How do I know when to replace my tyres?

stratcat
stratcat Posts: 160
edited March 2010 in Road beginners
Probably a stupid question.

I bought a road bike last summer and wondered, without any tread to act as a wear guage how do you know when they are worn out?

As a kid I rode the tyres on my 5 speed raleigh arena till the canvas showed through.
I'm not tempted to do that on my trek 1.7 :lol:

Comments

  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    stratcat wrote:
    As a kid I rode the tyres on my 5 speed raleigh arena till the canvas showed through.
    I'm not tempted to do that on my trek 1.7 :lol:

    Why not??? Seems to me to be a good indicator of tire wear. When you see the canvas,
    even the least little bit, change the tire. Or you could keep track of mileage and if by 4000
    miles or whatever you still haven't seen canvas, replace it anyway.
  • stratcat
    stratcat Posts: 160
    Thanks for the reply.

    TBH I'd rather not be hurtling down a hill at 40mph on a tyre that doesn't have any rubber on it :lol:

    Is 4000 miles about how long they last then?
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    no. not a chance.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    stratcat wrote:
    Thanks for the reply.

    TBH I'd rather not be hurtling down a hill at 40mph on a tyre that doesn't have any rubber on it :lol:

    Is 4000 miles about how long they last then?

    Notice that I said when the least little bit shows. Sorry about just throwing a number out there. 4000 might be a bit much. I don't know. I just look for the least little bit of canvas. Usually a tire won't last that long because you'll start getting punctures before that little bit shows through and you'll change them out of frustration with however many flats it takes to p*ss you off enough to get new rubber. :wink::wink:
  • brin
    brin Posts: 1,122
    The only thing between you and the tarmac is that little bit of rubber, so look after it, and change it if/when you feel fit, a small price to pay for what could be a disaster waiting to happen.
  • iain_j
    iain_j Posts: 1,941
    Depends on your tyres - skinny tyres on my Giant tend to last about 3-4000 miles (some got punctured to death though), meaty Marathon Plus's on my Claud Butler tourer are still looking healthy at getting on for 7000 miles.
  • stratcat
    stratcat Posts: 160
    I'm surprised tyre manufacturers don't 'build in' some sort of wear indicator. Maybe a different colour rubber showing through, or holes that dissappear as the rubber wears like on some rims.
    The rubber is very soft so I was surprised about the 4000miles. I've had motorbike tyres last less than that (albeit with a lot of horse power :shock: ) 7000 miles?!? :shock: :shock: are they made of wood? :lol:

    I fully understand the safety implications of poor/worn tyres hence my OP.
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    stratcat wrote:
    I'm surprised tyre manufacturers don't 'build in' some sort of wear indicator.

    some of them do. My contis have a couple of small 'dimples' moulded into the rolling surface which - when no longer visible - mean it's time to change...
  • stratcat
    stratcat Posts: 160
    softlad wrote:
    some of them do. My contis have a couple of small 'dimples' moulded into the rolling surface which - when no longer visible - mean it's time to change...

    Makes sense to me :D
  • kettrinboy
    kettrinboy Posts: 613
    yep as softlad says contis have wear dimples and the ones in my my Conti GP4000S tyres are still visible at 7000 miles and they still grip very well ,if you regularly swap your tyres from front to back you they will last longer, ive done this four times so far on this set and it only takes 15 minutes or so, and after the first fitting they go on and off the rims very easily.
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    kettrinboy wrote:
    yep as softlad says contis have wear dimples and the ones in my my Conti GP4000S tyres are still visible at 7000 miles and they still grip very well ,if you regularly swap your tyres from front to back you they will last longer, ive done this four times so far on this set and it only takes 15 minutes or so, and after the first fitting they go on and off the rims very easily.

    they will still wear at the same rate if you do that. It's easier just to let the rear wear down, then bin it, then put the front tyre on the rear and a new tyre on the front...that way you always get the best tyre on the front of the bike - where the grip is needed...
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    My Krylions lasted me 3500 miles until the canvas shown through. Great tyres they where, the yellow ones I had where shite though.
  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    When you see sparks coming off of your rims...
  • mrchrispy
    mrchrispy Posts: 310
    yup....my GP4000's have 2 little dimples that let you know it's time for a change.
    however, I'd guess that cuts and general distress will see me changing before rubber wears out.
  • pst88
    pst88 Posts: 621
    If you're getting a couple of punctures a week consistently every week then you should change, or if you have more cuts on the tyre surface than actual intact rubber.
    Bianchi Via Nirone Veloce/Centaur 2010
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    mrchrispy wrote:
    yup....my GP4000's have 2 little dimples that let you know it's time for a change.
    however, I'd guess that cuts and general distress will see me changing before rubber wears out.

    I replaced mine waaaayyy before those dimples dissapeared cause they got cut up so bad and felt like I was riding on wooden wheels.

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