B!@*#y Tyres! It's my own fault but how unfit for purpose can a tyre be?

[Kestevan]

You're just being awkward, Pennine dwelling bumpkin!

Yeah my fault for not taking proper account of the desolate, battle scarred wasteland you have to live in.

Abandon the glass strewn roads and permanent drizzle and move to the sunlit uplands on the correct side of the pennines where tyres last forever and the puncture fairy is something that only visits lancastrians....

 

[EasyPeez]

I had the same tyres as the OP on my Genesis Equilibrium for the first 4,500 miles, in 25mm guise. I had 4 punctures in that time, which I didn't think was too bad for an entry level tyre, given some of the conditions I subjected them to.

I've since swapped to Duranos and have just had my first puncture after 2,500 miles. The Duranos are also showing virtually no signs of wear or damage, so definitely prefer them.

 

[jay clock]

I have had gator skins with good good results and currently gp4000 and gp 4 season with excellent results. However the cheap ones like Ultrasport are rubbish.. I gave mine away too

 

[I like Skol]

They're gone!

I got some numpty to take them off my hands and it only cost me the price of a few surplus split pins needed to hold the brake pads into Shimano hydraulic brake calipers.

@Kestevan of the cyclechat parish is the poor mug lucky recipient of said tyres and after seeing the state of his bike on this weekends ride I can now almost understand why he would consider these tyres mildly reliable (He lost a rear brake pad, has a front through-axle locking lever flapping around uselessly in the breeze and about a ¼” of slop in the headset bearings which wont be helping the terrible howling that comes from his front brakes every time he looks at them!)

Good luck my friend, I hope they serve you well.......

Here's something we were talking about during the ride after his epic battle to cross the Pennines in to Lancashire (we don't want to make it too easy or they might all do it!).
The tale of the poor Mancunian that died trying to get back home, victim of the barriers put in place to prevent the Yorkshire folk spreading to the good side. This is why we keep the wind blowing that way, to make it more difficult to cross the hill from East to West........

http://www.doveheritage.com/isle-skye-road-a635/

I quite like the brief alternative name of the Isle of Skye Hotel, The Better than Expectation Inn

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Another for Schwalbe Durano. I have the lighter version that @Banjo has. Raceguard maybe?

 

[Ajax Bay]

A front blowout is more likely throw you off than one on the rear

I would (and have done many times). What are these mysterious blowouts that people talk about so often? I have punctures and I get flat tyres. I am not interesting or dramatic enough to have a tyre unexpectedly and catastrophically explode on me!

You're lucky then. I had one, fortunately going uphill so I wasn't going fast. There was a loud bang, the tyre went flat instantly and there was a big rip in the tyre.

You're both lucky then. I had one, unfortunately going fairly swiftly down a short hill, but (imo) sensibly fast. There was a loud bang, the front tyre went flat instantly. I swore, tried to stay straight and continued braking gently. I don't remember anymore till waking up to hear the air and land ambulance crews discussing whether to take me to Bath or Yeovil. I was riding with others and am indebted to them for their immediate support (assumed!) and calling an ambulance, and getting a local to look after my bike. A month later (once able to drive and on recovering my bike) I found a massive double rip (snake bite) about 10mm each side in the tube. Tyre was fine (Michelin Pro4 SC with just London-Edinburgh-London plus 900km on it). Full description here with subsequent accident analysis here. For anyone (like @I like Skol ) fitting a worn tyre on the front: don't. You could perfectly reasonably argue that my tyre had no bearing on my accident but the potential effect of a front tyre failure (cf rear tyre) is disproportionately higher. Fit a decent front tyre (like the Michelin Pro4 SC) and replace it before its end of life. Looking forward to a 200km audax on Saturday.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I have Conti Contact II tyres on my commuter, no punctures since purchase, going on 4k miles now. Very happy with those. Also have Conti Grand Prix 4000 II on the road bike, and previously GP 4 seasons too, both excellent tyres. Rarely experiencing punctures on the latter two.

 

[I like Skol]

You're both lucky then. I had one, unfortunately going fairly swiftly down a short hill, but (imo) sensibly fast. There was a loud bang, the front tyre went flat instantly....... I found a massive double rip (snake bite) about 10mm each side in the tube. Tyre was fine (Michelin Pro4 SC with just London-Edinburgh-London plus 900km on it). Full description here with subsequent accident analysis here. For anyone (like @I like Skol ) fitting a worn tyre on the front: don't. You could perfectly reasonably argue that my tyre had no bearing on my accident but the potential effect of a front tyre failure (cf rear tyre) is disproportionately higher. Fit a decent front tyre (like the Michelin Pro4 SC) and replace it before its end of life. Looking forward to a 200km audax on Saturday.

I don't wish to argue about this because it was obviously a serious incident for you and could have ended catastrophically but what I don't get is your advice to never fit a [used] worn tyre on the front. I have just read your accident description and post-accident analysis as linked to above and nowhere do you state or suggest that the tyre was the cause of the accident. You also do not claim that the tyre was in less than optimal condition or found to be faulty in anyway that would contribute to the event.
What caused your 'blow-out' (and I question the use of the term because the tyre appears to have remained seated and intact so you actually suffered a rapid deflation or a fast puncture?) and why would fitting a used/partworn tyre that was in otherwise good condition have lead to a different outcome? My money would be on an impact puncture (hence the tell-tale snakebite damage) or fitting error when the tyre was mounted.
The point I am trying to make is that a nearly new tyre is just as likely to suffer the same fate as an undamaged, well used one provided the well used one is not degrading purely due to excessive age. If we are going to start changing consumables and components on a 'just-in-case' basis then I am off to buy shares in a handlebar and frame manufacturer.....

 

[confusedcyclist]

The point I am trying to make is that a nearly new tyre is just as likely to suffer the same fate as an undamaged, well used one provided the well used one is not degrading purely due to excessive age. If we are going to start changing consumables and components on a 'just-in-case' basis then I am off to buy shares in a handlebar and frame manufacturer.....

A little bit of common sense needs to be applied, fitting a badly worn tyre to the front wheel is a big no no because a loss of traction or a blow out up front is significantly more dangerous as it is far more likely to result in a serious loss of control. If the same were to occur on the rear wheel, you are more likely to maintain some control of your bike, likely your wheel would wobble and swerve behind you, but it wouldn't necessarily result in total loss of control. This is the same reason you shouldn't rely too heavily on aggressive front braking in icy or slippery conditions. You can recover from a loss of control on the back wheel, but if it happens up front, you're going down.

Fitting a nearly new wheel in good condition is not going to be a concern. Simply put, it it isn't worth taking the risk with fitting a worn tyre up front. So, it requires some competence in assessing wear on the front tyre before heading out. If you lack that competence, it might be better for your health to fit a new tyre at the beginning of every ride (or work on building that competence! ) . No one is advocating fitting a new tyre at the beginning of every ride, but replacing a tyre which is starting to look worn at a cost of £20 vs the cost of many years of rehabilitation, suffering and being unable to work...

tl;dr version: Don't skimp on tyres that are starting to look worn.

 

[I like Skol]

Simply put, it it isn't worth taking the risk with fitting a worn tyre up front.

What risk?

Please give me a definition of what you call a 'blow-out'. I know how I would define it but I would like to hear what you and other people think it is?

Also, please explain to me, in simple terms like I am an idiot, why a partworn [road] tyre will have less grip/traction than a nearly new [road] tyre (we can simplify by accepting brand new tyres can be tricky due to the moulding residues and a very old/aged tyre might go hard).

 

[confusedcyclist]

What risk?

Risk of tyre failure.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Also, please explain to me, in simple terms like I am an idiot, why a partworn [road] tyre will have less grip/traction than a nearly new [road] tyre

Who is saying a part worn tyre will have less grip? I'm not saying that. Without intending to put words in Ajax's mouth, I think he's saying don't risk riding a tyre beyond it's very last useful mile. Replace it before it reaches the point of maximum wear, as you might get caught out and the consequences can cost you more than a new tyre. Imagine after having your MOT done, driving around in a car, you had been advised your wheels were 98% worn, nearly, but not quite at the minimum tread depth for road worthiness. Would you (as a responsible citizen) wait until they hit 100% wear, or would you swap them out just before to avoid a potential accident and being in breach of the law?

 

[I like Skol]

Risk of tyre failure.

We are going around in circles here. You are saying don't fit a used tyre because it might fail and it might fail because it is used. I can't work it out

Who is saying a part worn tyre will have less grip? I'm not saying that.

fitting a badly worn tyre to the front wheel is a big no no because a loss of traction or a blow out up front is significantly more dangerous

You? And even after going back to edit your posts after I questioned them you are still bandying around the 'blow-out' term without explaining what you actually mean by it.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Blow out == tyre failure.

I never said a partly worn tyre would have less grip than a new, I said a badly worn tyre might result in loss of traction, subtle but indeed different. I edited the post to clarify a point but didn't change the gist.

Edit to clarify, I would say partly worn is used, but still in good condition, and badly worn, is dangerously worn. I know, I know, semantics.

 

[confusedcyclist]

OK, idiot proof version:


The import point on this flow chart, as crude as it is, that there is an option where the tyre is still not totally expired, has some rolling surface remaining, but not much. At this point, you should think about replacing, rather than waiting for it to be 100% expired. Failure to do so could mean you get caught out with a badly worn tyre and you'd risk a blowout (sudden rupture/deflation) or even just frequent slow punctures.

Deciding where you are between the two middle possibilities is the grey area and can take some skill. Considering that a poor assessment of the front tyre wear can mean the difference between life and death, why take the risk, just replace the tyre. It might result in a slight loss of efficiency in your use of front tyres, but you're still here to tell the tale. If you are concerned about waste, save the front tyre for use with the rear at a later date.