How to tell when your tyres are shot....

[Twizit]

.... I think the 7 punctures in three days were a small hint

3 punctures in a 35 mile club run on Saturday - ordered new tyres at the weekend - 4 punctures in 4 legs of commute whilst I waited for new tyres to arrive

Suffice to say the OEM Spesh tyres are now in the bin and nice new Gatorskins were fitted last night

.... I wouldn't mind so much except the originals did over 1,000 miles without a single puncture, then I get 7 in three days!!

Also had chain gauge delivered and found out my chain is a little over 1% worn already

That will be this weekend's job then

 

[cyberknight]

Check the tyres for embedded debris as it could be the same bits causing multiple punctures.

1000 miles is not that far for a tyre.

 

[Paulus]

You've got it, When the punctures mount up or there are visible signs of cracking in the tyre wall or tread, this gives you a sign that the tyres need replacing. +1 for regular checking for small flints/glass embeded in the tyre.

 

[Twizit]

Thanks guys - believe me, I triple checked each time for bits of gravel and so on to make sure there was nothing left embedded - I really think it was a case of the original tyres suddenly reaching end of life - it just happened rather quickly!!

Agreed 1,000 miles isn't a lot and I'd expect to get more distance out of a set of tyres, but then I figure it's a budget bike (entry level Secteur) and so the OEM tyres aren't exactly going to be top notch.

 

[Davidc]

I've usually found a combination of posts 2 and 3.

As tyres age they develop loads of tiny cuts and defects. A decent magnifying glass shows them up well.

Little bits of sharp rubbish then find it easier to cling on to the tyre - again a magnifying glass shows up that those little defects collect bits of glass, grit, metal and so on.

The last stage is that the sharp bits get through, and then there are several punctures in quick succession. Bin job.

I do a routine maintenance session on my bikes near the start of each month and try to spot the signs of tyre wear before they get too far gone. I have found that with modern puncture resistant tyres the tyres can be left longer.

I may be slightly mislead in my observation of the ageing process by using new tyres on the front and then putting them on the back, so I always see the worst ageing on the tyre which has 85kg of me sitting over it!

I think 1000 miles is poor though, for any tyre in normal use. Different general application of tyre, but I've been getting well over 5000 miles from marathons in the past few years. (That's typically half on the front, followed by half on the back).

 

[Twizit]

I may be slightly mislead in my observation of the ageing process by using new tyres on the front and then putting them on the back, so I always see the worst ageing on the tyre which has 85kg of me sitting over it!

I think 1000 miles is poor though, for any tyre in normal use. Different general application of tyre, but I've been getting well over 5000 miles from marathons in the past few years. (That's typically half on the front, followed by half on the back).

Thanks David - can I ask the reasoning behind moving from front to back after a period of time?

Should also add my tyres have to put up with 95kg of me

 

[cyberknight]

Thanks David - can I ask the reasoning behind moving from front to back after a period of time?

Should also add my tyres have to put up with 95kg of me

I always find the rear tyre wears more quickly due to having more weight on it and maybe as it is the drive tyre it gets more wear due to making the bike move.
When you swap them around you even out the wear and i always get punctures on the rear tyre.

 

[HLaB]

I tend to use p'tures as a guide but my last conti 4 season ran over 7500miles no ptures (3000 front, 4500 rear) no p'tures but I decided I'd better bin it. Its replacement on the front (a base gran prix) has only lasted 250 miles before suffering a slash to the side wall; its done another 90 miles but giving the damage to the front I think it'll need binned.

 

[blockend]

The walls go before the tread on my tyres, too. It wasn't always the case, back in the 70s and 80s when money was tight I'd run them to the fabric and don't recall a tyre wall breaking down. Puncture stops on club runs were a more common occurrence in the days before kevlar.

BTW, swapping tyres around is not the best idea. A front tyre does the tricky steering business. A back end breakaway is controllable, a front ain't. Keep a good tread on the front, whatever.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Exactly my thinking - I also remember Mark Beaumont doing it on his around the world cycle challenge.

I always find the rear tyre wears more quickly due to having more weight on it and maybe as it is the drive tyre it gets more wear due to making the bike move.
When you swap them around you even out the wear and i always get punctures on the rear tyre.

 

[al78]

The walls go before the tread on my tyres, too. It wasn't always the case, back in the 70s and 80s when money was tight I'd run them to the fabric and don't recall a tyre wall breaking down. Puncture stops on club runs were a more common occurrence in the days before kevlar.

BTW, swapping tyres around is not the best idea. A front tyre does the tricky steering business. A back end breakaway is controllable, a front ain't. Keep a good tread on the front, whatever.

Sheldon's advice is, when the rear tyre gets worn, to move the front tyre to the rear then put a new tyre on the front.

 

[albion]

Must depend on how/where you ride.On a similar line front end under-steer is controllable while loss of rear end is disaster.