Sidewall splits

taon24
taon24 Posts: 185
edited February 2014 in Workshop
During the previous 3 years I have had three tyres fail the same way.
They have all split with the Bead coming away from the carcass of the tyre.
I found them all when they blew out. (tube herniated through the sidewall and exploded.)
I should of course check my tyres more regularly I realise.

they have all been 700 x 25c rear tyres
1x Gatorskin on Giant Rims, 1x Durano plus on Giant Rim and 1x Gator Hardshell on DT Swiss RR465.
I am a heavy rider (110 kg +) and run the 25c tyres at high pressure (~110PSI rear and ~100PSI front)

The Gatorskin lasted about 5k km before failing. I replaced it with a Durano plus.
I suspect (but don't know) that the first Durano plus may have had a sidewall cut before it blew out but was relatively new. I replaced it with a second Durano plus.
The second Durano plus lasted another several thousand km before I wore through the tread until a wide blue strip of the puncture layers showed through, no sidewall problems. The hardshell replaced it, having been used briefly on another set of wheels.
The Hardshell died fairly quickly, but weren't the easiest to fit to the rims, and were a little bit old at the time of use.

Am I damaging the beads getting the tyres onto the rims? They seem to be really tight fits and require some gentle persuasion with tyre levers to get on, especially on the DT swiss rims
Is the high tyre pressure making any bead damage worse?
Any tips for more resistant tyres. (25c maximum on the bike due to clearance and for general commuting/winter riding/clubruns)

Comments

  • I'm the same weight as you and run 25mm at the same pressures. I had a set of GP 4000s fail on me the same way but happily I saw it when in the garage so it didn't give when riding. My record with tyres is Vittoria Open Pave's lasted 2900 miles (24mm but ride like 25) till replaced due to frequent punctures (3 in two weeks so I called it a day for that set) - GP 4000s side wall failed at 2700 - currently running Michelin Pro4 Endurance with 1600 miles on them and they have several cuts etc but looking good for at least another 1k plus. I make 5k 3100 miles so I don't think you are doing anything wrong with those ones or had excessive wear. I had a set of Spesh All Conditions 25mm and they seem indestructible but are absolutely horrible to ride. For tyres that feel good the compromise is wear rate and GP 4000s or All seasons seem the best balance for many. I loved the feel of the Vittoria Pave's but I think they did cut up more easily. The Pro4s feel good (not as good though) and are wearing pretty well so far.
  • crankycrank
    crankycrank Posts: 1,830
    Are you sure you're not getting the tube pinched under the bead when you install your tyres? An exploding pinched tube can damage the bead in the way you describe. It's certainly possible that the bead was damaged during installation but it's not likely and with the same type of damage with several different brands of tyre and different rims makes it even less likely to be the cause.
  • taon24
    taon24 Posts: 185
    I'm sure I didn't pinch the tube during installation. It certainly wouldn't have lasted as long if I had. Maybe it's just natural tyre failure.
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Are your brakes rubbing on the tyre?
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  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    Roughly the same weight as you. Always use 25mm on my winter bike with mudguards. Been using Michelin pro4 endurance this year and used pro2 & pro3s before that. never had a sidewall issue with them....tried Conti GP4000s last season utter crap....split sidewalls on both and had a 5 mile walk home and shop would not return them cos i used them ??? oh right i should have kept them on the fireplace eh :roll: .
  • taon24
    taon24 Posts: 185
    DesWeller wrote:
    Are your brakes rubbing on the tyre?
    No. I have checked that several times.
    The GP4000s have been fine so far. Wouldn't ride them at this time of year though.
  • rowman
    rowman Posts: 111
    I've used Gatorskins for many years but recently I've had two sidewalls fail. The first failure was when small bubbles of inner tube started to bulge out of the sidewall. The second was when an bulge formed in the sidewall on a ride and within 10 minutes it started to catch on my rear mudguard and then an almighty blowout and a 4 cm sidewall rip followed by a 60 minute walk home. I've emailed Continental to ask if there are any (or have been any) batch issues but have not received a reply?