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

[I like Skol]

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.

We are clearly not going to settle this but I still cannot agree that a very worn tyre would have less grip than a worn tyre, on the road. I will quantify this by saying I obviously would expect compromised traction/grip if the tyre was so worn that the underlying puncture protection band or carcass was exposed.

As far as your definition of a tyre blow-out goes that is a bit vague and weak in my opinion. I would describe it more like this;

A sudden and violent (i.e it goes bang) loss of pressure as a result of tyre damage or failure. This would include situations where the tyre bead comes off the rim, where the rim brakes have worn through the tyre sidewall or any damage that allows the inner tube to herniate through the defect and deflate violently.

EDIT: Sorry, I see you have included the terms sudden rupture in a later post so maybe we are not so far apart as your earlier stance made it appear.

I absolutely agree about not using a tyre until it fails as that would be stupid and dangerous. However, suffering the odd flat tyre on the commute is of no consequence to me so I am happy to use my tyres until they are bald provided there is no structural damage.

 

[confusedcyclist]

We are clearly not going to settle this but I still cannot agree that a very worn tyre would have less grip than a worn tyre, on the road. I will quantify this by saying I obviously would expect compromised traction/grip if the tyre was so worn that the underlying puncture protection band or carcass was exposed.

Agreed. This is what I meant by badly worn tyre. Think the semantics got in the way. My point was, if the tyre is most of the way there, but still has some life left in em, swap just to be safe.

 

[Ajax Bay]

First @I like Skol , thank you for your sensitive preface.
I said "You could perfectly reasonably argue that my tyre had no bearing on my accident" and you [@I like Skol ] did. I followed this by opining that "the potential effect of a front tyre failure (cf rear tyre) is disproportionately higher." I'll make the assumption ceteris paribus that a new tyre is less likely to fail than a worn one. I can see little merit in replacing a front tyre with anything but a new one. If one has a part worn tyre available, save it for when the rear tyre needs replacing.
Otherwise, I would recommend as 'good practice' a regular check of (front tyre) pressure after each stop (thumb test). You never know whether you've suffered a slow puncture earlier in a ride and you don't want to discover the consequences going down hill.
Btw I did not use the term 'blow out' - confused
Body sufficiently strong again to attempt a 200km next Saturday.

 

[Cuchilo]

Odd isnt it . I've had grand sport race on my training wheels since they came out and think they are fantastic . Ive just bought a new set to replace them so i guess they have lasted ( 2 years ?)
Schwalebubble one , 30 seconds out the door and i had a flat .
Gatorskins , flats all the time .