If they don’t get damaged and aren’t ridden on a trainer, how many miles will a tire last?
I’m sure the answer varies by tire - just looking for the right order of magnitude.
Thanks.
Insomniac,
This is a nearly impossible question to answer as you might imagine.
The answer depends heavily on a number of variables. The tire compounds and the tire’s resistance to puncture, the quality of the road surface upon which the tire is ridden, the weight of the rider, how much power the rider can generate, the pressure the rider chooses to pump the tires up to, how aggresively one rides and surely some others that don’t come to mind at present.
Thanks Ben. Someone else started a similar thread and got answers ranging from 800 kms to 5500 kms (and counting) so it seems even more variable then I expected.
My suspicion is that relatively few tires get ‘worn out’ either because of damage or because owners feels the need to replace them. I won’t expect manufacturers to step up and tell us all how long the tires will actually go because, for the majority of tires, they are inexpensive enough to just replace when you get that sneaking suspicion that something else will b faster 
Cheers,
Chris
Looks like my pro2races are going to last rear 3000 miles front 5000. I’m amazed how durable they’ve been for a high performing tire.
you must have better roads than me (or weigh less, or something…)
i’ve got around 1300 on mine and they’re due. i’ve been meaning to change them for a week or so already. i’ve been lucky on the rides, but there’s just all sorts of nicks and stuff on them.
Just swapped out the same tires for an upcoming race and the back was getting mighty thin at 2000. The front probably had another 1000 on it. Your results may very (and did).
I find that bike tires generally last all the way to the scene of the crash.
I find that bike tires generally last all the way to the scene of the crash.
LOL - I just knew someone would have the definitive answer!
btw - Have you seen Ron White’s stand-up act?
-when the tread wears completely off
-when the tire profile is flat flat flat versus at least a little rounded
-when you get a big slice in it
-when the sidewall starts cracking
-when you get a ton of flats in a row
.
Thanks Ben. Someone else started a similar thread and got answers ranging from 800 kms to 5500 kms (and counting) so it seems even more variable then I expected.
My suspicion is that relatively few tires get ‘worn out’ either because of damage or because owners feels the need to replace them. I won’t expect manufacturers to step up and tell us all how long the tires will actually go because, for the majority of tires, they are inexpensive enough to just replace when you get that sneaking suspicion that something else will b faster
Cheers,
Chris
I have Continental 4 seasons. I just ticked over 3800kms and am going to rotate front to back and vice versa. The front looks like new but the rear is obviously worn in the middle. In all that time I have had 1 flat and that was from a big nail that would have given you a nasty slow leak on a car tyre. Cheap as well from Probikekit. I am 190ish pounds for the record and always run at 120 psi. For a training tyre, I can’t talk these up enough. They are 3 times as good as Gotorskins. Not fast(not slow either) but they are training tyres so who cares. have not run them on the trainer though but I would expect they would do very well.
plazbot,
Although rotating your tires back to front and front to back will even out the wear and maximize? the miles you get out of the set, you may want to reconsider this strategy.
Your front tire is a critical tire as it is responsible for your steering. When it slides out from underneath you in a fast turn it won’t matter how many miles you did or didn’t get out of it.
Wear the rear tire out. Move the front tire to the rear and put a new tire on the front. You will still get the maximum number of miles out of your tires (no fewer than with your other strategy) you’ll just have a steering tire that is not worn.
Frankly, it amazes me that anyone would even consider such a strategy. Were you really serious about it? If so, you must get 100,000 miles or more out of your chain before you replace it as well. Only get a new one when the old one is so stretched that it begins to drag on the road?
Done it for years and never had a problem. A bit of common sense is required when assessing the suitability for the swap of course. Thanks for your concern. Are you one of these ‘get a new bike every race season’ types?
I put 8000 miles on a pair of prorace… I did rotate them and by the end the rear was quite worn.
plazbot,
I’ve purchased a few Serottas over the years and love “the Ride” and fit. I haven’t purchased a new bike in 4 or 5 years. Not planning to either. Sorry, I’m just not a bike of the month (year) kind of guy.
Thanks for asking though.
I also replace the rear when it gets squared off and obviously thinner and cuts start appearing, then bump the former front tire to the back, and new tire on front.
Pro2Race tires always, for $26-28 a pop from www.probikekit.com
(aww, crap! damn exchange rate!! they’re now $34 a pop. Still pretty reasonable for high-end sneaks)
I have a separate set of “race-only” tires (which I do use occasionally for a RR ride, or just if I’m too lazy to swap after a recent race, like for today :-p ) - so having relatively clean and fresh treads for the races is also a plus, and helps extend the life of all the tires accordingly.
This is the 2nd season on the race-only tires, so once I’m done this year (after American Zofingen), they will come off and become my winter training tires, having served me more than admirably these last 2 years.