Reusing tires - opinions please!

[cawright1375]

I blew out the side wall of my rear tire last weekend. I run Michelin Pro 3s and have two new ones on the way - PBK had some good prices. Anyway, the weather is looking great for this weekend and I have a Michelin Pro 3 that I used last winter on my trainer after a season on the road with it. The tire is worn flattish like you would expect, but there are no knicks or holes. So my question is do you think it would be safe to use this tire or should I suck it up and just wait for my new ones to arrive?

I was thinking that if I were to use it, I'd take the one off the front and put that on the rear and use the trainer one for the front.

Thoughts?

 

[David Suro]

Go ahead and ride on it. Be careful in the corners. Maybe do a couple of solo rides to check it out prior to joining with a group. Carry a few extra tubes due to the fact that you might be prone to flat.

 

[Vegan Dave]

I was thinking that if I were to use it, I'd take the one off the front and put that on the rear and use the trainer one for the front.

I think you'll want the tire in the best condition on the front. If the front fails, it's a lot harder to negotiate than if the rear fails.

Def. take for a few test rides. The trainer shouldn't have done too much to the tire otherwise...if it's worn flattish, it'll make cornering feel weird.

My two cents...

 

[cawright1375]

thanks for the advice. Glad to know that I was on the right track so to speak, but second, third or fourth opinions are always good to get.

 

[180mmCrank]

This is not an industry opinion just one born out of years of riding tires into the ground.

I don't think you will notice the 'flat' shape of the tire. I've ridden lots like this and it's not an issue. It doesn't in my experience feel 'weird' in the corners. The only real issue I have experienced with worn tires is that you can start to get flats... if I get two flats in a ride and the tire is worn I generally take that a cue to get a new set of tires.

I would be interested in if you do notice anything worth mentioning in terms of ride feel.

Have fun

 

[brianf7]

Use it if its not damaged carry a spare tube. just remember the rubber has gone hard by now.

 

[BroDeal]

I think you'll want the tire in the best condition on the front. If the front fails, it's a lot harder to negotiate than if the rear fails.

This.

If the "trainer tire" has been worn flat then it has lost a fair bit of rubber and should be put it on the rear. You can basically put anything on the rear. I often run my rear tires until the casing starts to show (provided they don't die from a cut first).

After the trainer tire dies, switch the front tire to the rear and use one of the new tires on the front.

 

[Cliveds]

Life is too short to ruin a good ride on a bad tire. New ones seem to ride so much better not sure if it's reality or all in the head??

 

[cawright1375]

It is funny how our memory can play tricks on us. When I got home last night (yes, yes shame on me posting on here at work) and put the older tire on I noticed that the wear was not at all what I remembered it to be, which is good.

The year I got the trainer and wore the rear tire down I would ride it outside and then put the bike back on the trainer, so I've done this before, but that was several years ago now. I've also ridden other tires down until the casing shows, not intentionally of course, but at least once that has happened.

Anyway thanks again for the advice, and if all goes well my new tires will be waiting for me when I get home tonight!

 

[dsut4392]

It is funny how our memory can play tricks on us. When I got home last night (yes, yes shame on me posting on here at work) and put the older tire on I noticed that the wear was not at all what I remembered it to be, which is good.

The year I got the trainer and wore the rear tire down I would ride it outside and then put the bike back on the trainer, so I've done this before, but that was several years ago now. I've also ridden other tires down until the casing shows, not intentionally of course, but at least once that has happened.

Anyway thanks again for the advice, and if all goes well my new tires will be waiting for me when I get home tonight!

As a precaution, I always carry something to "boot" a cut tire with - a piece of sidewall from a tire you're throwing out is ideal.

 

[AnythingButKestrel]

The "expense" of new tires is worth it to me. I'd much rather ride than fix flats.

I don't understand the value system at work with riding roached out rubber. What's cheaper? The hospital deductible to get your face reconstructed after you dump your bike at 45+ mph, or $40 for a new tire? I hate the price of bike tires, but I still have a row of them on the shelf and dump them when they're worn out.

As far as ride and handling goes, I don't know about bike tires, but I do know that with dirt bikes that the tire carcass typically wears out before the knobs do. The #1 handling improvement you can make is to put on fresh tires.

 

[BroDeal]

The "expense" of new tires is worth it to me. I'd much rather ride than fix flats.

I don't understand the value system at work with riding roached out rubber. What's cheaper? The hospital deductible to get your face reconstructed after you dump your bike at 45+ mph, or $40 for a new tire? I hate the price of bike tires, but I still have a row of them on the shelf and dump them when they're worn out.

Dude, I ride five to seven times a week. I do a lot of climbing, and I like to do most of it out of the saddle, which scrapes rubber off the rear quickly. If I replaced my rear tires every time they got squared off then I would be sent rocketing to the poor house.

 

[richwagmn]

You can alway "rotate" your tires after so many miles. I've started doing this to even the wear maybe every 700-1000 miles or so. Of course if you riding 300 miles a week, this would probably get old fast.

 

[BroDeal]

You can alway "rotate" your tires after so many miles. I've started doing this to even the wear maybe every 700-1000 miles or so. Of course if you riding 300 miles a week, this would probably get old fast.

Maybe you should stop doing it...unless you really want equally worn rubber on the wheel (front) that is responsible for steering control most of the available braking force.

 

[durianrider]

I always run good tyres for racing and in training have a good tyre on the front and run the rear tyre into the ground. Here is a Vitoria open corsa after I was finished with it on the rear..

Here is a Vittoria open kx that I thrashed on yesterdays 170km ride. I went home mid ride and put on another tyre cos an "egg" started to form and I didnt want to be walking home.

I patch my tubes, I ride safe tyres in racing and always have a good tyre on the front. I save a money and resources in doing so. Its win win and there is something satisfying about peeling off a rear tyre that literally is thrashed to the end.

 

[hiero2]

I know the thread is old - but it caught my eye. And, there is so much good advice - basically EVERYTHING is here! Look:

. . .The only real issue I have experienced with worn tires is that you can start to get flats... if I get two flats in a ride and the tire is worn I generally take that a cue to get a new set of tires.

The man has pegged it. A worn tire may not appear "worn out" (not all tread = gone), but more flatting is a super-good indicator!

Use it if its not damaged carry a spare tube. just remember the rubber has gone hard by now.

Aged rubber is harder. Racers used to "age" their tires for this reason. And, this changes the grip and wear characteristics.

Life is too short to ruin a good ride on a bad tire. New ones seem to ride so much better not sure if it's reality or all in the head??

Sage advice. It is reality, it is just not always as visible as we might expect.

As a precaution, I always carry something to "boot" a cut tire with - a piece of sidewall from a tire you're throwing out is ideal.

Good idea as an emergency measure. But ONLY as an emergency. Most club riders can ignore this advice, as a car ride home is not that far away. Long distance tourists, however, should be prepared to "boot". BUT, the tire MUST be replaced, and SOON. Booting is only a temporary fix. Continuing to ride on a booted tire is to risk an explosive blowout. The rim, and therefore the bicycle (and YOU!!), are supported completely by the sidewall tension. Once you realize this, how much faith do YOU have in a patched sidewall? Seriously, I've only had to boot a sidewall once - when my tire was cut by a cinder in Wales. It went another couple hundred miles, and possibly could have gone farther - so "booting" can be effective. But, it is still temporary, and can be dangerous. Safety is a factor here, and if possible, as soon as possible, the tire should be replaced.

On the other hand, if I were one of these fellas in Central America, or Africa, who are receiving "bicycle aid" in one form or another, a booted tire might need to last for months, because there WAS no replacement. And, it might do that. I might, under those circumstances, risk the blowout. My travel speeds would be lower, and the financial cost of tire replacement higher (relative to my theoretical income), accordingly changing the risk to gain ratio. I could see a booted tire lasting for months. But that isn't the kind of riding that I (nor you, dear CN reader) typically do, is it?