How long do tyres last?

[Thomk]

I got visited yesterday by the p fairy and again today and it made me wonder about 2 things:

1. Can you thing of any reason the same tyre would have 2 p fairy episodes 6 miles apart? They were in diferent places and I checked inside the tyre and under it very carefully both times before changing the tube and found nothing.
2. I had a close look at the tryre and it looks a bit battered and bobbly. I've only done about 1000 miles on it so could it really need changing?

BTW these are the only 2 psss I've had on this bike in those 1000 miles.
BTW (2) there were punctures in the tube indicating that both times they were pierced from the outside if you see what I mean.

 

[Brandane]

They last about 50 miles less than this:

This was a Specialized Nimbus Armadillo, not sure how many miles it had done, but 4000 wouldn't be far off. I thought it was fine because it still had tread on it, but as you can see the tread came away from the carcass! Luckily I wasn't too far from a train station at the time. Not recommended to keep them on as long as this .

 

[biggs682]

way to many factors to predict how long tyres will last

just keep an eye on them and once you start to get punct;;;s often , time to change them

 

[MrJamie]

The Kenda Kwicks that came with my bike got replaced after something like 500 miles and felt very very thin, id even swapped them around during that to extend life. Nice grippy tyres, decent on mud/snow, but seemed very soft/thin rubber, and i got maybe 30-40 punctures in that time, hence the reason i went for something much more durable...
The Marathon+ tyres i replaced them with are upto about 1300 miles i think, tread looks good, no punctures yet although i did pull a drawing pin out of the front tyre last weekend, much less good on mud/snow though. Very heavy though.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

What are the tyres? Not all tyres are created equal, for example; the cheap tyres I originally had on my knockabout bike suffered 6 punctures in 6 months while the marathons I currently have on my main bike have now done over 2000 miles without incident.

Having 2 incidents 6 miles apart may just be bad luck, ie: the damage was picked up at the same time but the second foreign object took slightly more time to penetrate the tyre.

Ultimately, punctures don't follow patterns. You could suffer two punctures in a day and have nothing for the next two years. It's just one of those things. No tyre is invincible.

 

[Thomk]

It's a Giant Defy 2 2011 - Tyres: Giant P-R3 Flatguard 700x25mm front/rear specific compound

I guess 2 psss in 1000 miles isn't bad. I'm just a bit nervous about going out on it again in case there is something i'm missing.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I guess 2 psss in 1000 miles isn't bad. I'm just a bit nervous about going out on it again in case there is something i'm missing.

Yeah, I've been the same in the past. If you are worried you might have missed something, take the tyre off and feel round the inside of it carefully with your fingertips. If anything is there you'll most likely find it.

I suspect it is just bad luck getting the two close together. We all suffer from it from time to time. I don't know about you but I didn't consider myself a proper cyclist until i had done a puncture repair beyond reasonable walking distance from home. It's all part of the adventure.

 

[Thomk]

Yeah, I've been the same in the past. If you are worried you might have missed something, take the tyre off and feel round the inside of it carefully with your fingertips. If anything is there you'll most likely find it.

I suspect it is just bad luck getting the two close together. We all suffer from it from time to time. I don't know about you but I didn't consider myself a proper cyclist until i had done a puncture repair beyond reasonable walking distance from home. It's all part of the adventure.

I did check the tyre carefully but found nothing.

It takes me about 15 minutes to change a tube (I haven't done many) and I was 1 mile from work today and time was short so I jogged it (about 10 minutes). At least it wasn't dark or raining!

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Been there, done that. I once had punctures in both tyres 2 miles from work (bastard hawthorn hedge cuttings). Luckily that wasn't long after I got my first mobile phone so I got my excuses in early.

Seriously though, you haven't done badly. I can recommend the standard Marathons when you are ready for a change but after 1000 miles you may still have plenty of life left in those tyres.

 

[Crankarm]

I got visited yesterday by the p fairy and again today and it made me wonder about 2 things:

1. Can you thing of any reason the same tyre would have 2 p fairy episodes 6 miles apart? They were in diferent places and I checked inside the tyre and under it very carefully both times before changing the tube and found nothing.
2. I had a close look at the tryre and it looks a bit battered and bobbly. I've only done about 1000 miles on it so could it really need changing?

BTW these are the only 2 psss I've had on this bike in those 1000 miles.

BTW (2) there were punctures in the tube indicating that both times they were pierced from the outside if you see what I mean.

The puncture fairy does not exist just like Santa and the tooth fairy do not exist. A puncture is caused by you inadvertently riding over something sharp - glass, stone, needle, etc., that pierces your tyre and holes the inner tube causing the air to escape. There are NO fairies invloved. Just pay more attention to where you place your bike wheels. You can much reduce the likelihood of punctures by keeping your bike tyres inflated to their max pressure and by fitting "good" tyres. The most puncture resisant tyres known to cyclists are Schwalbe Marathon Pluses which have many fans owing to their virtual bombproofness and ability to give pretty much puncture free riding, but they have critics who say they are heavy and don't roll that well. You pays your money and finds out yourself. But the Specialised Armadillo tyres IME are good as well. There are different tyres for different riding conditions. But do pay attention to the surface and what is on it before you ride over it.

 

[simon.r]

The puncture fairy does not exist just like Santa and the tooth fairy do not exist. A puncture is caused by you inadvertently riding over something sharp - glass, stone, needle, etc., that pierces your tyre and holes the inner tube causing the air to escape.

And pinch flats.

 

[Thomk]

The puncture fairy does not exist just like Santa and the tooth fairy do not exist. A puncture is caused by you inadvertently riding over something sharp - glass, stone, needle, etc., that pierces your tyre and holes the inner tube causing the air to escape. There are NO fairies invloved. Just pay more attention to where you place your bike wheels. You can much reduce the likelihood of punctures by keeping your bike tyres inflated to their max pressure and by fitting "good" tyres. The most puncture resisant tyres known to cyclists are Schwalbe Marathon Pluses which have many fans owing to their virtual bombproofness and ability to give pretty much puncture free riding, but they have critics who say they are heavy and don't roll that well. You pays your money and finds out yourself. But the Specialised Armadillo tyres IME are good as well. There are different tyres for different riding conditions. But do pay attention to the surface and what is on it before you ride over it.

SHUTUP...............Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (fingers in ears)............

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I run Bontrager Race Lite Hardcases, On the fixed I use for commuting and general running around I put a new tyre on the front about once every 12 months and swap the old front tyre onto the back, the old back tyre is scrapped, after two years on the bike, one year front and one year back, the tyre is knackered, the bike does 3-3500 miles a year.

 

[briantrumpet]

If you are worried you might have missed something, take the tyre off and feel round the inside of it carefully with your fingertips.

It's also well worth carefully squeezing the deflated tyre all the way round to check for buried small flints etc. - having had two punctures in quick succession despite checking round inside the tyre with my finger, when I squeezed the tyre I found a tiny flint embedded in the tyre.

 

[dodgy]

With Michelin Pro Race 3 tyres, roughly 2100 miles on the rear and 3000 miles on the front.