Squaring off tyres after 500 miles

steve_kay

In January I bought a pair on Conti GP 4 seasons and I have no complaints about them whatsoever. Recently I have noticed that they're beginning to square off slightly. I am quite a heavy rider at around 90 KG and I run the tyres at around 110 psi which is only 10 short of what Conti say is the maximum that they will take. A lot of the routes I cycle are far from perfect road conditions (North Devon country roads) but surely they shouldn't be squaring off after only 500 miles. Anyone elses thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Druidor

You must be riding on some abrasive roads.

done 1,792.7 km on my standard Schwalbe Lugano that came with the bike and can honestly say they are in fine form.

110psi with 102Kg lump riding.

navrig2

Don't worry about it.

If you were riding a motorbike then it may be a different matter.

steve_kay

Druidor wrote:

You must be riding on some abrasive roads.

Yeah they're not particularly pleasant country roads in north devon. Not the ones I seem to ride anyway. Just seemed odd that they'd square off so early. They're not the cheapest tyres to replace either

HellsCyclist

Ive got Vittoria Open corsa Evo CX's. Ive had them a few months and they are still intact. Not sure just how cheap they are coz they were free but they seem OK. Before these I had GP4000s which lasted about 18 months. I replaced them because they began cracking up although I never had a single puncture. Im a skinny bastard however.

briantrumpet

It's a trade-off between longevity and grip - expensive tyres tend to be smoother, grippier, and wear more quickly, especially if you're on tar-&-chippings roads (as we are mostly in Devon). I've found Bonti Racelite Hardcases to be harder-wearing, though wouldn't trust their grip quite as much as my GP4000s. The smoothness of the latter is probably wasted most of the time on the roads I ride in Devon.

steve_kay

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I'll probably get another 500 miles out of them then they'll need replacing. Not that that's a bad thing as they've earned their money a few times over already. I did consider putting some new Ultremo ZX's on but to be honest I don't think they'd last 5 minutes on the roads around here.

drlodge

My GP4000S tyres squared off noticably, I gave them to a poor student type after about 3000 miles in them, I reckon there was another 1000-1500 miles left (I had swapped them F-R)

steve_kay

Once they square off considerably though, are they still safe to ride on? Or will it have a detrimental effect on the way they roll, corner or handle?

briantrumpet

madasahattersley wrote:

Contis have 2 holes in them as wear indicators. When they disappear you need to replace the tyres. I suspect they'll last a lot more than another 500 miles if you've only done 500

I reckon 2000-3000 miles on Devon roads (500 miles would be about 2 weeks for me in the Summer). But I wouldn't let them get as far as my commuting Bonti (even if you are trying to get your tyres as light as possible):

steve_kay

I think you've definitely had your money's worth out of those tyres Brian. I'll just have to keep an eye on them. If you've ridden the country lanes and tarka trail in North Devon then you'll know it's far from pleasant in places.

briantrumpet

Steve_kay wrote:

I think you've definitely had your money's worth out of those tyres Brian. I'll just have to keep an eye on them. If you've ridden the country lanes and tarka trail in North Devon then you'll know it's far from pleasant in places.

I don't bother with the Tarka Trail south from where it goes to gravel - a shame, as it's a cracking route, but not suited to road bikes really from there. I come back home on the Winkleigh road - much easier on the tyres!

steve_kay

Yeah it is a shame really. I think it's the UK's longest traffic-free cycling route. Lovely on a nice day but could do with some restoration in places.

Terrytibbs

They last as long as they last. There's no "they should last longer" argument. If they need replacing after 500 miles then that's that. It's the same argument with chains and cassettes etc. I suppose you may expect them to last longer as I would too but if they haven't then that's that.

DavidJB

Just ride them until you start getting loads of punctures.

steve_kay

Thanks for all the replies. It's much appreciated

term1te

I've only ever squared off tyres when using a turbo trainer, general road wear tends to be more even due to the cornering etc.

briantrumpet

Term1te wrote:

I've only ever squared off tyres when using a turbo trainer, general road wear tends to be more even due to the cornering etc.

Oh. I've always picked my bike up and turned it round. Wish someone had told me there's another way.