When do you throw tyres away?

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bonker

Guru
When is a good gauge of when a tyre's life is up?

I've got a set of Gatorskins that have done 1000s of miles. When they are deflated and you pinch them they are full of cracks, they never had any real tread so can't loose that. The only downside is threads coming off the side walls.

But they don't puncture and they perform as well as they have ever done.

What's the opinion?
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
They are probably full of cracks because the plasticiser has evaporated out of them, meaning the rubber is brittle and hard. I would throw them away.
 

andrew_s

Legendary Member
Location
Gloucester
I throw Gatorskins away either when the canvas shows through, when I'm getting too many punctures, or I when get a puncture and the tread feels thin enough that the canvas will show soon (finger & thumb inside and out, you can also feel a redge either side of the tread centre where it's not worn down so much).

(tread = what the tyre runs on, tread pattern = what a gatorskin doesn't have)

Threads coming off the sidewalls should be either ignored or snipped off with scissors. Don't just pull on the end and unravel them.
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
No matter what make or model of tyre, once I get a rush of punctures the tyre goes. Also any sign of a bulge or bad crack in the tyre gets it binned. I have run the odd one down to the puncture protection layer before binning it, but that's rare.
 
I don't have that many but I have a fair few in my parents garage I can't bear to throw away :blush:
If you come back to ours for a cuppa [traditional now] after the ride on Sunday you may have to bear witness to my superior hoarding skills.
 

PaulSecteur

No longer a Specialized fanboy
When do you throw tyres away?

Should only ever be done on a Thursday night. Ready for the bin men on Friday morning!

Little tip... when a tyre is ready to be thrown, cut some sections of it out. Do a few different sizes so you can use them as an emergeny patch on the inside of a tyre should you get a gash in it.
 

the_mikey

Legendary Member
Tyres are replaced when the casing is thin, has any significant holes or the tyre suffers too many punctures. I've just retired a pair of Michelin Krylion Carbons, and fitted a fresh pair of the same tyre, the casing was showing significant wear and tear after more than 3000km of cycling. The old tyres are still around, but I'm not sure I will find a use for them.
 

mcshroom

Bionic Subsonic
When this happens

Photo0236.jpg
 
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