How many miles do you have on your current set of tires?



alienator said:
Some tire companies list TPI for each ply. Others are more sneaky and list total TPI for all plies. What will knowing the thread size/weight do for you?
I am just trying to figure out what some of the technical jargon really means and how it should relate to tire quality. As you have just stated I was thinking some companies may be a little sneaky and list the the specs to thier advantage.
 
Believe Conti used to list the total tpi for all plies, ie, 433 tpi, but they didn't mention that it was a total count for three plies. On the new boxes of GP4000s instead of tpi they tout "Black Chili compound" and the "Sehr Gut" rating from last November's Tour magazine...that tops tpi, right? :)
 
1500 miles, Walmart Kevlar belted 1.75X26 road tread.

The flashings just wore off the rear tire, the front still has a little.

They stopped a staple the other day, it didn't get the tube!
 
Froze said:
Age after just a few years? Really, how many is a few years on the average for you? Because I had to use my emergency spare tire I keep in seat bag back in May that is about 12 years old, and it's still perfect, flexible, no cracks, no peeling, tread and sidewall still supple, even held 110psi with no problems, and rode on it for 38 miles. Whats really weird, is that I have an original tire that came with my 87 Miyata 712 and it still holds air...but it's got a bunch of cracks on the side walls so I wouldn't ride on it, but it's a cheaper tire then the spare. So is a few years between 12 and 23 years, like maybe 18 years? It will be interesting how long my Torelli ultralight racing tire I use for a spare will last.

Apologies; "a few years" is a misleading phrase. I personally won't use a tire on any vehicle if it's more than 6 years old. This practice was taught to me by motorcycle racers and motorcycle mechanics I know. I don't care if some people think I "waste" a few dollars doing this, I believe it is safer from their experiences. If I'm right, it's worth it to me. If I'm wrong, it's still worth it to me.
 
Serious Chris said:
Apologies; "a few years" is a misleading phrase. I personally won't use a tire on any vehicle if it's more than 6 years old. This practice was taught to me by motorcycle racers and motorcycle mechanics I know. I don't care if some people think I "waste" a few dollars doing this, I believe it is safer from their experiences. If I'm right, it's worth it to me. If I'm wrong, it's still worth it to me.

Apologies for what? You were correct in your assessment. Tires do have a finite life, even if they're stored in the dark, at the perfect temp, and at the ideal humidity. The racers and mechanics were right. I've seen on a race track that a tire that "looks" good can behave anything but. Bicycle tires are no different. In fact, given that a bike rider's safety is dependent, in a huge way, on 1.5-2 square inches of road bike tire contact patch, the age of that tire, as well as the conditions of its storage, are huge factors. How a tire looks and how it feels when you flex it doesn't tell you how that tire is going to behave under dynamic loading, at temperature. Personally, I don't let tires get 6 years old. I use them before they get to that point. I like having traction in corners enough and think it's important enough that I don't buy so many tires that they don't get used in short order.
 
Serious Chris said:
Apologies; "a few years" is a misleading phrase. I personally won't use a tire on any vehicle if it's more than 6 years old. This practice was taught to me by motorcycle racers and motorcycle mechanics I know. I don't care if some people think I "waste" a few dollars doing this, I believe it is safer from their experiences. If I'm right, it's worth it to me. If I'm wrong, it's still worth it to me.

Motorcycle racing is far different then riding a bicycle or even racing a bicycle. I know guys who have Harleys and only ride it on rainless summer weekends and put about 1,000 miles a year on them, and they routinely ride on tires older the 6 years old, their mechanics did suggest replacing them about every 10,000 miles but the guys I spoke to said they never suggested a time frame. I see classic cars all the time that have tires they put on in the 80's and drive them, in fact I know of a classic car right now that has the original tires from the factory and car was made in 63 and their still usable!! In fact he drives it...but only in parades, the car hasn't seen a freeway in it's entire life, the point is the tires still hold air. I won't race or drive at high speed with those tires that's for sure!

I've ridden on tires on my bicycle that were brand new but I had in storage for about 8 years and took them at high speeds down winding mountains in California and never had an issue.

The only time you have real problems with a tire is if the tire has been exposed to the outdoor elements for a long time. I've seen cars that sat outside for 8 years and the tires were bad and unusable. But we are not going to be doing that with are bicycles or store our tires outside.

Having said that, if you feel safe doing what you do then peace of mind is important. We all know people who do things and we scratch our heads and wonder why, but if it gives them peace of mind then so be it. I don't carry a gun when I ride my bike but yet I know others who won't leave home without one, however we both have peace of mind when we ride.
 
alienator said:
Apologies for what?

My misscommunication; not where I stand ;)

Froze said:
Motorcycle racing is far different then riding a bicycle or even racing a bicycle

You missed my point here; the point was it is suggested by everyone I know who is a certified mechanic (ie expert on the topic).


Froze said:
their mechanics did suggest replacing them about every 10,000 miles but the guys I spoke to said they never suggested a time frame.
Interesting generalization here; there are motorcycle tires with rated tread-lives greater than 10,000 miles; also, that (and every) mechanic should know better than to make tire replacement recommendations without a time-frame.

"Safety experts and NHTSA have taken the position that tires that are over six years old can be “catastrophic.” This is true even if the tire has not been used for all of those years. The chemical and physical components of a tire make it a product that changes over time." Taken from Issues of Tire Safety: Tire Aging and Tread Separation - Avvo.com

"Sean Kane, Safety Research and Strategies’ president, submitted docket comment to NHTSA citing key studies published in Germany in the late 1980s that suggested the industry begin warning about tire aging after finding disproportionate increases in failures after six years." Taken from TIRE AGEING: NEW EVIDENCE OF AN EMERGING ISSUE | Newsome Law Firm

Another interesting read here New But Aged Tires Can Be Dangerous -

Also here http://www.cbsatlanta.com/download/2010/0512/23529107.pdf

Froze said:
I know of a classic car right now that has the original tires from the factory and car was made in 63...the tires still hold air. I won't race or drive at high speed with those tires that's for sure!
If what you have been saying so far is accurate and safe information, why not? According to what you are arguing they are still good as long as they are within a certain number of miles used.

Froze said:
The only time you have real problems with a tire is if the tire has been exposed to the outdoor elements for a long time.
Again, many studies show that this is wrong information.

Please believe what you want but please do not give safety suggestions based on ignorance. A few exceptions to what many major studies have found is called luck, not safety, and certainly is not valid argument.
 
Alien critter, how you do you relate car tires with bicycle tires? Did NHTSA include bicycle tires in that recommendation? You need to read the recommendation because there's no mention of bicycle tires. And do you follow to the letter the daily food intake along with the food pyramid recommendations to the letter that some idiot at the government level made? Are you that anal? NHTSA did those recommendations to eliminate lawsuits aimed at them in case that one person out of 50 million has a wreck due to 7 year old tires. And most tires go to pot due to sitting outside with very low air pressure in the tires due to owner neglect then the radial ply can seperate due to those reasons. So the 6 year thing is based on neglected tires, not base on someone who takes care of their tires. beyond that, it's all about protecting their butts.

And bicycle tires if the bike is kept inside, which most us do, and air pressure is maintained, which most of us do also will last a long time. It's the weight of the bike, pressing down on flat tires that destroy the sidewalls of tires. Most of my bicycle tires are worn out anyway before even a year goes by so it's a mute point.

So you can post all the mumbo jumbo you want but using common sense prevails.

But as aways you stay true to your intentions.