tyre change - how often?

ILIKEFOOD

hi folks,

just wondering how often one should change tyres?

have done around 3k on a pair of mavic aksions that came with the bike. The surface of them is dead smooth and with the potential for ice at this time of the year should i buy new grippier ones? I did use these all last winter when new and they were fine..

I avoid going out in ice generally..I just cant remember what they looked like when i bought the bike so im unsure the level of wear, theres no cracking or anything like that..

cheers

JBokeh

Take it off the rim and pinch it on the riding surface, you'll get a rough idea of how much of the rubber is left, you don't want to let it get really thin as you'll start getting punctures. I would usually have a rear tyre finished off in 2500km, on country roads, then I put the front on the rear and buy a new one for the front.

You'll see the rear tyre getting flat on the centre too, it will lose the curve it would have come with from new,when that becomes really pronounced it is an indication that the tyre is wearing down quite a bit

It is hard to put a number on how many KM you should get from a tyre, depends on your weight, tyre pressure, riding style, and road condition. Some tyres have a little dot on the tread which is a wear indicator to let you know if you've much milage left in it

Beasty

With road bike tyres it's what they are made of rather than any tread that gives them grip. If there are no significant splits and the tyre is not worn through their performance should not deteriorate significantly.

ILIKEFOOD

ah never thought of swopping tyres around - good advice,

I'll check them out

im 75kg, rode leisure / sportives last year - aiming to do club league this year / keep pressure up at 120
do many use a 'winter' tyre?

feeling less brave about risking ice at the moment having crashed two months ago, not ready to go down again soon!

Wishbone Ash

'Grippier' tyres won't make any difference on ice.

You did well to get 3k out of a pair of Aksions - I had a pair that came with one of my bikes and they lasted a few weeks before beginning to shred.

Beasty

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

You did well to get 3k out of a pair of Aksions - I had a pair that came with one of my bikes and they lasted a few weeks before beginning to shred.

A few weeks may well equate to 3k in your case...

For a decent set of road tyres you really should be getting a lot more than 3k out of them nowadays.

Beasty

Just to add. If there are no obvious signs of damage or excessive wear the best indicator is probably when you start getting punctures regularly.

ILIKEFOOD

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

'Grippier' tyres won't make any difference on ice.

You did well to get 3k out of a pair of Aksions - I had a pair that came with one of my bikes and they lasted a few weeks before beginning to shred.

certainly seems to be mixed reviews about them. But from my understanding you seem to be on the bike more often than off it

any recommendations for an replacement in the near future?

cython

I got about 6800km out of a Conti Grand Prix on the rear wheel of my commuter for what it's worth, and the tyre only cost me about 20 quid or a little more when I bought it, so seems like a decent wear:cost ratio for me. That being said I had it on my mind to replace it for a while before it finally failed just when I was cycling out of the estate to work one morning, so maybe 6000-6500 would be a more realistic estimate to not risk being stranded

crosstownk

I got approx. 5,000kms out of a pair of Mavik Aksions and during that time I only had one puncture caused by a shard of glass.

I bought another pair that have yet to be fitted.

C3PO

Beasty wrote: »

Just to add. If there are no obvious signs of damage or excessive wear the best indicator is probably when you start getting punctures regularly.

For me, I also watch out for the profile of the tyre starting to "square off"!

tomasrojo

On the subject of tyre rotation:

Well-meaning cyclists, even some mechanics who don't know any better, sometimes try to deal with this by swapping tires, putting the less worn front tire on the back wheel, and moving the worn-but-usable rear tire to the front. The idea is to equalize the wear on the two tires, but this is a serious mistake, don't do it!

The only time tire rotation is appropriate on a bicycle is when you are replacing the rear tire. If you feel like taking the trouble, and use the same type of tire front and rear, you should move the front tire to the rear wheel, and install the new tire in front.

The reason for this is that the front tire is much more critical for safety than the rear, so you should have the more reliable tire on the front.

If you have a blowout, if it is on the rear tire, you have a very good chance of bringing the bike to a controlled stop. If your front tire blows, you can lose steering control, and a crash is a real possibility.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-rotation.html

As JBokeh said, essentially: ditch the worn rear, put the old front on the rear wheel and put the new tyre on the front wheel.

I have been so broke that I have put the constantly puncturing rear tyre on the front wheel and relatively better front tyre on the rear wheel, but I don't really go very fast. If I'd had enough to buy even one new tyre, I wouldn't have done it.

laraghrider

Tyre wear depends on a lot of factors one being the specific tyre. Some tyres have a harder density than others giving them more distance but at the expense of rolling resistance and grip, especially in wet. Vitoria Zaffiro Pro's for example seem to run forever but you don't want to be throwing them into a wet bend. On the other hand a Continental GP Supersonic or Light will roll beautifully but won't give you that long on the bike due to their compound.

From first hand experience I've gotten about 8k out of a Gatorskin and currently have about 7k on a GrandPrix. The rear in that pair is just about to be replaced so the front will be going on the back and the new one on the front which is my standard practice and has been for years. For Continental tyres they have wear indicator dimples in the rubber so when you can't find them, replace it. Other ones the pinch method is good but if you're not sure what a full tyre feels like you're likely to not know whats good or bad. Have a close look at it, can you see any of the under lining on the center strip of rubber? If you can it's quite thin and likely to puncture, look to change it.

Now the classic old school method. Your tyre has been on a while and have you gotten two punctures in quick succession but from separate occurrences?

NeedMoreGears

For the last while, I've been getting around 6-7000km from Rubinios - about one year's commuting. I usually replace them ahead of the winter. The trigger for me is if I feel the rear wheel slipping a bit in the wet or if I start getting a few unrelated punctures in the same wheel. I replace front and rear together.

jon1981

Got 3000km 4500km out of a pair of Contis gp4000s II ... too many slits and cuts in them and 2 punctures in the last weeks.

EDIT: redid the calculations