Road tire life span

[Cheg]

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.

 

[Arthur Clune]

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

 

[Tom Nakashima]

"David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[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

 

[Dave]

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.

 

[Tim McNamara]

"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.

 

[Russell Seaton]

"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]

"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.

 

[Rick Onanian]

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

 

[Benjamin Lewis]

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

 

[Bow]

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.

 

[Cheg]

"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.

 

[Cheg]

"David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[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.

 

[Cheg]

"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.

 

[Cheg]

"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]

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:m2vfhrdsxy.fsf@Stella-
Blue.local...
> "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.

 

[Dave]

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

 

[Dave]

"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:m2vfhrdsxy.fsf@Stella-
> Blue.local...
> > "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.

 

[Vee]

"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

 

[James Scott]

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

 

[David Damerell]

James Scott <[email protected]> wrote:
>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.

So does a length of an old tyre with the bead cut off, FWIW.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> flcl?