Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
I liked the width they were better. They were a perfect tandem tire. I'm really annoyed that they changed the diameter. The old tires fit fine and had no problems. The coating bothers me. I've never owned/stored a tire that suffered from oxidation. In fact some people store their tires for a year or two because that seems to toughen the rubber. I had to take our tandem out on a fast rain ride with a new tire with some waxy crap on it. You bet that made me nervous.
All in all, for me they ruined a perfect tire, best I've ever used. The old tires got a lot of lauds on this forum, so I don't think I was the only fan.
No, you don't have problems with tires that have been aged because they are protected. High end tires have always in my experience had a protective coating that flakes off during initial mounting and use. What you experienced was a little softer. Maybe a new formula. But make no mistake, the coating is valuable and part of what you are paying for. Would it be slippery in the wet? That is hard to imagine: that a tire company would do something like that. But I can't say no. As for the width, I can't say why the change. All in all a truer dimension is more reliable, i.e. you buy what you really want. It sounds like you might be happier with 28s, but it is too hard to return to Wiggle to exchange them.
Just checking, you did buy the previous tires new and install them yourself right? They didn't come on the bike. Otherwise that could explain their being easier to mount and not having the coating. Maybe also the change in width as you are already seeing expansion over time. Please don't take offense; it just suddenly seemed that all the differences (except the appearance) could be due to the previous tires having been long installed when you first encountered them. I see you say you purchased the old ones. I am not generally a conspiracy theorist, but if they were pre-owned, mounted, hung up for a while, then returned to the store, that could explain all the differences. Somebody else could have cleaned them off and stretched them for you. Just brain-storming.