Torn Tyre

Danbo!

So i was reading some threads here about tyres for the lovely weather we are having at the moment. I replaced the stock tyres on my FCR3 yesterday with Continental Ultra Gatorskins. (23c's)

Even tho the weather was unbelievable I went out yesterday afternoon and did about 10k, wear them in, make sure i had replaced tubes properly rather than getting a puncture on the way to work this morning. Anyway, heading home from work this evening, and the back tyre deflated within a matter of seconds. No pothole, no glass that i could see. Just fixed it now, didnt find any glass but there is a tear about half a centimetre long in the centre of the tyre.

So what now? i doubt i can return them with 25kms in them, but ive just spent about €100-150 on gear for the winter and cant really afford to buy a new tyre. Will this tear hold up do you think? anything extra I can do to toughen it up? Or maybe stick back on the stock tyre that has a few grazes and nicks but was puncture free since i bought the bike (about 4 months id say). Any help appreciated, cheers

Membrane

If it really is a tear cutting right through the tyre carcas then 0.5cm could be problematic with high pressure 23c tyres.

Note that these Continentals use a soft rubber on the running surface (for good grip), it is common for cuts to accumulate in the running surface. Surface cuts in these tyres shouldn't be cause for alarm, although if you are worried about them some people put a bit of superglue in these cuts.

doozerie

A tear like that could be caused by anything from a piece of glass to a sharp piece of gravel (I've dug a few of those out of my tyres in the past). If the cut goes all the way through the tyre then you could glue a tyre patch (tougher than a standard puncture repair patch) on the inside of the tyre. That will help prevent the tear from widening as well as providing further protection for the tube.

In a pinch you could even cut out a piece of rubber from an old tube and place/glue this to the inside of the ripped section - this is more likely to be thicker than a tyre patch though and may raise the surface of the tyre enough to make you feel it while riding.

In theory you could use any material for this so long as it is tough but reasonably thin. None of them will be strong enough to resist something as sharp as glass from cutting through it, so the main aim is to keep stuff like little bits of grit from lodging in the tear and eventually pushing into, and piercing, the tube.

As regards returning the tyres, I doubt that any shop would take them back even if they were used even once for a short spin. Getting a tear like that is just bad luck, unfortunately. I have been using these same tyres for a few months now and have had no problems yet, so the quality of the tyres seems fine generally.

Danbo!

thanks for the replys, just removed the tyre there and placed some thin rubber stretched over the tear on the inside and glued it. the tear is more of a line now (as in the rubber seems to be holding it) The tyres were about €25 each so i suppose its not terrible if i have to replace it. Thanks again