Bicycle Mechanics - Hutchinson Excel Blowouts

Hi folks,

I have been using Hutchinson Kevlar Excel tires (700x23) on both my bikes and on four occasions now have suffered failure of the sidewall where it contacts the rim. Threads in the casing near the bead of the tyre have obviously failed, allowing the tube to push through. The failure is always the rear tire

This has happened with more than one wheel, there was no bur or damage to the rims at the point of failure in any of these cases. I check the tire pressure each week to ensure that they correctly inflated. In each case there was plenty of tread thickness remaing, milage on the tire was not excessive, perhaps 2000 miles. This equates to about 6 months of use. I mentioned this in one of our local bike shops and they did not look surprised, so I'm beginning to suspect there is a problem with this product.

It is a pity that I dont get the full milage out of these tires, as they seem to have pretty good puncture resistance and are not too expensive.

Sorry for the long posting - I'm just asking to see if anyone else has suffered the same fate with these, or any other tire make. Does anyone have recommendations for a better tire?

Any input is gratefully received,

Cheers,

Ed

The Hutchinson tires seem to dry out faster than others, but I have not seen blow out failures.
Not to offend, but this is a question I have to ask: Is it possible that your brake pad is touching the tire, maybe because the rim is slightly out of true or round. The reason I ask is because it happens only in the back and right at the rim. The brake pad just barely touching the tire over the course of a couple of rides will slice through it like a knife.
Try Vredesteins, I have the Fortezza model on several bikes and they are really tough and wear well also

Ive had a front blowout with Hutchinson. It was a tight fit on the rim and I had a string of punctures, so I probably damaged the sidewall levering it onto the rim.

Thanks very much for the replies:

Rev. Chuck.. Thats a good warning - I forgot to mention that I had checked for this problem, and my posting had gotten long enough already!

I will be talkking to the bike shop about some different brands to see what they have to offer.

Cheers,

Ed

I have been using the blue excels for the past year. So far....touch wood, ..... these tires have been excellent. Very soft ride, great for commuting and no flats so far. Of course I have only put about 900 kms on them so far. The maximum psi rating for these tires is only 105-110. Maybe you overloaded the tires by pumping them up in cool weather and then riding in warm weather. Speaking from experience this can be a problem. Let me know if this helps.
Hockey

Hi folks,

I have been using Hutchinson Kevlar Excel tires (700x23) on both my bikes and on four occasions now have suffered failure of the sidewall where it contacts the rim. Threads in the casing near the bead of the tyre have obviously failed, allowing the tube to push through. The failure is always the rear tire

This has happened with more than one wheel, there was no bur or damage to the rims at the point of failure in any of these cases. I check the tire pressure each week to ensure that they correctly inflated. In each case there was plenty of tread thickness remaing, milage on the tire was not excessive, perhaps 2000 miles. This equates to about 6 months of use. I mentioned this in one of our local bike shops and they did not look surprised, so I'm beginning to suspect there is a problem with this product.

It is a pity that I dont get the full milage out of these tires, as they seem to have pretty good puncture resistance and are not too expensive.

Sorry for the long posting - I'm just asking to see if anyone else has suffered the same fate with these, or any other tire make. Does anyone have recommendations for a better tire?

Any input is gratefully received,

Cheers,

Ed

Ed ,
I had an Excel tire on the front rim. Went for a ride yesterday afternoon. Noticed that the the tire had a wobble in it and also made a thump, thump when riding. When I replaced the tire the cord on the Excel was de-laminating from the inside of the tire. I used the Carbon Comp as a replacement tire. I use these on my other bike and haven't had any trouble. I guess that the Excel's are cheap tires. Submit to memory...never buy excel tires again.
George Stewart