bump....

Can anyone advise on this? Thanks.

No advice, but I'm hoping for advice on new tires too. I've had 5 flats in the past two months (2 on today's ride!), and my tires have plenty of nicks in them.

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My business-eBodyboarding.com

I've never replaced a tire because the tread was worn out- they always end up getting tossed well before that from all the small cuts they've accumulated. In general, if the cut is very small and doesn't go all the way through the casing it shouldn't be a problem, but in theory they can trap a piece of whatever and it can eventually get pushed through the casing and cause a flat. If a piece of glass has actually cut through the casing and caused a flat it's just a matter of time before you get a flat again in that same spot. As a temporary measure I've crazy-glued cuts closed and/or used heavy vinyl tape (like the kind you use on corrugated irrigation pipe) on the inside of the tire until I can replace it. But in general, if my tires get too many small cuts, or any cut that goes through the casing, they're tossed.


Edit- sorry I should read your whole post. No, overinflation usually won't cause small nicks and cuts. I've had good luck with Conti GP 3000's as training tires. Not the most supple, but pretty durable. For racing, I'm currently using Michelin Pro Race II's

Thanks. It's just weird that all of a sudden I picked up a dozen or more nicks and holes. I had superglued the nick that I got when I had the flat. So when I looked after the ride to see if the superglue had held up, I was surprised to see how many new ones had appeared. I know that they weren't there before because I had to check the tire thoroughly to find the hole when I flatted.

Any suggestions on tire brand/model? Any recommendations are appreciated, because I really don't know which tires are better than others, except for going by price alone.

Nicks are normal - you may have hit glass or something. I wouldn't worry about it. I have nicks all over my tires. Cuts that go down to the threads are different - I would replace the tire after one of these, but only if I had a race coming up. If I lose a sidewall (only happened once) then I will bin the tire and get a new one.

Typically, you should replace the tires when the rear tire thins out. You can tell this by comparing it to the front.

Oh, when the rear wears out, buy a new front and move the front to the rear. Not really a need to buy two tires at a go.

Hey Steve,

Nicks are no big deal. Holes sound like a problem. I'll try to find a nice picture of a serious hole for you, that I still proceeded to foolishly ride on at about 40 mph because I was so incredibly cold. Anyway, I've been told to NOT switch the front tire to the back, because they wear totally different. It's not like on a car where you just rotate the tires, whether they are radials or bias ply. The drive tire on a bike goes flat, not for lack-of-air-flat, but like a greater contact patch type of flat. The front tire supposedly feathers more, or something like that.

As for tires I think it really depends on how much you ride and your disposable income. Personally, I wear back tires down pretty fast because I ride quite a bit. Given the choice of any tire, I'd go with the Vredstein Fortezza's. They come in two models, the Tri-Comp's and the regular Fortezzas. Both are excellent tires. They will more than likely make you feel more confident when you are taking high speed corners. The tires are rated to 175psi, HOWEVER, I'd recommend you set the pressure in between 110-120psi. Much higher and it's very tough on your wheels braking surface and I seemed to get many more flats when I tried out 145psi. The problem I had with those tires is that I'd wear through to the threads on the back tire in about 4-5 weeks (around 100 hours). At $40 a pop, and seeing how I only work part time, I just can't justify the expense right now, but if I could, I would! Now I'm back to riding Specialized Armadillo's all season or all terrain is it?, which is a very nice tire, but nowhere near the joy of the Fortezza's. They are not fold ups like the Fortezza's either, and are about twice as heavy, but also more resistant to punctures. So...you've got a nice bike my friend, and I'd probably buy 4 of the Fortezza's if I was in your position. 4 you ask? Yes, 4. One for the front, two for the back, as it wears out roughly twice as fast, and one to put in one of the back pockets of your jersey so you aren't stranded when you get a blowout OR you are somebody's hero when they do get a blowout and invariably are not carrying a spare.



You guessed it...this baby ought to be replaced. And to think I had a spare in my pocket but bombed the hill because it was snowing/raining lightly and I was freezing. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

I hate spending a lot of money on tires and have had great luck riding Continentals for the last 10 years. Usually the Ultra 2000s or 3000s. I always keep an eye out for sales on Performance and Nashbar so that I can buy they for 12-15 dollars at the most. That way I don't have to worry if I am getting every last mile out of my tires and when I look at it one day and decide its' time is past, I just pull a new one off the wall.

Normally I look for the tire starting to have a noticeable flat spot across the top. When the top tread gets thin then it will be more prone to flats. If a flat does occur then I check to see if the wear is severe and then switch it out when I get home.

Chad

Well regardless of the nicks I'd replace the Diamonte Pro Lites anyways (guessing you have a Cervelo?). They are great race tires but crappy training tires, hey if you want another one I have an almost brand new one sitting here that I don't dare train on as they seem magnets to flats. Get something beefier. If you want long life and fewer flats go with a Conti Duraskin or Specialized Armadillo. If you want better performance and cornering maybe a Conti GP3000, or Hutchinsons, or some Ironman tires, lots of choices.

As far as the nicks, they are normal and I'm betting they've been there a while and you just didnt' see them. It's worth checking your tires regularly to make sure there isn't any glass or anything sharp embedded in one of those nicks slowly working it's way through. Unless a nick is deep enough so that the tire deforms around it when inflated I wouldn't worry too much. Don't worry you'll know what I mean when it happens and just for that reason carry a dollar bill or a square of Tyvek from a packing envelope with you. If you get a big gash fold it to the right size and place it in the tire between the tube and the tire where the cut is. This will spread the pressure out around the cut and keep the tube from blowing out of the whole. It will save your day and has saved mine 40 miles from home, twice.

just my 2cents, well maybe 5cents

I would recommend Conti GP 3000 4 seasons for training tyres. I put a new set on at the start of the winter training season in September with a Panaracer flataway in each and ride them through the season. For the last 3 years I have managed a full calendar year averaging 3500 miles on a pair and have not (crossing fingers) had a puncture!

Last weekend I went out on my rig and had a puncture, I swore at the f*^%&ing flataway, but on inspection found that a flint had slit the tire from the wire at the rim hook right through and up to the tread of the Attack tyre! Not even a flat away will stop this.

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"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS

I replace them when I start getting to many flats. As the other responce said, when they start getting thin, I just feel the thikness of the tire and replace it if I have gotten more than usual flats and if it has 1000 miles on it, give or take a few. Cheap isnurance! I also am one of the wacko's who rotate tires, I juess I have little to do with my time. I tend to really wear out the back tire. I do weigh 185 it it matters and only pump them up to 100 for training rides

I'll second the recommendation for Vredestein Fortezza TriComps. A fantastic tire, well worth the money.

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"I eased off a bit. It never feels like you are easing off. More like you just stake out your place in the pain cave and sit there rather than venturing deeper inside..." -- Rappstar

Everyone is talking about nicks on this tread. I replaced my Bontrager Racing lites this week because of a lot of cracking on the sides. They were three years old and had maybe 500 miles on them. Does anyone have an informed opinion on whether side cracking is a performance or flat problem (I had no flats). The old tires were as fast as the new Bontrager Race Lites I just put on based on two 16 mile time trials so the cracking did not seem to present a performance problem.

SPECIALIZED ARMADILLO! The ride quality isn't great, and the cornering isn't great, but I'll be damned if they'll flat. 2000 miles of riding through pure crap, and no flats. I would rather have a harsher ride and not have to stop, than have a smooth ride and have to change a tube on a regular basis. They are relatively cheap @30 bucks a pop, and well worth it. They are the only tires I will use on training wheels. Plus, when I throw on some race wheels with some Rubinos, it feels all the smoother.

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- Nick
Now that I know some of you guys look through the special needs bags for kicks, I'm gonna put some really weird stuff in mine. I can see it now. "What the heck was he going to do with a family pack of KFC chicken, a football helmet full of peanut butter, a 12 inch rubber dildo, and naked pictures of Bea Arthur?"

I wouldn't be too concerned of the small cracks that form when tires age. The rubber around the fibers will do this, it's the fibers that count more and they are usually fine. The best signal to replace a tire, is that picture above or when you start to get flats. I'm on 7k training miles on these 440g wire bead Kenda tires, never a flat and I think my thighs are bigger just trying to rotate the monsters. I would go with Michelin Pro Race year round if I could afford the things.

Steve,

Most flats do not occur immediately after running over some hazard. What usually occurs is that something becomes lodged in the tread and then after some time, it gets worked into and through the tread and casing and then finally punctures the tube causing the tire to go flat.

One of the techniques you should master is brushing off your tires on the fly after you have ridden through an area where you have noticed broken glass or fine gravel. By reaching down and brushing off your tires, you can "brush" off this debris and prevent many future flats.

Another technique is to patch the tire just like you patch the tube if there is a very small puncture/cut in the tire but the tire is otherwise in good condition. You need to watch this area to determine if the tire begins to pull apart at this spot after continuing to ride on it over the next few hundred miles. If it does not pull apart or grow bigger, then it should be okay to ride until it wears out. If you patch the tube and the tire, you want to reverse the tube so that you don't have both patches line up one on top of the other in the same spot. This will help prevent noticing a hop or bump in the wheel as the wheel rotates on the road.

I think traction is a more important issue for the front wheel than the back wheel. The front wheel steers your bike and makes the directional changes you must make to ride safely. That said, your rear tire will wear more quickly because the weight distribution on your bike puts about 60% of your weight on the rear tire. Also, all the forces to accelerate are imparted to the road through the rear tire. A front tire will typically last 2-3 times as long as a rear tire provided you don't destroy it first as a result of some road hazard. Flats are also more common on the rear tire, in part, because there is correspondingly more weight on that tire.

I ride Continentals and have generally had pretty good luck and wear from them. Tire wear is dependent upon many variables, some of which are the weight of the rider, tire pressure, the condition of the roads ridden upon, how fine or how coarse the road surface is, how hard the rider rides (serious recreational rider, casual recreational rider, racer), the type tire being ridden (tires that corner better or that are grippier tend to wear faster than high mileage tires (harder tread) that don't tend to corner as well) etc.

Good luck.

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Ben Cline


Better to aspire to Greatness and fail, than to not challenge one's self at all, and succeed.