Stupid road bike newbie question...
Discussion
They go BANG usually. If its old, whip it off and hole the tread between thumb and foreinger, you'll be able to feel if the centre tread has thinned out considerably in comparison with the shoulders. And check the side wall is not damaged from the brakes catching. If in doubt, replace em, there not hugely expensive.
Cracks are fine, honestly, change them when you see the canvas.
Many cyclists waste money replacing perfectly functional tires simply because they're old, or may have discolored sidewalls. If you just want new tires because the old ones look grotty, it's your money, but if you are mainly concerned with safety/function, there are only two reasons for replacing old tires:
1. When the tread is worn so thin that you start getting a lot of flats from small pieces of glass and the like, or the fabric shows through the rubber.
2. When the tire's fabric has been damaged, so that the tire has a lumpy, irregular appearance somewhere, or the tube bulges through the tire.
Cracks in the tread are harmless. Small punctures in the tire such as are typically caused by nails, tacks, thorns or glas slivers are also harmless to the tire, since the tire doesn't need to be air-tight.
Gum-wall tires sometimes get unsightly blistering on the sidewalls from ozone damage. (This is frequently caused by storing the bike near a furnace--the powerful electric motors in typical furnaces can put a fair amount of ozone into the air.) This blistering is ugly, but doesn't actually compromise the safety/reliability of the tire in the least.
Taken from http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html
That site will answer any question you have about road bikes.
Many cyclists waste money replacing perfectly functional tires simply because they're old, or may have discolored sidewalls. If you just want new tires because the old ones look grotty, it's your money, but if you are mainly concerned with safety/function, there are only two reasons for replacing old tires:
1. When the tread is worn so thin that you start getting a lot of flats from small pieces of glass and the like, or the fabric shows through the rubber.
2. When the tire's fabric has been damaged, so that the tire has a lumpy, irregular appearance somewhere, or the tube bulges through the tire.
Cracks in the tread are harmless. Small punctures in the tire such as are typically caused by nails, tacks, thorns or glas slivers are also harmless to the tire, since the tire doesn't need to be air-tight.
Gum-wall tires sometimes get unsightly blistering on the sidewalls from ozone damage. (This is frequently caused by storing the bike near a furnace--the powerful electric motors in typical furnaces can put a fair amount of ozone into the air.) This blistering is ugly, but doesn't actually compromise the safety/reliability of the tire in the least.
Taken from http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html
That site will answer any question you have about road bikes.
zebedee said:
you should get many thousands of miles out of road tyres (as long as you aren't skidding!) but you will eventually notice that the tyre isn't really shouldered like it should be, and eventually the canvas comes through and not long after that - bang! (at 100psi its quite a shock!)
Also, depends on the rider wieght and the wieght of the tyre.Lighter, summer or racing tyres will wear quicker than heavier wieght winter tyres.
A 'squaring off' of the centres is a good indication
that's par for the course on slicks - you have to be very careful modulating power, especially when it is wet. The first few wheel revolutions just dry the rim out, then the brake starts to bite, but because you have travelled further than you intended there is a tendency to death grip the brakes, so as soon as they are dry they lock. Also, if the rear wheel is locking, try shifting your weight back on the bike as you brake, because your weight is thrown forward as you slow, it unweights the back tyre and makes it useless, stiffen your arms and slide your arse to the back of the saddle and you will be surprised by how much more control you have.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
The crown of the tyre will flatten as that is the part that you ride on 99% of the time.
or
You will see some tyres in a catalogue in a colour to match your bike .... My Bianchi rode on it's originals for 1000 miles, and now have some lovely blue michelins on them. They are 10 times nicer to ride on - smoother, easy rolling, and with a lot more cornering confidence in all conditions
or
You will see some tyres in a catalogue in a colour to match your bike .... My Bianchi rode on it's originals for 1000 miles, and now have some lovely blue michelins on them. They are 10 times nicer to ride on - smoother, easy rolling, and with a lot more cornering confidence in all conditions
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