a1penguin

I had less than 500 miles on Bontrager race lites. Because of knee problems the bike spent 5 years in the garage with underinflated tires. When I fixed a flat, I noticed they had cracks from not being stored properly. I replaced them with Gatorskins. The Gators ride like chicken :-)

PaulRivers

The recommendation to put the best tire on the front is for 2 reasons - 1, you steer with the front tire so traction is the most important there, and 2 if you completely lose traction on your front tire (whether it's a tire blowup, not enough tread, not enough grip in the wet, etc) you're nearly certain to go down immediately. It's happened to me (wet road) - there's not time to react. But if you completely lose traction on your rear tire you (so I've been told) your bike doesn't just fall over, you have a couple of seconds to react which is usually enough to put your foot down or something.

The far greater risk of a serious injury if your front tire completely fails is why it's recommended to put the best, longest life tire on the front.


That being said, most people simply replace whatever tire wears out and don't bother switching tires. Rotating bike tires is something people just don't do.

flaco

I use Sheldon Brown's 'put the good one in front' rule. When the back tire gets squared off, put the front tire on the back, and a new tire on the front. For me, front tires wear very, very slowly and I would end up leaving the front one on for years if I didn't move it to the back. I don't want to ride on a super old front tire, even if it looks unworn.

pgoat

This

RPK79

You've been a member of the forum for 11 years and you still decided it was a good idea to bump a 7 year old thread to add "this"?

WhyFi

Would a "+1" have been more appropriate?

pgoat

apparently

RPK79

This would be the obvious choice.

WhyFi

+1

ThermionicScott 

15 years old.

RPK79

Nope, I did the math.

RPK79

No, you're right! The this is a double zombie!

WhyFi

They had the internet back then?

WhyFi

Set a reminder to go off in another 8 years or so.

Drew Eckhardt 

Replace them when the cords show, damage requires a boot, cords break making bumps, or flat rate becomes unacceptable (this is rare for me on tires that rely on a protection layer to prevent punctures). The rubber has enough compliance that being squared off doesn't matter.

GP4000S with 1037 front miles + 5257 rear miles:


At that point I remove the front tire, move it to the rear if still good, and put a new tire on my front wheel because loosing traction on the front tire (perhaps because it deflates due to a blow out) is more likely to cause a crash than problems in back.

My current GP4000SII rear tire has 8578 front miles and 2862 rear miles. It still has lots of life left.

Carbonfiberboy 

When a tire gets a cut that makes a bump when inflated or when I start to get more flats than I should. So far, I've never worn a tire to the cords. Must be nice to ride on such debris-free roads to be able to do that.

CliffordK

If the tire is worn out, then just replace it.

The tough thing is when you put a hole in a tire that is nearly new.

Here was a recent thread about long-term boots.
www.bikeforums.net/commuting/1069052-do-i-need-new-tire.html

I've had troubles with Park boots causing flats, or eventually wearing through.

I'm currently riding a tire with a radial tire patch on the inside for support, and a plain rubber patch on the outside for protection. I haven't tried tire liner, but that would be worth considering too.

smarkinson

A thread from 2001!

How old is BF? Time to go on a search for the oldest thread (and maybe see if it can be resuscitated in a gloriously pointless manner).

floridamtb

3000 miles on my last set of Conti Grand Prix (not the GP 4000sII) and they still had life in them, never flatted or blewout or sidewall damage. I bought the GP 4000sII 25MM for a vacation to the mountains, 2nd day on the 2nd climb I blew out the rear from sidewall tear. I replaced tube, booted tire and made it up over the climb, skipped the 3rd climb, stopped at a bike shop to replace the tire and then continued to the 4th climb. That tire had something like 60 miles on it before it tore so it's not mileage, it's wear and road conditions etc. BTW this was first set of 25s and I love the ride. Next time I think I'll order the regular GP in a 25mm if I can't find it locally, I kind like it better than the 4000sII so far

milkbaby

Ride them until the thread is worn out then reply with a zombie meme.

OmegaWolf

This
er...
um...
+1

Wileyrat

Usually when my wife sees a cut and says "You"re not going to ride on that tire, are you?".

Wested

The frequency with which this thread is resurrected should signal the appropriate time to replace your tires.

momo15

Man! I was ready to use that line. I guess I'll go with my backup for the OP. Replace your tire ONLY if lance wins the TDF this year under non-suspicious circumstances.

pgoat

This