Road tire life span



C

cheg

Guest
I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost the front
one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he rear tire is worn through
most of the tread pattern after about 1400 miles so I replaced them both. Is
that a reasonable life span for quality tires? I'm curious how often people
normally replace tires.
 
cheg <[email protected]> wrote:
: I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost the front
: one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he rear tire is worn through
: most of the tread pattern after about 1400 miles so I replaced them both. Is
: that a reasonable life span for quality tires? I'm curious how often people
: normally replace tires.

How much do you weight, what width are the tyres and to what pressure do you
inflate them?


--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook
 
On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 12:52:46 +0000, cheg wrote:

> I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost the front
> one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he rear tire is worn through
> most of the tread pattern after about 1400 miles so I replaced them both. Is
> that a reasonable life span for quality tires? I'm curious how often people
> normally replace tires.


I consider that pretty poor. I avoid Continentals since they do seem
prone to sidewall failures. There will be some who say that they have
never had one, and that may be, but damn near all the people I encounter
on the road with the sidewall blown out have been on Contis.

On the other hand, "tread" wear is not an indication of tire wear for road
bikes. Since the tread does not do anything useful, it is of no
consequence when it is worn off. Tires are worn out when the casing
begins to show through. For me, with my Avocet tires, this happens
somewhere around 3000-4000 miles on the rear, and never on the front
(since I move the front to the rear when the rear is worn out).

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics, I can assure
_`\(,_ | you that mine are all greater. -- A. Einstein
(_)/ (_) |
 
"David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...
> On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 12:52:46 +0000, cheg wrote:
>
> > I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost the

front
> > one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he rear tire is worn

through
> > most of the tread pattern after about 1400 miles so I replaced them

both. Is
> > that a reasonable life span for quality tires? I'm curious how often

people
> > normally replace tires.

>
> I consider that pretty poor. I avoid Continentals since they do seem
> prone to sidewall failures. There will be some who say that they have
> never had one, and that may be, but damn near all the people I encounter
> on the road with the sidewall blown out have been on Contis.
>
> On the other hand, "tread" wear is not an indication of tire wear for road
> bikes. Since the tread does not do anything useful, it is of no
> consequence when it is worn off. Tires are worn out when the casing
> begins to show through. For me, with my Avocet tires, this happens
> somewhere around 3000-4000 miles on the rear, and never on the front
> (since I move the front to the rear when the rear is worn out).
>
> --
>
> David L. Johnson
>
> __o | Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics, I can

assure
> _`\(,_ | you that mine are all greater. -- A. Einstein
> (_)/ (_) |
>

When I was commuting I used to wear the rear tire out pretty fast, also
riding Avocet tires. Most of my commute was flat. After about 2,500 miles
the middle of the tire would be pretty square. After 1000 miles, I would
switch the front with the rear. Now that I'm riding a lot of hills and
cornering on the descents, my tires are rounded and have a longer life.
-tom
 
Depends on the tire characteristics, your riding style, road surface
material and climate, just like car tires. Grippier tires will wear earlier
because of the softer compound. Hot climate will certainly wear tires
faster; if you do a lot of hard pedaling or fast club rides, chances are
you're putting more road friction on the tires, and for example, here in S
Florida, many of the road surfaces we ride on have hard coral mixed into the
asphalt, so it can be harder on tires too. You need to look at what you're
doing to your tires.

BTW, 1400 miles is not bad wear for a set of tires, again depending on the
conditions. If you had said 400 miles, I'd have really wondered. I like
Hutchinson Carbon Comp tires. They wear very well, but still have good fast
cornering characteristics (I use em in crits, but I'm only Cat 4, so we're
not cornering at 30+) and pliable enough (even at 140PSI) that on long
rides, I don't start cursing them out.

Hope this helped....

Dave

"cheg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:yoXzc.30825$Hg2.5878@attbi_s04...
> I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost the

front
> one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he rear tire is worn

through
> most of the tread pattern after about 1400 miles so I replaced them both.

Is
> that a reasonable life span for quality tires? I'm curious how often

people
> normally replace tires.
>
>
 
"cheg" <[email protected]> writes:

> I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost
> the front one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he
> rear tire is worn through most of the tread pattern after about 1400
> miles so I replaced them both. Is that a reasonable life span for
> quality tires? I'm curious how often people normally replace tires.


Rear tires, usually about 3,000 miles or so. Front tires, about
20,000 miles or more. Eventually the sidewalls sort of dry rot so
it's a good idea to rotate tires IMHO. I replace the rear tire with
the front one, and put a new tire on the front wheel.
 
"Dave" <[email protected]> writes:

> BTW, 1400 miles is not bad wear for a set of tires, again depending
> on the conditions. If you had said 400 miles, I'd have really
> wondered. I like Hutchinson Carbon Comp tires. They wear very well


Thanks for the recommendation. I'll avoid these if 1400 miles is
"good" wear. Yikes.
 
On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 17:44:09 -0500, Tim McNamara
<[email protected]> wrote:
>"Dave" <[email protected]> writes:
>> BTW, 1400 miles is not bad wear for a set of tires, again depending
>> on the conditions. If you had said 400 miles, I'd have really
>> wondered. I like Hutchinson Carbon Comp tires. They wear very well

>
>Thanks for the recommendation. I'll avoid these if 1400 miles is
>"good" wear. Yikes.


I like Carbon Comps, but I'm under no illusion as to their wear. I
wore a rear in 600 miles.
--
Rick Onanian
 
"cheg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<yoXzc.30825$Hg2.5878@attbi_s04>...
> I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost the front
> one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he rear tire is worn through
> most of the tread pattern after about 1400 miles so I replaced them both. Is
> that a reasonable life span for quality tires? I'm curious how often people
> normally replace tires.


That is awful mileage. I have used 700Cx23mm Continental Ultra
Gatorskin tires on one set of wheels since August 2001. In that time
they have ridden across North Dakota, North Carolina, Wisconsin,
Colorado, and Kansas. Plus a couple 200km brevets and one or maybe
two 300km brevets. Plus a few training miles. Probably 4,000 total
miles. Give or take. Front looks fine. Rear is squared off a bit
but not too bad. My Gatorskin tires have some extra strong coating on
the sidewalls to reduce cuts significantly. I weigh 200 pounds.
 
Tim McNamara wrote:

> "Dave" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>> BTW, 1400 miles is not bad wear for a set of tires, again depending
>> on the conditions. If you had said 400 miles, I'd have really
>> wondered. I like Hutchinson Carbon Comp tires. They wear very well

>
> Thanks for the recommendation. I'll avoid these if 1400 miles is
> "good" wear. Yikes.


Indeed. I currently have about 7000 km (about 4300 miles) on a pair of
Vittoria Randonneurs, and there's still a fair bit of rubber left even on
the rear; if I don't get another 3000 km I'll be surprised. These tires
are pretty thick to begin with, though. I'm sure they have a slight RR
penalty because of this, but I'd highly recommend them otherwise. I've had
two flats in this time, for what it's worth.

--
Benjamin Lewis

The majority of the stupid is invincible and guaranteed for all time. The
terror of their tyranny, however, is alleviated by their lack of consistency.
-- Albert Einstein
 
I was on Conti Gatorskins until last month, and was getting about the same
performance on the rear tyre. I haven't had sidewall blowouts, but have had
tearing along the front wheel tread (those L shaped indents) that have been
so bad that the tube sticks out.

I have since gone back to Vittoria - just as good in my opinion, but cheaper
and easier to put on.

Regards

Bow
"Tim McNamara" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Dave" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > BTW, 1400 miles is not bad wear for a set of tires, again depending
> > on the conditions. If you had said 400 miles, I'd have really
> > wondered. I like Hutchinson Carbon Comp tires. They wear very well

>
> Thanks for the recommendation. I'll avoid these if 1400 miles is
> "good" wear. Yikes.
 
"Arthur Clune" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> cheg <[email protected]> wrote:
> : I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost the

front
> : one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he rear tire is worn

through
> : most of the tread pattern after about 1400 miles so I replaced them both. Is
> : that a reasonable life span for quality tires? I'm curious how often people
> : normally replace tires.
>
> How much do you weight, what width are the tyres and to what pressure do you
> inflate them?



155 lbs, 32 mm, 110 psi.
 
"David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...

> On the other hand, "tread" wear is not an indication of tire wear for road
> bikes. Since the tread does not do anything useful, it is of no
> consequence when it is worn off. Tires are worn out when the casing
> begins to show through. For me, with my Avocet tires, this happens
> somewhere around 3000-4000 miles on the rear, and never on the front
> (since I move the front to the rear when the rear is worn out).
>


Then I'll hang on to the one I took off the rear. It probaby has another couple
of thousand miles in it. The sidewall must have been damaged, I hope so anyway,
but that is the first time I ever exploded a tire with a frame pump. I should
probably get a folding tire to carry on long rides just in case.
 
"Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Depends on the tire characteristics, your riding style, road surface
> material and climate, just like car tires. Grippier tires will wear earlier
> because of the softer compound. Hot climate will certainly wear tires
> faster; if you do a lot of hard pedaling or fast club rides, chances are
> you're putting more road friction on the tires, and for example, here in S
> Florida, many of the road surfaces we ride on have hard coral mixed into the
> asphalt, so it can be harder on tires too. You need to look at what you're
> doing to your tires.
>
> BTW, 1400 miles is not bad wear for a set of tires, again depending on the
> conditions. If you had said 400 miles, I'd have really wondered. I like
> Hutchinson Carbon Comp tires. They wear very well, but still have good fast
> cornering characteristics (I use em in crits, but I'm only Cat 4, so we're
> not cornering at 30+) and pliable enough (even at 140PSI) that on long
> rides, I don't start cursing them out.
>
> Hope this helped....
>


This is in Seattle, certainly not a hot climate by your standards. We have hills
instead :)

The compound of the Ultra Gatorskins does seem softer than other tires I've
used. I don't ride particularly fast, though. I average about 200 miles a week,
mostly commuting in the 15-17 mph range.
 
Wow. 600 miles? I used mine for about 300 miles to break them in for the
Cross Florida Race (a 170 miler) this year, in April, and have put on about
another 1000 since then, and no sign of a flat spot developing at all on the
rear wheel....



"Rick Onanian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 17:44:09 -0500, Tim McNamara
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >"Dave" <[email protected]> writes:
> >> BTW, 1400 miles is not bad wear for a set of tires, again depending
> >> on the conditions. If you had said 400 miles, I'd have really
> >> wondered. I like Hutchinson Carbon Comp tires. They wear very well

> >
> >Thanks for the recommendation. I'll avoid these if 1400 miles is
> >"good" wear. Yikes.

>
> I like Carbon Comps, but I'm under no illusion as to their wear. I
> wore a rear in 600 miles.
> --
> Rick Onanian
 
Point is, many Conti models are not known for long life. The 3000's wear in
about 200 miles or less around here (a buddy of mine rides em...)


"Tim McNamara" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Dave" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > BTW, 1400 miles is not bad wear for a set of tires, again depending
> > on the conditions. If you had said 400 miles, I'd have really
> > wondered. I like Hutchinson Carbon Comp tires. They wear very well

>
> Thanks for the recommendation. I'll avoid these if 1400 miles is
> "good" wear. Yikes.
 
"Russell Seaton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "cheg" <[email protected]> wrote in message

news:<yoXzc.30825$Hg2.5878@attbi_s04>...
> > I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost the

front
> > one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he rear tire is worn

through
> > most of the tread pattern after about 1400 miles so I replaced them both. Is
> > that a reasonable life span for quality tires? I'm curious how often people
> > normally replace tires.

>
> That is awful mileage. I have used 700Cx23mm Continental Ultra
> Gatorskin tires on one set of wheels since August 2001. In that time
> they have ridden across North Dakota, North Carolina, Wisconsin,
> Colorado, and Kansas. Plus a couple 200km brevets and one or maybe
> two 300km brevets. Plus a few training miles. Probably 4,000 total
> miles. Give or take. Front looks fine. Rear is squared off a bit
> but not too bad. My Gatorskin tires have some extra strong coating on
> the sidewalls to reduce cuts significantly. I weigh 200 pounds.


The tires say "Duraskin K" on them but the sidewalls seem very thin and flexible
compared to the Specialized tires I've used in the past.
 
"Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Point is, many Conti models are not known for long life. The 3000's wear

in
> about 200 miles or less around here (a buddy of mine rides em...)
>
>
> "Tim McNamara" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > "Dave" <[email protected]> writes:
> >
> > > BTW, 1400 miles is not bad wear for a set of tires, again depending
> > > on the conditions. If you had said 400 miles, I'd have really
> > > wondered. I like Hutchinson Carbon Comp tires. They wear very well

> >
> > Thanks for the recommendation. I'll avoid these if 1400 miles is
> > "good" wear. Yikes.

>
>
 
"cheg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<yoXzc.30825$Hg2.5878@attbi_s04>...
> I have been running Conti Ultra Gatorskins on my road bike and lost the front
> one to a sidewall blowout last week. I noticed that he rear tire is worn through
> most of the tread pattern after about 1400 miles so I replaced them both. Is
> that a reasonable life span for quality tires? I'm curious how often people
> normally replace tires.


I recently wore out the similar Conti Grand Prix 4 Seasons tire in
1000 miles (on the rear). A not too big slit from a glass puncture was
growing out of control, the stuff on the sidewalls was peeling away,
and cloth fibers were appearing on the center of the tire. Positively
abysmal, IMO. The front, however, looks almost new, so I'm not sure
what to think.

-Vee
 
cheg wrote:

> Then I'll hang on to the one I took off the rear. It probaby has another couple
> of thousand miles in it. The sidewall must have been damaged, I hope so anyway,
> but that is the first time I ever exploded a tire with a frame pump. I should
> probably get a folding tire to carry on long rides just in case.


Stick a dollar bill or a small piece of plastic milk jug in your
saddlebag and wrap some duct tape around your pump body. Those all make
excellent tire boots. The duct tape is my favorite, since it's a
multi-purpose repair material.


JLS
--
James "Be prepared" Scott
www.jls.cx
 

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