Continental GP 4000S 2's

[DRM]

Seeing as the sun is set to be putting an appearance in today, I thought it would be nice to get the best bike out of hibernation, so on Saturday afternoon I started giving it a once over & inflate the tyres, this is where I noticed a small split in the tread of the rear tyre, I wasn't impressed, but was even less impressed to find a similar sized split in the front one too, they were about 3mm long & at about 45 degrees angle using both side walls as 0 & 180 degree marks, they definitely weren't there when the bike was cleaned up prior to going away, these are supposed to be top quality tyres, surely they can't deteriorate like this over winter, I won't be getting any more of this brand, I'm sure they are only about 2 years old at the very most, luckily I had 2 spare Michelin Lithion 2's in a 25mm so I could swap them, however it was a nice ride out today in the sun, & it was really nice not to have to wear loads of layers just bibs & short sleeve jersey.

 

[Slick]

Probably best to keep the tyres inflated even during hibernation.

 

[Alan O]

Just wondering, did the bike spend the winter in a shed or somewhere similar where it would be exposed to sub-zero temperatures?

 

[Johnno260]

I had same issues with my Vitoria Rubino tyres.

Stored inflated and was used during winter months but not much.

Also stored off the ground, tyres had less than 300 miles so I was kind of salty.

I decided to change them, as splits widened on a small slow test run also risk of puncture was higher as debris could get into the split.

 

[bpsmith]

I had a set of GP4000S that lasted me 4 years on one bike. Stored in a garage through the Winter and used occasionally.

 

[tincaman]

Seeing as the sun is set to be putting an appearance in today, I thought it would be nice to get the best bike out of hibernation, so on Saturday afternoon I started giving it a once over & inflate the tyres, this is where I noticed a small split in the tread of the rear tyre, I wasn't impressed, but was even less impressed to find a similar sized split in the front one too, they were about 3mm long & at about 45 degrees angle using both side walls as 0 & 180 degree marks, they definitely weren't there when the bike was cleaned up prior to going away, these are supposed to be top quality tyres, surely they can't deteriorate like this over winter, I won't be getting any more of this brand, I'm sure they are only about 2 years old at the very most, luckily I had 2 spare Michelin Lithion 2's in a 25mm so I could swap them, however it was a nice ride out today in the sun, & it was really nice not to have to wear loads of layers just bibs & short sleeve jersey.

3mm is Ok, its only the rubber that has cut, not the puncture protection below. if you are concerned you can glue them back up using the vulcanizing glue in your puncture repair kit, its a common repair.

 

[davidphilips]

I replaced 3 tyres with dry rot this week , my view is better to be safe than sorry the dry rot is actually The chemical bonds in the rubber breaking down theres lots of information on the internet and i know some cyclists that have been using cracked tyres for years without a problem but for me any way the cost of new tyres seems cheap when compared to a very long walk home or a sudden meeting with the road.

 

[Johnno260]

I replaced 3 tyres with dry rot this week , my view is better to be safe than sorry the dry rot is actually The chemical bonds in the rubber breaking down theres lots of information on the internet and i know some cyclists that have been using cracked tyres for years without a problem but for me any way the cost of new tyres seems cheap when compared to a very long walk home or a sudden meeting with the road.

I don’t take the risk my luck with these things means I’m kissing the tarmac 100%

 

[DRM]

Probably best to keep the tyres inflated even during hibernation.

The tyres were inflated, just not at the correct pressure, about 60 psi in them

3mm is Ok, its only the rubber that has cut, not the puncture protection below. if you are concerned you can glue them back up using the vulcanizing glue in your puncture repair kit, its a common repair.

I don't trust them, the only thing that will happen is that split will get bigger with use

I replaced 3 tyres with dry rot this week , my view is better to be safe than sorry the dry rot is actually The chemical bonds in the rubber breaking down theres lots of information on the internet and i know some cyclists that have been using cracked tyres for years without a problem but for me any way the cost of new tyres seems cheap when compared to a very long walk home or a sudden meeting with the road.

Exactly, I had some spares, so spending half an hour swapping them is far preferable then a visit to A&E.

 

[Slick]

The tyres were inflated, just not at the correct pressure, about 60 psi in them


I don't trust them, the only thing that will happen is that split will get bigger with use


Exactly, I had some spares, so spending half an hour swapping them is far preferable then a visit to A&E.

To be perfectly honest, much the same thing happened to my car tyres. I have a high powered performance car that sits for long periods at a time and when I got my first blow out I could clearly see the rear casing of the tyre was split. Same thing happened on a motorway a couple of weeks later so I replaced all the tyres at almost £400 a piece. I have my tyres insured but it just seemed easier to organise it myself.

 

[DRM]

To be perfectly honest, much the same thing happened to my car tyres. I have a high powered performance car that sits for long periods at a time and when I got my first blow out I could clearly see the rear casing of the tyre was split. Same thing happened on a motorway a couple of weeks later so I replaced all the tyres at almost £400 a piece. I have my tyres insured but it just seemed easier to organise it myself.

Good grief thats scary, £1600 on tyres, still what price safety, puts £60 for two Conti bike tyres into perspective.

 

[Slick]

Good grief thats scary, £1600 on tyres, still what price safety, puts £60 for two Conti bike tyres into perspective.

The motorway incident convinced me.