Old tyres scrap

david7m

Hello
Finally got the road bike out from the eves of the garage roof - been there 10 years!
Pumped up the tyres and lubed chain - works fine
Tyres are Maxxis Columbiere 700 x 25c and the original ones. It's a Ridgeback Genesis Day 06 and assume a 2006 bike, can't remember
Tread is fine and no cracks.
Just keep going until thread showing or they gonna blow/ dangerous? How old before mileage beats them?
Dave

MiddleRinger

I inherited an old steel road bike once. It'd been in the shed (in hot, humid Queensland) for about 5 years. I pumped up the tyres and took it for a spin around the block. Totally blew the rear tyre and scared the bejezus out of me! The tube busted right through and basically ripped the tyre to shreds!

david7m

Ah, now I'm concerned as this is 10 years plus and the UK Although it has been kept bone dry.
Dave

Matthewfalle

david7m wrote:

Ah, now I'm concerned as this is 10 years plus and the UK Although it has been kept bone dry.
Dave

no time limits so long as they work. just go for a ride.

david7m

And it's only my first thread

plowmar

Doesn't rubber deteriorate over time?.

I remember reading about a car enthusiast storing a vintage car for a ten year period and had to replace the tyres due their inactivity.

Personally I'd replace them. But welcome back to cycling.

whyamihere

If you're worrying about it, I would change them. It's likely to be at the back of your mind while you ride, and may well impact your enjoyment. New tyres don't cost a lot, and it will be worth it for peace of mind.

crankycrank

Check for any visible cracking or damage, pump them up to 10psi or so over labeled max air pressure on tyre, let sit until you're ready to ride then re-set pressure to your liking. If they don't show any flaws after over inflation they're probably OK but check occasionally. If it worries you then just get new tyres and enjoy the ride.

sungod

if it takes full rated pressure and there's no sign of damage, distortion, bad cracking, lumps of rubber coming off etc. it's probably fine

bear in mind the strength of a tyre is in the fabric carcass, the rubber is for grip and to protect the carcass

a natural fibre carcass (usually cotton, far less common is silk) certainly can fail if kept in damp conditions, the fibres simply rot, this may be why the old one mentioned above failed

but most clincher tyres have a synthetic carcass, unless the tyre gets degraded by long term uv exposure, chemical attack etc., it'll go on indefinitely

FishFish

.. it is UV light cross linking the long chain polymers which make it brittle.

paul_the_pedaller

I've got a pair of carbon sprints with Vittoria tubs on that have been in a wheel bag in a bike box in my loft for 17 years, they take and hold 10 bar and have no signs of cracking. Not sure if I'd ride them, but any reason why I shouldn't?

david7m

I've replaced the tubes today, checked tyres over and done the over pressure test - all good!
Might replace the rear only in the next couple of months to see if there is something with less drag
Cheers.
Dave

david7m

Just ordered a Conti GP 4000S II in 25c - wasn't quite a month £28 on Evans.
Dave

keef66

The thing I've found with old tyres is that they can lose a bit of flexibility. Which in practice means they don't conform quite as well to the road surface as a new one, so they can be a bit slippy in the wet.

But at this time of year, if they hold pressure just ride them till they wear out.