Mountain Biking - Tire wear

I was wondering, is it normal to wear out 2 sets of tires in 3 months? I got new tires in July, and I have just replaced them this October, I ride about 3 hrs per day, from April until it snows, usually about mid NOvember.

Are we talking road tires, here? What kind are you running? I'd say that's definitely not normal unless maybe you have very, very cheap ones. Even then, I don't think that's normal.

Thanks Velo, they are MTB tires, and I didn't think this kind of wear was normal, maybe I should go back to my LBS, and get some more expensive ones next time, instead of buying more:beer:

Originally posted by Crazy Cyclist
[B]I should go back to my LBS, and get some more expensive ones next time, instead of buying more[B]

I think that's the best choice. I don't know why they'd wear that quickly!

I noticed that i could get about 1000 miles per set of Mtn Bike tires (WTB Velociraptors) when used for mtn biking. However, when used on the road, i would only get about 500 miles. It really depends on what type of riding you do.

Some tires have harder rubber then others, they will last longer. Ask your LBS about that.

IT depends on weight, terrain and quality. Some tires are better in mud. Guess what they die on concrete. They are probably fine tires they just shouldn't have been used on concrete. I go through a rear tire every 2 months (800km) and a front tire every 4 months(1600km). This is to my level of satisfactory tread. I could probably use them longer but my climbing would suck more and my front tire would slip out too much.

If the shop warranties them I would be surprised. You will just have to find a tire that compliments your riding.

Originally posted by Joe Gardner
I noticed that i could get about 1000 miles per set of Mtn Bike tires (WTB Velociraptors) when used for mtn biking. However, when used on the road, i would only get about 500 miles. It really depends on what type of riding you do.

Some tires have harder rubber then others, they will last longer. Ask your LBS about that. Thanks Joe, I usually ride on the road, and I weigh 150 LBS, so I don't know why they would wear out so fast. I also do a lot of commuting.:)

probably becasue you have soft off road tires. They aren't meant to be ridden on the road. :)

I had some Hutchison Mosquitos that only lasted about 300 miles, They are very soft and the knobbies are pretty small, wore those babies out quick , but they were fast! I only ride Singletrack on my Mtb.

Now on Road Tires how do you know when to replace them? ( I'm new roadie this year) the road tires are smooth from the beginning so how do you know when to replace them? I have 1200 miles on my Hutchison Excels, so how do you tell?

If you ride some quality 1.5" road slicks on the road, you should get a few thousand miles out of them. It depends on your weight/load/style and how good they are. There is no point riding knobblies on the road, they suck, and semi-clicks are for mixed riding on road and trails.
You know they are really worn out when threads start to show through the rubber. Try and replace before wear gets to that stage. You dont really need the grip pattern, but it is a useful wear indicator.

I've done 2750 miles mixed (mainly road) road & off road riding on my Vredestein Spider front tyre, and it's still fine - the rear did around 2000 before a glass cut led to early replacement. They're designed for 26" touring so they're pretty tough.

Richard

Regarding the advice for more expensive tires. Actually, more expensive knobby tires will wear out faster. They usually, (note - usually) have a softer durometer to provide better grip in off-road conditions. This softer rubber will wear faster that lets say a cheapo $12.00 tire.

Same thing for road bike tires. A super expensive race tire, will grip like crazy, but will wear out in no time. A cheap Continental Sport 1000 will last 4x's as long.

Crazy World!!!!

L8R

I use Specialized Nimbus EX's on my commuter MTB and I have no complaints other than they're an absolute B17<h to get on even with levers. I average about 19 mph without really pushing.

I'm a really aggressive rider, taking super sharp turns, acellerating so fast I skid on asphalt, braking massively (but I don't skid unless it's off-road :)), ...getting scabs to ;)... and to my surprise, I wore out 3/4 of my treads in a month. I know I'll wear fast but not that fast. So do more expensive tires have a better compound? There's no such thing as the "best" rubber for everybody, but I guess there can be some junky compounds.