Should i change this tyre pre-emptively?

[sgcyclistsg]

Tread in the middle is almost gone, but the tyre still rides fine. Total distance travelled on it is only 1300km, but the rubber seems to be a soft/grippier type and less hardy. Should I change it pre-emptively or keep going? How do I know when it's time to change?

 

[Power Meter City]

It's tough to tell from the picture. A couple of things. Road tires will start to wear a flat spot. This can been seen by looking down the tire from an angle. As this flat spot gets wider, it makes the handling sketchy. Especially on high speed descents, you can feel the back tire start to move around on you. Not good. However sometimes, before the flat spot, I get cracks that start to form. As these cracks develop, your chances for trouble increase. When it comes to tires, I don't take too many chances. When in doubt, I replace.

 

[sgcyclistsg]

Thanks for the reply. Placed an online order for a new tyre. Back wheel was starting to slide around a bit, but ignored it as it didn't happen often. Thought it could function like a slick without the tread pattern but i guess not

 

[Power Meter City]

Thought it could function like a slick without the tread pattern but i guess not

If you always road in a straight line, yea, you'd be good! But as you lean the bike, the tire get's on that edge you've created from the flat spot and that's why the handling gets bad.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

Thanks for the reply. Placed an online order for a new tyre. Back wheel was starting to slide around a bit, but ignored it as it didn't happen often. Thought it could function like a slick without the tread pattern but i guess not

What model tire is that? Maybe you just have a low end poor performance tire. I've never had the rear slide around even with a worn tire on high speed mountain descents. Tires that look more worn than that in the picture which tome doesn't really look all that worn.

Can't tell much from the picture about the tire but I use Continental GP4000 II tires. I pay about $38 each online (compared to the $80 at local shops).

What model tire is that in the picture? Size etc?

I will say though that I do not ride stock tires that are supplied with the bike I have purchased. ($1000-$3000 bicycles). Tires are rep;aced with quality tires even before it hits the pavement. Nothing snobbish, just that stock tires have proven to be junk in the past. I don't waste my time with them. Straight off the bike and into the trash.

 

[dhk2]

Same experience here. I've had rear tires worn down to the casing in the center without noticing any difference in grip. Tread isn't needed on bike tires anyway, slicks work just fine even in the rain. A buddy of mine likes to run his rear tire down to the casing, where threads are visible most of the way around. No point in running them that far though really, you're just risking problems I think.

My favorite tire is also the GP4000 Conti's. They aren't cheap to buy, but on a cost-per-mile basis, they have proven cheap to run. (Usually get at least 4000 miles on the rear tires before they wear down to erase the "indicator dots".) And rarely have to remove a tire early due to cuts or damage; they just hold up.

OEM tires: My new bike this spring came with Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, mounted with the matching tires. First ride, I encountered some light rain and the rear tire flatted from a stone-chip puncture. That just doesn't seem to happen with the GP4000s. Also noticed the Mavic tires have a "flat spot" from manufacturing, ie, they aren't perfectly round, probably where the casing overlaps. I like tires (and wheels) which are round and balanced.

 

[sgcyclistsg]

What model tire is that in the picture? Size etc?

Continental Sport Contact 700x32c. The middle strip has definitely flattened, used to be rounder. I think rolling resistance has increased, but that may just be nocebo effect?

 

[sgcyclistsg]

So GP4000 Conti is the good stuff? Will try them out next time. I ordered this, waiting for it to be delivered.

 

[pwarbi]

The second picture is a bit clearer and after seeing that I'd say it wouldn't have needed changing just yet. When I first saw it I thought definitely, but now...it's certainly on its way out, but there's a few more miles left in there yet I think.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

So GP4000 Conti is the good stuff? Will try them out next time. I ordered this, waiting for it to be delivered.

Schwalbe is good stuff too! But I hope you didn't pay that much for the tire ($78) A search shows they can be had for about $55.

Also buying online I get my tires from ribble cycles .co .uk and sometimes Probike kit dot com.

they have a Schwalbe for $31 something

I've used the gatorskins and gatorhardshell. Good tires for $35
------------------
I order more from Ribble and if I order $99 I get free shipping so I usually go for 2 or 3 tires to meet the requirement. At times if I am a few bucks short I toss in a camelback waterbottle ($10 vs the $18 at local shops) to meet the required. Better to get something for $10 than to pay $12 for shipping and get nothng.


http://www.probikekit.com/tyres-wheels.list?facetFilters=en_probikekit_tyreSize_content:700c+x+32mm

 

[Weatherby]

If I'm seeing it clearly, may I suggest picking those little pieces of embedded glass out before they work their way into your tubes.

 

[FenWoFon]

Well, I personally think that it still has around 20 - 30% of life, however I would recommend you to change it right ahead, seems like it will suddenly blow up soon, change it.

 

[sgcyclistsg]

Schwalbe is good stuff too! But I hope you didn't pay that much for the tire ($78) A search shows they can be had for about $55.

Ordered mine from CRC. Around USD$50 I think, so pretty ok

I recently changed my front tyre to a Schwalbe Marathon (normal), but it feels really hard and not as sticky compared to the OEM conti tyres, not used to it. + The tread is annoyingly good at getting sand and glass shards lodged and stuck them.

Hopefully the Marathon Premium provides a middle-ground between durability and soft/stickiness

 

[pwarbi]

When it comes to tyres, would you recommend buying the ones that your specific brand of bike recommended, or is changing the tyres the first thing you'd do, as you know one brand is particularly better than the ones the bike first came with?

 

[sgcyclistsg]

Beyond sizing, it just comes down to personal preference. Never seen bicycles manufacturers recommending a specific tyre over another; and tyre brands make a range of cheap to expensive tyres. While my stock conti tyres seem to wear faster than I hoped they would, that doesn't mean their other tyre models are the same.

 

[doctorold]

I use Conti 4 seasons and they don't last as long as I would like but considering I have ridden well over 20,000 miles without a flat, I would say they are a formula for success.

 

[Djordje87]

I think you should change it. It looks like it is not a road style tyre and if it is not you really need to change it because you slip and fall. It is too smooth. If you use it for road only and you will be fine but still the tyre is too thin if you ask me and it can be pierced easily on some glass pieces or something like that and you really do not want that happening to you.

 

[pwarbi]

When I said tyres recommended by the bike manufacturer, I meant the brand of tyres that the bike comes with. Would you try to stick to that type if and when you need to change, or choose any, that's what I was meaning.

 

[sgcyclistsg]

^Yeah I see no reason to stick with what came with the bike. Unless the bike is a top end model, there'll usually be better tyres models from different brands (including models from the manufacturer of the stock tyres) to upgrade to.

 

[Froze]

I use my tire till the casing gets so thin I either start getting a lot of flats or the cord becomes slightly, meaning barely visible under close observation, visible; or if the casing got damaged to the point where repair won't help it. Minor to even moderate tire cuts can be fixed with Gorilla glue most of the time as long as that cut doesn't cut all the way through the casing. The squaring off of the tire is not real critical unless you're planning on racing on the tire, but for most people it's a non issue, just as wearing away any tread patterns because tread patterns do nothing anyways.