Sy Reene

Put a dollar amount on it and then decide. Eg. you paid $40 for the tire, you hope for and could probably get 500 more miles which would bring it to 3300 miles. You've already gotten about $34 worth of value out of the $40 tire. Is the $6 a concern? ... that kinda thing

base2 

Well, the flat spot in the center is exactly as wide as the contact patch of a non-used tire. I don't know that as far as handling is concerned it would make any real difference being that it's made of rubber & held up by soft, squishy, compressible air. It'd be no different than leaving the front tire alone to age, dry out, & wear out for years through out however many new & fresh rear tire replacements. All tires wear.

Since it's the front, it also carries less weight, so the risk of a sharp bit of debris causing puncture is already low. The already low risk is unlikely to be likely be terribly increased by an amount that matters. But the extra tread thickness of the tire now on the rear means a bit of glass or whatever causing a puncture is much less likely.

Rotating tires spreads the wear around evenly & keeps the average age of tires on a bike much newer. Much like how is done on cars. A set is a set is a set.

I've lost count of how many tires have a flat center & broad sharp shoulders. It seems to me that if it negatively affected handling there would be "front" & "rear" only variants with different profiles commonly available.

WhyFi

Yeah, except that he could get way more than 500 more miles out of it. And then the other question is: what's the downside? He's slightly more prone to flat? Big whoop. Ride it.

Dean V

I know it effects the handling because I have done it and it was definitely noticeable.
Just makes the bike feel a bit weird on the initial turn in.
Nothing that is hard to manage but not right and for me I would rather pay the extra dollars to have a tyre there that behaved as it should.

MoAlpha

This.

I have over 8000 (with 3 zeros) real American miles on my GP5000s and the dimples are still visible on the rear.

Sy Reene

So.. consensus is there is no consensus and suggestions are all over the map. OP: Do what you're comfortable doing.

spelger

you should always put your best foot forward.

WhyFi

Uh, one of those quotes is completely unqualified (not explaining why they replace as soon as it starts to show signs of squaring off) and another isn't addressing wear per se, but rather the suggestion of putting a slightly squared-off tire on the front wheel in an effort to balance wear (yeah, I wouldn't do that, either).

Not only are the wear indicators there for a reason, but you can bet that they're a slightly conservative gauge. In terms of wear, unless the tire is getting beat up enough to make it significantly more flat prone, there's no reason to not ride to the bottom of the indicators, at the very least. After that, some are comfortable to continue riding, keeping a close eye on the tread, until punctures threaten to become problematic or cords start showing through.

Nachoman

If I see cord, I replace. Or if it's worn enough to cause continued flatting, I replace.

easyupbug 

Wow, tire rotation. 70 years in Southern AZ has taught and reinforced many times (everything has thorns/spines) that even I can bring a blown rear tire to a safe stop. Loosing steering control with a blown front tire is asking for an ugly finish. Best tire on front.

MoAlpha

And to amplify my very valuable earlier post, I would love to replace my tires (new —> front —> rear) because I do think the handling is affected a little by squaring off, but I am too cheap and greenoid.

Racing Dan

It sure doesnt look very square. Id ride it a lot further before replacing. There are wear indicators in the thread tho. If unsure just stick to that. A reasonable approach is to move the front tyre to the rear when the rear wears out and put un a fresh tyre in the front.

JohnDThompson 

I've always preferred to put the least worn tire on the front, for better handling. When the rear wears out, I move the front tire to the rear and put the new tire on the front.

sfrider 

I never rotate tires, but then they also don't really get squared off. Too many long, steep, twisty descents around here that I'm sure dominate any and all tire wear. I just replace whichever tire is worn. If my tires actually got squared off I'd need to experiment and see to what extent it matters.

Carbonfiberboy 

I take a tire off when it starts to flat. For some reason, nearly new tires seldom flat, but squared off ones do. I guess just the rubber being thinner? I've never worn a tire down even close to the casing before it started flatting.

stuff shredman

if your tires are starting to square off .... take corners on your bike a lot harder

altondavis2

Is your butt worth more than $50 ????
Sure replace the tire ASAP, You've gotten your value out
of the old tire. It can only get worse.

altondavis2

Riding is a lot more fun when you expect your bike to hold up.

Replace the tires, enjoy the grip.

WhyFi

So now he's going to die or be grievously injured because of that tire?

If someone is a pretty casual rider that's not putting in too many miles annually, sure - change out a tire after a handful of years when it's looking sad and dried out. If you ride a decent amount, though, making a habit out of throwing away a tire that has potentially thousands of miles left is going to increase your consumables budget considerably.

MoAlpha

I don't think that was the implication. Something untoward is going to happen specifically to the OP's butt. Of course, that could be almost anything, but we do know the body part and that's important.

WhyFi

Good call - I have been spanked because my tire had only half of the usable tread remaining.

BRB - gotta go put some more miles on these new tires.

Iride01 

Knock wood, but I've never had a wreck due to tire flat or other tire failure. I'm sure some others have.

As I said previously, I generally run them till the first flat after the cords show. Many times that is the first flat for that tire.

bikejrff

Yeah, I have started replacing my Conti's when the wear indicators are fading. Used to get 5,000 miles, now I seem to only get 3500-4000. I think it's because I am fatter.

altondavis2

----------------
Of course he's not going to die, but suffering an incovenience of walking a couple of miles or being late
for a planned activity after riding comuld happen due to worn tires. My time is valuable.

bikejrff

I cringe when i see my friends riding with the casing exposed. What the hell, they are all lawyers, judges & doctors...they can afford new tyres. dopes