How long should bike tyres last?

[GSE]

I'm approaching the end of my first full year commuting to work by bike instead of car. In July I bought a Giant Talon 2 29er which had Maxis Ikon tyres fitted. I believe that these are a 'road orientated' tyre, with the winter approaching they were getting a bit slippy, so I replaced them with a set of Maxis High Roller 2's, which seem to offer far better grip on gravel paths and through forest, which makes up the majority of my ride. The Ikons are about half worn after 1800 miles. I would imagine that they would go to about 3000 miles before they really needed changing.

So i'm wondering if the tyre wear rate for bike tyres is normal? I've been comparing it to tyre wear on the car, where I would expect to get at least 20,000 miles out of a set of tyres.

[GOATever]

It depends on a mixture of distance, intensity, and time. Over years and years of riding ( unusually high for an amateur) distances and intensities , I’ve found that some manufacturers tyres typically tend to have shorter life spans than others. Forex, I’ve found Conti tyres to be least durable, but best performing, and Schwalbe to be most durable, with so - so performance, and a miriad in between. It just depends on how you use the tyres, as to length of useful life.

[The_Jackal]

To be fair what you have fitted are full on downhill tyres.
It's unlikely you will wear them out for quite a while.
Road tyres will always wear out quicker because of less rubber.

[GSE]

Thanks for the comments. I may swap the Ikons back on in the summer. In the mean time the High Rollers feel great. The tread pads are much larger and taller compared to the 'road' Ikons giving far more grip. Haven't noticed any difference in rolling resistance, and they actually run quieter than the Ikons,which used to whine quite a bit on road

[TheTardis]

The_Jackal said:

To be fair what you have fitted are full on downhill tyres.
It's unlikely you will wear them out for quite a while.
Road tyres will always wear out quicker because of less rubber.

On the contrary, road tyres have more contact patch and will last longer.

[Gilhooligan]

TheTardis said:

The_Jackal said:

To be fair what you have fitted are full on downhill tyres.
It's unlikely you will wear them out for quite a while.
Road tyres will always wear out quicker because of less rubber.

On the contrary, road tyres have more contact patch and will last longer.

What he said. High Rollers are a pretty aggressive enduro/ downhill tyre with a soft compound. Great grip, at the expense of more rolling resistance and quicker wear.

[Craikeybaby]

I actually removed the High Roller 2 from the rear of my bike to swap it for something faster rolling (an Aggressor).

My favourite tyre for road/light trail use is the Continental X King in "Protection" guise. My current pair have done over 2,000km and don't look like they will be replaced any time soon.

[Daveyraveygravey]

I just put some Conti 4 Seasons on my road bike, I am sure the bumph that came with them showed the wear indicator at 0 and 5,000 km, but I might be wrong.
For me though, I would bin them way before if I was worried about the grip level going south. I've had two crashes already this year when a newer tyre may well have stopped a broken bone...

[bakerstreet]

Numerous variables including rider weight, tyre pressure, quality/type of use of tyre.

Front tyre on my Brompton lasted 1700 miles and was replaced because it had a massive gash on the side. Rear tyre lasted 4500 miles and I replaced that as it was worn down to the canvas in several places. To be fair, that would have lasted longer if I had done a better job of monitoring the pressures. Ran it for too many miles at a low pressure.

Think current rear will go to about 3000 miles (I think) before I need to replace it. Not monitored the the pressures again. so its heavily warn on the edges.

The Gatorskins that I have on my old Giant are heavily squared off and need replacing, but its the winter bike and I'm not sure I can be bothered to spend £50 on a pair of new Gatorskins or GP4000S (Not bothered by the 5000)

[GSE]

Thanks folks for the info, I know what to expect now.

I'm very impressed with these High Rollers, I'm still riding in this wet weather, and through the forest they are proving excellent. On very muddy bits they do slide about a bit, but seem to very quickly regain grip, which didn't happen with the old tyres. It's been quite fun doing tail slides in the mud!

Also a big thumbs up for the tubeless system. When I put the new tyres on, I was amazed to find at least 6 thorn penetrations inside the old tyres! So its saved me loads of hassle and way easier than messing about with inner tubes. Just empty a bottle of sealant into the tyre, fit the tyre, spin the wheel a few times to spread the sealant and you are puncture proof

Edited by GSE on Wednesday 28th November 21:14

[waynecyclist]

On a road bike I tend to replace them at around 2500 miles regardless.