Bald tyre

[Auntie Helen]

Went out today on my trike and noticed that the offside front tyre has several bald patches - the nearside tyre has no bald patches although it doesn't have much tread left at all. The rear tyre is generally OK.

I've done 1180 miles on the trike since new - that doesn't seem like many miles for a tyre. Do you think there's anything unusual in my tyre's baldness?

 

[Chromatic]

1180 miles doesn't sound like many to me either, although I don't know anything about trikes. Do they have tracking settings like cars?

 

[xpc316e]

They do have tracking settings Auntie Helen, and your tyre wear might well be to do with the tracking not being properly adjusted. Even so, that's a very low mileage from a tyre. I'd consider informing the dealer who sold you the trike, and see what they say about it.

 

[domtyler]

What tyres are we talking about?

 

[Auntie Helen]

Schwalbe marathon racers.

The wear to the tyre is pretty much down the centre of the tyre rather than to one side or the other.

 

[Smokin Joe]

1180 isn't bad. I would think the front tyre on a trike takes a lot of load from the steering as you are on the centre of the tread all the time, unlike a solo where you bank into corners.

For the record the Fortezza Tricomp I had on the back of my bike was showing canvas before it got to 800 miles.

 

[HF2300]

I know little or nothing about trikes, so take this with a pinch of salt if you wish, but if it was a car tyre with a series of bald patches round the circumference I'd say the tyre was out of round, badly mounted or the damper was defective (though I'm guessing the trike hasn't got suspension). Tracking etc. faults would normally produce a wear pattern evenly round the tyre.

 

[Auntie Helen]

Hmm, HF2300, that's a good point. Tyre's off the rim now and hanging in the shed awaiting further inspiration so I might have to see how the replacement does. It was a tyre on which I'd done my first ever puncture repair (I normally get my husband to do it) so I have a nasty feeling I might have done something not too great to it I have rear suspension on the trike but not front so it's more likely to be something wrong with the wheel rim, tyre setting or possibly tracking.

 

[HF2300]

How many bald spots are there, are they even or randomly spaced round the circumference of the tyre, and where there is tread is there the same or slightly more thatn the tread on the good tyre?

 

[andharwheel]

Not too bad mileage for this type of tyre on a trike. The racer is not as hard wearing as other tyres in their range. About the same as the milage I used get with my Moulton tyres on the Windcheetah.

 

[Auntie Helen]

There are three major bald spots although they're not really spots, more ribbons - maybe 10cm long. There's less tread than on the good tyre, it's as if the tyre has just worn down more than the other one - which is slightly odd as the other tyre is in the normally grittier gutter.

The fact that there are a few anecdotal comments about tyres wearing like this on trikes makes me think that it's just that the Marathon Racers are a bit soft for my local roads. I'll try the Marathon Plus tyres next.

 

[Globalti]

These might last longer:

 

[Gareth]

How many miles would you class as the average lifespan of a good tyre?



I commuted 70 miles a week, 40 weeks each year for 9 years (70 X 40) x 9 = 25,200 miles on one pair of Continetal 1.9 X 26 Town and Country Tyres.

A mixed commute of main A road, back B road, (WW2) concrete track, and bridal way every day. I also did the weekly shopping towing my bike trailer 8 miles, as well as fun rides with the kids on mixed terrain ranging from forest track to coastal pathways. These tyres are still in good condition, although my cycle maintenance was absolutely spot on. The pressure always at the recommended 65psi, turning the tyres around on the rim every 3 months and then swapping front for back every 6 months,

 

[Smokin Joe]

Swapping front and back will not make a pair of tyres last longer.

 

[MessenJah]

Everyone keeps saying my tyres are bald, but I have never seen for sale a tyre that had hair