Newbie how do you know when to replace your tire



kmaultsby said:
How do know when to replace your tire on a road bike?:)

Look at your tire's profile. If you notice a flat spot that is indicative of wear. Not saying you need to replace it then, but that means you're getting towards the end of it's usable life. Naturally if it's all nicked up or if any treads are showing then the time is now for replacement.
 
this takes a bit a practise, but when the tyre is deflated (preferable off the wheel), you can feel how thin it is by running your thumb along the thread with a little pressure. Compare the feeling to that of a new tyre.

squeezing out a couple of more hundred miles out of a tyre isn't worth the extra punctures, nor the slightly icreased risk of a blowout :)
 
kmaultsby said:
How do know when to replace your tire on a road bike?:)
Buy Continental's GP 4000 tires. They have very tiny holes in the tread. When you can't see them, the tire is worn out. I ride Michelin Pro2 Race 700x23s. I started out trying to see and feel how much they were worn and that was about as useful as trying to evaluate a new saddle that way. Years ago I started to cross section my tires, before I threw them in the trash, to see how much tread they had left. Miles, while imprecise, beats sight and touch, hands down.
 
What's the average life for a set of road tires? This is my first season road biking, and I've put close to 800 mi (1200k) on my tires so far, but they still look pretty good to me. Should I expect a couple of thousand miles, or a certain amount of time, or what?

Thanks.
 
531Aussie said:
this takes a bit a practise, but when the tyre is deflated (preferable off the wheel), you can feel how thin it is by running your thumb along the thread with a little pressure. Compare the feeling to that of a new tyre.

squeezing out a couple of more hundred miles out of a tyre isn't worth the extra punctures, nor the slightly icreased risk of a blowout :)
I'm a miser with tyres - my Michelin Carbons - I get over 5500kms:) out of them(I weigh about 75kgs) and as they(or any other tyres I can remember having) get more worn I don't get more flats and I've never had a blow out - whether from a newer tyre or an older tyre. There is no good reason why a blowout(for a blow out is caused by a tube fault not a puncture) should happen with an older tyre.
 
was7g said:
What's the average life for a set of road tires? This is my first season road biking, and I've put close to 800 mi (1200k) on my tires so far, but they still look pretty good to me. Should I expect a couple of thousand miles, or a certain amount of time, or what?

Thanks.
See my post above this. I usually get over 5000kms out of a tyre. If there is a big cut I put a patch on the inside of it(if it's too good to throw out). I also check my tyres regularly. See my comment on blowouts too.
 
was7g said:
What's the average life for a set of road tires? This is my first season road biking, and I've put close to 800 mi (1200k) on my tires so far, but they still look pretty good to me. Should I expect a couple of thousand miles, or a certain amount of time, or what?

Thanks.
Depends on the tire, your weight, which determines proper air pressure, front to back. And the roads you ride on and how aggresive a rider you are. The majority of the riders, in the three clubs I ride with, ride Continental Grand Prix and Michelin Pro Race tires. The life they get out of their tires, varies too much for "average miles" to have much meaning. I replace my Michelin Pro2 Race 700x23 clinchers at 4000 miles and, when I cross section them, they still show about 2mm of tread left. Some club members, get half this mileage. I have tried to judge tire wear by feeling stiffness and how flat the center tread has become, but I can't within a 1000 miles accuracy. A surprise was when I had to lock up my rear wheel for 2 seconeds, at about 25mph. The tire was taken down to the cord, although it had less than 2000 miles, and a cross section of the rest of the tire showed an awful lot of tread left. Sorry this didn't answer your question, but I hope it was helpful
 
kmaultsby said:
How do know when to replace your tire on a road bike?:)
That is a good question; not just a "newbie" question. I think the best answer to this question is, whenever the LBS that you take your bike for service to says it should be replaced. If you tune up your bike at least once per season (which is about right), then they will get to see the tire condition , especially when they inspect your wheels to check the trueness of your rims, and will inform you if they think a tire needs replacement. Tires with "gumwall" sides often will crack over the years, and you will need to replace them when they crack so much that they no longer stay lodged in the rim. This is a good reason never to buy gumwall tires, however, they often come as original equipment on new bikes. Again, let your LBS give you a heads-up on when a tire replacement is necessary, but it isn't something that needs to be done very often.
 
lks said:
Depends on the tire, your weight, which determines proper air pressure, front to back. And the roads you ride on and how aggresive a rider you are. The majority of the riders, in the three clubs I ride with, ride Continental Grand Prix and Michelin Pro Race tires. The life they get out of their tires, varies too much for "average miles" to have much meaning. I replace my Michelin Pro2 Race 700x23 clinchers at 4000 miles and, when I cross section them, they still show about 2mm of tread left. Some club members, get half this mileage. I have tried to judge tire wear by feeling stiffness and how flat the center tread has become, but I can't within a 1000 miles accuracy. A surprise was when I had to lock up my rear wheel for 2 seconeds, at about 25mph. The tire was taken down to the cord, although it had less than 2000 miles, and a cross section of the rest of the tire showed an awful lot of tread left. Sorry this didn't answer your question, but I hope it was helpful

I totally agree with you. It's impossible to give an average lifespan of a tire with any kind of accuracy because there are too many variables. For me it's usually when I flat, and go to repair it and say "damn, that's getting thin" (which is probably why I got the flat) that I replace my tire. I don't pay too much attention to milage.
 
meehs said:
I don't pay too much attention to milage.

I do. 1500 - 3000 miles depending on: type of riding (hills and curves cause more wear), type of roads, rider weight, and type of tire. That's only for tread wear down to the cords ... sometimes I retire a tire because of too many tread cuts from road debris even though there may be plenty of rubber left on the casing... can't put a mileage number on that.

To OP - replace tire when you can see cords or when the tread cuts are deep enough or plentiful enough that you don't trust it any more.
 
Michelin Carbons are awesome to train on, great high mileage. I save my Michlin Pro Races for my race wheels exclusively.