How do I know when tyres are worn

feemackenzie
feemackenzie Posts: 130
edited March 2013 in Road beginners
As I'm new to road biking this might seem a bit daft; on a MTB it is easier to see tyre wear rates. So how can I tell when a road bike tyre is worn / needing replaced.

I'm covering 60 miles+ a week and am riding the Felt-branded all-weather tyres that came with the bike.
Felt z95 - loving my first road bike

Comments

  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    When you can see the inner tube ....

    Or I generally replace when I start getting punctures every ride
  • Wirral_paul
    Wirral_paul Posts: 2,476
    I tend to find i get more punctures when the tyres are worn down, and the centre section can get very thin. I change them when i get fed up of the punctures really
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Some brands have coloured wear indicators. soon s you see it, replace it.
  • upperoilcan
    upperoilcan Posts: 1,180
    You will also notice that the tyre loses it's shape and will become more square shaped.
    Cervelo S5 Ultegra Di2.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,665
    Don't wait, get some new ones now (in a sale?) :wink:
    Not sure how good the Felt ones are but 'all weather' sounds a bit iffy :shock:
    Tyre upgrade would be a cheap and easy one, and with better weather coming I would get some decent rubber now rather than wait until your tyres wear out and possibly fail.
    You can keep the others as spares or put back on for winter use (assuming the all weather bit is true?).
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Carbonator wrote:
    Don't wait, get some new ones now (in a sale?) :wink:
    Not sure how good the Felt ones are but 'all weather' sounds a bit iffy :shock:
    Tyre upgrade would be a cheap and easy one, and with better weather coming I would get some decent rubber now rather than wait until your tyres wear out and possibly fail.
    You can keep the others as spares or put back on for winter use (assuming the all weather bit is true?).

    Don't do this; once you take them off they'll never go back on, so you might as well run them till they wear out. I ran my rear tyre till the rubber started to part company from the carcass. Not sure I'd leave the front to get that bad though.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,665
    Yeah, keef66 is right. I had some time to kill and was winding you up!

    Oh, never get a puncture because you will not be able to get them back on after fixing it.

    Oh, and do not buy the same ones when yours pop because they are even more impossible to get on when new!
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Hmm ... well - I have just bought some new ones, although I don't need them right now ... they were in the sale ...

    They're folders, so I'll leave them with the rest of my bike spares/tools and when I do need them they'll be right there ...
  • djm501
    djm501 Posts: 378
    No they won't because you'll need them when you're 50 miles out and its pissing with rain :twisted: :evil:
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Sounds like a good plan. I waited till mine was too bald to ride safely, then ordered a replacement from Ribble cos they were the cheapest, then had to wait for a week before it arrived. :(
    Needless to say I now have a spare tyre sitting in the garage. And a chain. And some BB cups and some bearings for the hubs. And some gear cables.

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