

"Tire Inspection

While you have the tire off the rim, examine the inside of it carefully. Thorns and glass slivers can hide, and may be difficult to remove. I find that pushing them back out through the tread, using a sharp instrument, is often helpful.

In addition to looking for sharp pointy things poking through, look also for broken cords or cuts in the fabric of the tire. If you find such cuts that run more than a millimeter or two, you should replace the tire when possible" (my emphasis)

My everyday / training ride tires - usually good quality continental training tires - have a load of cuts in them that run more than a milimeter or two before I would consider replacing them. I know the roads around me have a lot of filnt chips on them but i assumed that cuts in tires just happened anyway. I ride a lot but still would be constantly replacing my tires if i did so everytime they had small cuts in them.

I'm slightly confused..?
...the bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon...

Comments

  • Al_38
    Al_38 Posts: 277
    I think the sheldon quote refers to cuts in the threads in the tyre. so if you looked at the inside and had lots of cuts then you would want to replace it, but if the outside is cut it doesn't matter.

    I tend to replace mine when they start to puncture more frequently, and they get relegated to the turbo
  • balthazar
    balthazar Posts: 1,565
    VinceEager wrote:
    In addition to looking for sharp pointy things poking through, look also for broken cords or cuts in the fabric of the tire. If you find such cuts that run more than a millimeter or two, you should replace the tire when possible" (my emphasis)

    You should have emphasised the preceding sentence as well! Sheldon is referring to the woven fabric of the tyre casing, not the rubber tread. Cuts in the tread are fine, within reason, and can be moderated with common sense.
  • VinceEager
    VinceEager Posts: 247
    balthazar wrote:
    VinceEager wrote:
    In addition to looking for sharp pointy things poking through, look also for broken cords or cuts in the fabric of the tire. If you find such cuts that run more than a millimeter or two, you should replace the tire when possible" (my emphasis)

    You should have emphasised the preceding sentence as well! Sheldon is referring to the woven fabric of the tyre casing, not the rubber tread. Cuts in the tread are fine, within reason, and can be moderated with common sense.

    oh, yes i see. that makes sense. fabric being the operative word. managed to miss that.
    am perhaps slightly obsessed with my tires atm having had to clump around shepherd's bush green in my cleats at lunch time last week looking for an innertube.

    what a fantastic first post :roll: :oops: sorry.
    ...the bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon...
  • balthazar
    balthazar Posts: 1,565
    VinceEager wrote:
    what a fantastic first post :roll: :oops: sorry.
    Not at all - and welcome!

    Posts like this will always be helpful to people searching the forum archives, on related subjects.