Originally Posted by
bigbossman
Go ahead and save your nickels and dimes. The first time you have an old tire blow out on a descent, you'll need all of them and more to pay for the ambulance ride. I've seen the aftermath of a front tire failure enough times to never, ever, consider riding on and trusting my well-being to an old or worn tire.
It is a senseless risk to take.
You make a very good point, what's cheaper a couple of bicycle tires, or the funeral after a rider does a 30MPH over the bars header into a 90 year old Oak? Part of the problem is that bicycle tires are not required to have a date stamp, so you could take off a set of well worn 5 year old tires and put on a set of 25 year old tires new from the LBS. If you think that's unusual, if I can find a set of Campy brake units new in box made in 1983, then what guarantee do we have the %$#@!&* tires aren't just as old. Federal law should require date stamps on bicycle tires, just as they do on car tires. Mind you I have long thought that bicycle safety laws should fall under the auspices of the Department of Transport rather then the Consumer Product Safety Commission anyway.