Do you check your tyres for debris?

[presta]

Almost never, and when I do it's for no particular reason. If I have the tyre off, and I'm working at home, I'm sometimes taken by the urge to check it.

 

[tyred]

Another option for the poll: I check when washing my bike

You can wash bikes?

I thought they were water soluble, like Disprin.

 

[Joffey]

You can wash bikes?

I thought they were water soluble, like Disprin.

Only carbon ones are water soluble

 

[Randomnerd]

Every time I ride. At least on the “A” bike with supple tyre sidewalls and light casings. And among my general 50 - 50 mix of road and tracks / bridleways in the flinty chalk of the Yorkshire wolds, where sharp grits are prone to embedding and puncturing just about any tyre compound.

Local, rural rides on the “B” bike with supple tyres - the roads are pretty clean generally - except for beer bottle glass now and then. Chucked from moving cars no doubt. Worth stopping to have a wipe of the tyres then, with a handful of verge grass as a rough brush, maybe.

Utility hack wears Marathons. Never look at these. That’s tempting fate. Nexus hub, so I will pack my spanners and scabs next ride.

 

[Threevok]

At the moment I have slicks on at high pressure and the fork pressure up quite high.

So the slightest bit of debris would be quite noticeable

 

[mustang1]

I voted monthly but its more like whenever i see the tyres are cruddy.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Looks pretty clear.

A significant minority check their tyres regularly, but most don't bother except when punctured.

Have to say, it never occurred to me to do this, and I've no intention of starting either!

 

[T4tomo]

A significant minority check their tyres regularly, but most don't bother except when punctured.

after being punctured is after horse has bolted.
Makes sense to check the inside of the tyre for something poking thru at that point, so you don't replace the tube and immediately puncture it....

....but checking regularly the outside of the tyre helps prevent bits of flint and glass etc working their way through the tyre and any inbuilt puncture protection layers.

 

[rockyroller]

I give the wheels a spin & check the brakes for every ride. as they spin, I look at the tires. not quite an "examination" but I guess it's something, eh?

 

[Dogtrousers]

I had a fad of doing it regularly a few years back, probably due to advice on here. But I never found anything interesting so the habit never stuck.

I do give the tyres a once over when I have the wheels removed for cleaning. As I have full mudguards it's hard to get at the tyres to see them while the wheels are on the bike.

 

[boydj]

When I commuted, I checked my tyres weekly as part of a little maintenance routine - oiling chain, checking brake wear etc. There were always little bits of grit or glass to be dug out before they could work their way through the tread. It's amazing how small a shard of glass could be and still work through to the tube eventually.

I had some puzzled looks from neighbours when they saw me digging into a tyre with a stanley knife to get at a little bit of embedded glass.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Suggested cure: don't bother.

Quite often, I have found embedded pieces of glass and flint

Where's the option for "only after inadvertently riding over broken glass or riding past an area where Farmer Palmer has been trimming his hedges and leaving thorns on the road"?

This!

Laughs in Schwalbe Marathon

Not quite laughing in my Marathons here, maybe just a sight of relief: the pieces of debris removed could have been tomorrow's puncture.
Not good on a freezing cold commute to work!

 

[Svendo]

I recall an article from (I think) cycling weekly (or cycling plus or RCUK) some years ago, possibly as much as a decade. The author sent a time digging out every flint and bit of glass etc. religiously, then an equal time in roughly similar conditions ignoring them all. The conclusion in that case was it made no discernible difference to the rate/number of punctures. The conclusion was generally an object will either cause a puncture in a few revolutions, or will have travelled as far into the tyre as it's going to without doing so.
YMMV obviously, and ultimately a mostly subjective test. I very occasionally find a hole seemingly caused by an object that has imperceptibly got through the tyre and then gradually worn through the inner tube, although that happens more often when a cut has opened up or a boot has failed.

 

[CXRAndy]

Not really since using tubeless. If I see tiny wet spot on the tread,I might spin the wheels for anything left stuck in

 

[roley poley]

When I pump up the tyres, I might check part of the tyre as I spin it round to bring the valve higher. Only do a detailed check if I suspect further damage. Riding mostly slicks, debris does not stick in the tyres compared to treaded tyres. Just look out for excessive cuts.

me too i give them a spin and visual before each pump up