BLD25

Hello All, I was wondering if anyone with some expertise in tires could help me out. I have become quite a tire nut and I enjoy trying out quite a few tires. I have had some great experiences with some, and I have had very few flats. One problem I do have is sidewall cracks. I want to know if this is fairly common and still safe, or if I have a reason to be concerned.

My first experience was a Hutchinson Atom that had cracks running down the middle of the tread that was running inline with the tread. I sent those back and received a replacement.

The second one was a Hutchinson Fusion 3. This developed cracks where the center tread met the sidewalls:



I have contacted the retailer, and they said I can send them back, but I haven't because I let a friend borrow the tires/wheels and I can't safely say he used good pressure the whole time(although that may not make any difference).

The last straw was these Hutchinson Intensive(anyone noticing a pattern here):


Both the Fusion 3 and the Intensive have spent most all of their lives on the front, and show very little wear in the tread as they have less than 600mi. I don't see this on most of my other tires(none on a Forte Pro+ with well over 1500mi, my Conti 4000s, with 500-650ish mi, and my Diamante Pro don't show it in the same way, but show just a little of that cracking along where the logo is).

Is this common? Should I be returning this tires as defective? they don't show any problems on the inside of the tread, but I don't want to have an unnecessary blowout.

Thanks for any help!

dsbrantjr

The strength of tires is in the beads and fabric, not the rubber. I don't see anything which would give me any heartburn; I'd ride on them.

BLD25

Really? I was wondering if that was just cosmetic stuff. It is quite unsettling though. Thanks for the opinion. Does this happen often?

FBinNY 

Fairly often, but it isn't usual. My first reaction seeing the photos was under-inflation. But it doesn't have to be, the other possibility is overload, since it has the same effect. As the tire rolls there's excessive flexing of the wall as various areas take their turns at the bottom, which causes the type of stress cracks you're seeing.

So I'm sure you'll say you ride them at full pressure, which brings up the questions, what do you weigh? and what is the tire width. Just as heavier cars and trucks use fatter tires, heavier cyclists should too.

BLD25

Points well taken. I am a 190ish lb "reforming pedal-masher." I tend to go on the under-inflation side, but still more than enough. I run mostly 25c tires, and usually 85-95 in front, and 100-110 in rear. Most all of the tires with this issue besides being Hutchinson, are run on the front. The Fusion 3 was borrowed by a friend who did not have a pump at the time, so I can definitely understand it being underinflated. I just want to make sure they are safe. Thanks

BLD25

The intensive is a 25c by name, but measures barely over 23mm wide when I first put it on. The fusion 3 was a 23c.

FBinNY 

Yes they're still safe, but the cracking of the rubber skin allows water in to attack the body plies. This shortens the overall life expectancy, especially if you're an all weather rider. Still no worries, because the tires will give you fair warning of an impending failure (usually a few days warning, some only a few hours) by becoming larger, lumpy or having a local twist.

At 190#s you might consider slightly larger tires, either a more generous nominal 25mm tire, or a 28mm.

AlphaDogg

You don't happen to live at a high altitude, do you? I noticed the same type of cracking on my tires, and the mechanic at the lbs says it's due to the inherent dryness of Denver.

BLD25

Yes, of course when I bought the 25, I was hoping for an actual 25mm tire! It does have a taller profile than a 23 so that helps with cushioning. I run a conti 4000s mostly on the rear. Good to know I will have a warning. I try to keep a good eye on changes in the tires, but I could always improve.

Interesting. I think our altitude here is only around 500ft, but it has been an incredibly dry, and hot summer. We have seen a few days near 110, and of course, I did not take much time off from riding.

FBinNY 

Over the years, I've come to expect tire lift to be like the life expectancy of combat pilots. If they survive the first few sorties, they gain the experience which raises their life expectancy.

Likewise, my tires either die of glass slashes early on, or seem to become tougher and if they make it a year it becomes a marathon, and they eventually die when the body plies fail. In over 45 years and well over 100,000 miles I've never worn out a front tire (and maybe only one or two rears). The closest I ever came is a 6 year old Ritchie on my commuter. It was paper thin, UV damaged and looked ratty as all hell, but I was so close and figured I only needed another month or two, then one night at 2AM --- Blammm!!!!.

So close, I don't think I'll live long enough to get that close again.

BLD25

interesting thought

BLD25

So would everyone else ride on these?

Lawrence08648

1) Tell me about your Forte Pro

2) At your weight, 110 psi is too much for a 25

3) the cracking you see is called checking and it's not completely unusual. Don't worry about it. I had a tire that started checking at 200 miles or a little more and I put 8,000 miles on that tire, another tire with early checking I put 23,000 miles on it. Would I ride a tire with cracks? Dry rotted, No. Checking, Yes.

BLD25

Thanks, that is good to know. I only run 110 when racing, but usually I am in the 100-105 in rear, and 90ish in the front when I have a 25 in front. The forte pro was a great tire. It was supple, durable, and lasted a decent number of miles.

Ira B

I'd replace them just because I hate fixing flats half way home in the dark while it's raining sideways.
When the rubber cracks like that it is far more likely (IMHO) to pick up little bits of glass and other such stuff that can then be worked in and cause a flat.