Tires
 

When do you guys change tires? (on your bike) I have a used GP4000 Continental on the front with a little bit of wear left according to the wear indicators and a Bontager Hardcase on the back. I have put about 1500 miles on the used GP Continental (don't know the mileage that was already on it) and the new Bontrager. Is 2000 miles the limit are do ya just run'm 'til they blow. I really hate blow outs in group rides.

Tom

You must be kidding.

I replace with the prime goal of safety, $$ is not really a factor.

So.............does that mean replace them at 1500 miles or maybe 2500?

I run tires until the cords show in the rear tire, then move the front tire to the back, and put the new tire on the front.

When they appear to be worn out. I don't track mileage on the tires.

I change tires when they wear out by showing strings. I put two new Conti GP 4000 on both of my main road bikes early in the season. I would guess that my Tarmac has at least 4,500 miles on the set and I can still see the two wear indicator indentations on the back tire meaning there is more tire life. I did not switch the tires from front to back due to side wall cut I put on the front tire when removing a brake with a dremmel tool and it looks new. I put a piece of woven cotton tubular tire liner inside the tire under the cut and it has worked all season. I was leery of putting the cut tire on the back because of greater weight from my 188 lb body.

Right now at PBK using the TDUSA code you can get a pair for $63 delivered. That is two tires for less than the price of one at my LBS. I still have one new GP 4000 from my spring buy or else I'd buy another pair for next year.

hi,
I have actually ran some down to the core, some tires have kevlar belts and will not be a problem,
cheeper tires seem to have numerous flats, I only ride on folding tires because I have trouble with wire beads when I am on the road and need to change.
I recently tried some Serfas folding very resonable priced very durable, they are a little heavier than my high end tires but they seem to wear very well, no flats to date with the serfas belted tires. not sure if I spelled it right.
some guy on ebay sold me 2 plus tubes and wheel tape for the price of one folding at my LBS, I ve been riding the heck out of the back one and it still looks new.
Doug

here's the ones I like I believe i only paid 40.00 for two with tubes and tape free shippin on BBAy.
http://www.serfas.com/product_details.asp?ID=248

um-- yesterday? I was commuting home Thursday and got a flat on the fixie-- I ran the rear wheel one day too far... threads showing through the casing, and very thin. Tube didn't last...

My fault for not thoroughly checking the tires, but I was off the bike for 2 months + due to an injury, so I got 'lazy' re: checking tires for wear. Now I have a blue Vredestein tire on the front, and a red panaracer on the back... on a yellow bike:)

train safe--

I let the wear indicators built into the tires be my guide. (Small holes built into the crown of the tire. When they are gone so is the tire.)

Tom, On tires without wear indicators, let the tread depth be your guide. Mileage used solely is a poor measure as type of usage plays a large part.

Brad

I don't run mine down to the threads. When the back tire is starting to get square or flat in the middle I change both.

So now we have this discussion. I just spend half the evening changing my tires out.

I have Conti Ultra Gators. I have at least 3500 miles on them. I have a slow leak in my back tire so I bought a new tire, put in on the front, and put the front tire on the back.

Now that I have the old back tire off, I've looked it over, as well as the inner tube, and can't tell where there is a puncture or leak. However, because I like solo rides in the boonies, I figured it was the right thing to do.

I buy new tires when I get tired of the kind of riding I'm doing. Offroad, MUP, paved road. I ride a quality mountain bike and adapt it for all sorts of uses, switching tires accordingly. I have a bunch of good tires in storage, but I toss tubes out like crazy. Every time I put a tire on - new or used - a fresh tube goes inside.

I'm running Marathon Supremes on my touring bike.
If used your method, I would be throwing tires away at half their useful life.

A leak is a problem with the *tube*, not the tire.
Put enough air in the tube to swell it up to about twice uninflated diameter, then dunk it in soapy water in the kitchen sink until you see where the bubbles are coming out. Mark the spot, dry it off, and patch it.

"Censorship reflects a society's lack of appreciation of child pornography, hate speech, advocating public criminal violence, and spreading vicious lies about private citizens."

fify

I shouldn't, but damn, people post some of the dumbest things imaginable just because someone else says it.

Forget it if you don't find the cause of the leak in the TIRE!!! It is a problem with both.

I thought the op was asking about GP4000 Continental tires. The same tires I use.

Maybe I missed it, but I did not see anyone addressing the weight factor on the bike. I ride at about 230 pounds. It is not a secret that I wear tires out much quicker than a 150 pound rider. Very seldom do I get 2000 miles out of any tire.

It would be of great help if you would state your weight when discussing the miles you put on a set of tires.

I ride a Mountain Bike. It is different for me. I need enough knobby to hold the trail. Because of the curve of the tire, once the middle wears down I can still have some good knobs on the side knobbies. If I get 1000 miles on dirt, I feel that I have done well.

I weigh 175 lbs. I can usually get 5,000 to 7,000 km on any front tire (usually 200 gram folding), rear tires are a different matter. The best tires I've found are Vredestein Tri-Comps, which will run to about 4500 km.

I replace the tire when it gets a cut in the tread that requires a boot to fix (otherwise the inner tube will stick out, get worn down, and start leaking). Very seldom do tires wear down to the cord here in Vancouver, especially when the roads are wet (most of the time).

Front tires stay on the front, rear tires on the rear; I'm not a believer in "tire rotation." I like putting a new tire on the back instead of a worn front tire. Plus, my front tires specifically front tires, usually 200 grams, the rear tires 230 to 250.

L.

I used to toss tubes also until LBS guy told me that a repaired tube (if done properly) was stronger than one that wasn't repaired. (on that spot at least) He told me he had one tube on his bike with maybe 6 patches! And his patches didn't leak. I think he used a weighted iron roller THINGY to apply the patch with. Sorry, didn't mean to use such high level cycling tool terms!

+1
when they are worn, different miles, surfaces, rider weight, for all. we all wear them out differently, when they look worn, they are worn

You should to rotate the front and rear tires about every 300 miles or so. Depending on the tire you may also want to change the rotation direction when you rotate them (some tires are designed to only rotate in one direction, this can usually be determined by looking at the tread pattern). If you do this they will last longer.

+! - I'm running gatorskins that easily have 5000 miles, probably closer to 6000.