When to replace tyres?

Mills127

With so many threads about which tyre to go for, i was wondering how you should know when tyres really need replacing?

I've had mine since the bike was new, about 2500+ miles ago, they're cut up quite a bit, and the rear has a definite flat line down the middle. However, i've not had any punctures in ages (that'll be the kiss of death) and would rather not replace them for the sake of it if they've another 1000 miles in them.

Cheers for any advice! (they're 25mm Vittoria Zaffiro's FYI)

cjcp

I had my Gatorskins for much more than 2,500 miles, probably closer to 6,500 miles (others on here probably have similar mileages). I changed them after a second spate of visits from the PF.

Some tyres cut up more easily than others, although I've not used Vittorias. Do they have wear indicators on them? Do the cuts go right through the tyre or are they more superficial?

Also check out the condition of the sidewalls e.g. is the thread coming loose on the sidewalls?

Aguila

cjcp wrote:

I had my Gatorskins for much more than 2,500 miles, probably closer to 6,500 miles (others on here probably have similar mileages). I changed them after a second spate of visits from the PF.

Some tyres cut up more easily than others, although I've not used Vittorias. Do they have wear indicators on them? Do the cuts go right through the tyre or are they more superficial?

Also check out the condition of the sidewalls e.g. is the thread coming loose on the sidewalls?

I replaced my gatorskins after about 3500 miles because I had a run of punctures after getting two decent size holes through the kevlar bit. there looked to be plenty of rubber left still had it not been for the punctures.

cjcp

Aguila wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I had my Gatorskins for much more than 2,500 miles, probably closer to 6,500 miles (others on here probably have similar mileages). I changed them after a second spate of visits from the PF.

Some tyres cut up more easily than others, although I've not used Vittorias. Do they have wear indicators on them? Do the cuts go right through the tyre or are they more superficial?

Also check out the condition of the sidewalls e.g. is the thread coming loose on the sidewalls?

I replaced my gatorskins after about 3500 miles because I had a run of punctures after getting two decent size holes through the kevlar bit. there looked to be plenty of rubber left still had it not been for the punctures.

I came close to doing the same after pretty much the same mileage - I had my first spate of visits in Jan/Feb and decided to put tape on the inside of the tyre and put glue the holes. I had to buy race tyres, so I persisted with the GSkins until last month.

Mills127

Some tyres cut up more easily than others, although I've not used Vittorias. Do they have wear indicators on them? Do the cuts go right through the tyre or are they more superficial?

Also check out the condition of the sidewalls e.g. is the thread coming loose on the sidewalls?

Most of the cuts look superficial (to my untrained eye) - a couple of bigger ones in both the front and rear which might be worth chucking some glue in if this extends the tyres life? The sidewalls look fine, but it was the flatness of the rear that had me most concerned.

cjcp

Mills127 wrote:

Some tyres cut up more easily than others, although I've not used Vittorias. Do they have wear indicators on them? Do the cuts go right through the tyre or are they more superficial?

Also check out the condition of the sidewalls e.g. is the thread coming loose on the sidewalls?

Most of the cuts look superficial (to my untrained eye) - a couple of bigger ones in both the front and rear which might be worth chucking some glue in if this extends the tyres life? The sidewalls look fine, but it was the flatness of the rear that had me most concerned.

It's worth taking the tyre off to identify which cuts go right through the tyre. I put tape on the inside of the tyre and then put some glue on in. It's not ideal though. I had the flatness too. Tbh, it didn't cause me a problem - my deflations were caused by piercings elsewhere on the tyre. Might be worth posting a picture.

doog442

Mills127 wrote:

Some tyres cut up more easily than others, although I've not used Vittorias. Do they have wear indicators on them? Do the cuts go right through the tyre or are they more superficial?

Also check out the condition of the sidewalls e.g. is the thread coming loose on the sidewalls?

Most of the cuts look superficial (to my untrained eye) - a couple of bigger ones in both the front and rear which might be worth chucking some glue in if this extends the tyres life? The sidewalls look fine, but it was the flatness of the rear that had me most concerned.

you mention glue? what sort of glue would you use out of interest

ta

cjcp

I use superglue, but put tape on the underside of the hole/cut to stop it coming into contact with the inner tube.

biondino

My rear Ultremo lasted 2,000 miles before the nicks and cuts got alarmingly large. No punctures though. The front one is still going strong over a thousand miles later.

System_1

doog442 wrote:

you mention glue? what sort of glue would you use out of interest

ta

I've always used superglue, but it does tend to need re-glued every week or two as it comes apart, and can itself create punctures unless you use tape or repair kit on the inside of the tyre like cjcp suggests as it dries quite hard. However, I've heard good things about wetsuit repair glue which dries soft and doesn't create sharp edges, and is apparently pretty good for tyres.

jthef

My rear gator skins last about 2500 miles and the front I have just taken it of to put on the back next time I need a new tyre after 7000 miles. The front has loads of little cuts etc and the rears are change when I start to get a spate of punctures and there is loads of wear on it.
I do carry a boot in-case I have a major cut so I can get home.

Mills127

Quite hard to take a picture of this!

There's a rash of very small nicks (fairly invisible), with a couple of bigger cuts. I suspect it's nothing too different to what most people deal with - i'll stop winging :roll: