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How long is a shelf life of a bike tire?
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We are slowly packing to move to a new place and in the process I have found some never used tires in the garage. They must be 5-6 years old and they appear to be in good shape. Are they safe to use?
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Re: How long is a shelf life of a bike tire? [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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They’re fine.

I’m riding some 8 - 10 year old tires right now. Clearing out old inventory before I start buying new stuff again.

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Re: How long is a shelf life of a bike tire? [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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Aren't there stories of some teams using the same tires for Roubaix for like 20 years?

They should be fine.
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Re: How long is a shelf life of a bike tire? [Rumpled] [ In reply to ]
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I've heard "aging" is good

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Re: How long is a shelf life of a bike tire? [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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I would suggest keeping a close eye on them. I took a schwable off my wife's bike...it was brand new for a one and done ironman so about 112 miles on it then stored for 8 years on the wheel and still looked brand new when I put it on. After a couple of rides though it developed small cracks along the entire tread of the tire so I binned it. Just be a little more cautious and check them each ride as you should anyway.
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Re: How long is a shelf life of a bike tire? [MukMuk] [ In reply to ]
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It depends how they're stored.
In dark dry conditions I don't think there's much reason for a tyre to degrade.
I think rubber is vulnerable to some UV degradation if stored in sunlight. That would likely result in some brittleness and small cracks in the sidewall sounds about what i'd expect if that were to happen. If the rubber has degraded you'd probably lose some grip too but I don't think they'd be dangerous, the cotton/nylon/silk, is still there (unless it was damp and they rotted!) .
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Re: How long is a shelf life of a bike tire? [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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Heat is the enemy, so if in a storage unit in the sun they will have aged faster than if kept in a cool place. 5 years isn't that long, and many of have tires in service longer than that. If they look and feel OK, odds are they are. In any case the body plies have longer lives than the tread rubber, so there's no reason not to try them. On the bright side, aging makes the rubber tougher, and older tires are often less prone to nicks and cuts. Many users of quality tubulars age their tires a year or two before using.

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Last edited by: mrjohnsmitt: Dec 6, 18 2:05
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Re: How long is a shelf life of a bike tire? [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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Heat is the enemy. The other thing is prolonged exposure to oil/gas fumes which break down natural rubber. Different compounds but same thought with latex seals in drysuits, spearfishing bands, etc.
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Re: How long is a shelf life of a bike tire? [MukMuk] [ In reply to ]
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MukMuk wrote:
I would suggest keeping a close eye on them. I took a schwable off my wife's bike...it was brand new for a one and done ironman so about 112 miles on it then stored for 8 years on the wheel and still looked brand new when I put it on. After a couple of rides though it developed small cracks along the entire tread of the tire so I binned it. Just be a little more cautious and check them each ride as you should anyway.

This ^ keep an eye on them.
Mountain bike related, but still rubber is rubber......Haven't ridden by MTB in around 4 years, last week decided to go out on it for a ride......pumped up the tires (Schwalbe) and upon close inspection noticed the sidewalls seemed to have some dry rot. Had the bike sitting for another week and inspected again and the dry rot was very noticeable now and even the tire sealant was coming thru all the damaged areas. I'm just throwing the tires in the trash and not going to deal with the potential aftermath. $120 for new tires is cheap peace of mind and insurance.
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Re: How long is a shelf life of a bike tire? [Ai_1] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you all for reply. The tires were stored in a dry and darkish garage and appear to be in good shape. But as suggested, I'll keep an eye on them.
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