Classic & Vintage - Newbie intro - tire preservative question

Hello list! A newbie here; allow me to introduce myself. I am 58 years old and started riding bikes again after my cancer surgery which was early in 2005. I had bought an early 70's Fuji camelback Cambridge III as a project bike. I just wanted to clean it up and sell it for something to do. I live by 3 very nice paved bike trails, and test riding it in order to get it all working right, got me hooked on bikes. It is still hanging from the ceiling in my garage.

I knew i needed a bike that fit me better being 6'3", so a month later i ordered my primary bike, a 2005 Fuji Crosstown. Last year i rode a bit over 2,300 miles, which in northern Minnesota i think is pretty good. My longest ride was a 60 mile charity ride.

I have absolutely no knowledge of bikes, as i say it has been decades since i had ridden them. But i have managed to pick up a few more that i want to get back into riding shape. They are a 1984 Raleigh Racing USA Competition which is in great shape; another Fuji, a Cambridge VI; a couple Schwinns from the 60's, an older fat tire Hawthorne etc. I can tell i want to learn to repair and maintain these older bikes. I would also like to learn more about the newer bikes and what makes one bike great, and another bike a relative POS.

My current question (i think i will have lots as time goes on) is how can i preserve some NOS tires i have bought? Also the Hawthorne has the original (i believe) tires on it and they are in really good shape. I would like to keep them that way. Do you guys use ArmourAll? I have a 1959 GMC Parlour Coach (35' Greyhound type motor coach), and on the bus list some guys use ATF on the tires.

OK, one other quick question - i have found a 1984 Raleigh catalog online, and it shows the Comp with red brake hoods. My bike has a new set of hoods but they are black. Anyone know where i can pick up a set of the correct red ones?

I stumbled across this forum a few nights ago. What a great resource this will be! And what fun!!! But really after 3 nights of sitting up reading about old bikes,,, i really need to catch up on some sleep. Its great to be here with others suffering from the same affliction!!! Take care, John Z

I've actually wondered the same thing. I have some old Schwinn Tractor tires that are in "like new condition" on my 1959 speedster. I'd also like to know how best to preserve them. Oh yeah, welcome aboard John Z

Whatever you do, unless you have a death wish, DON"T use Armorall on tires!

Otherwise, the use of "tire preservatives" is somewhat controversial. There used to be a couple of products that you could find in bike stores, but they seem to have vanished from the market. There are some sold in auto parts stores, but whether they actually have any preservative effect, or just cosmetic, is hard to know. Tire manufactures tend to recommend against them. But I don't know whether that's because they think they don't work, or because they think they do work.

The two things I've noticed that do seem to work are 1) keeping them out of the sun when not in use, and 2) using them. When tires are in use, they are heating internally, and I've read over the years that this actually extends the life of the rubber. Anecdotally, I think it's a fairly common experience to buy a matching set of tires, installing one and saving the other until the old one wears out, only to find later that the "new" tire has deteriorated in storage more than the one you mounted at the time of purchase. I'm not sure how sound the science behind that might be, but it's happened to me enough times that I've stopped buying tires until I can put them into immediate use.

So, for storing tires, keeping them out of the sun is pretty obviously good advice, but what else?

-does it matter if I keep them in the rafters of my shop where it can be quite hot?
-would it help or hurt to keep them sealed in bags?
-would they be better off in the relatively constant moisture of my air conditioned house?

Those of us who hoard 27" tires need to know.

jim

Otherwise, the use of "tire preservatives" is somewhat controversial. There used to be a couple of products that you could find in bike stores, but they seem to have vanished from the market. There are some sold in auto parts stores, but whether they actually have any preservative effect, or just cosmetic, is hard to know. Tire manufactures tend to recommend against them. But I don't know whether that's because they think they don't work, or because they think they do work.

Automotive tire companies don't recommend MOST products you put on the tires. Many of the products leach the UV inhibitors from the rubber.

I've found that tires kept in a cool dark basement hold up very well. I have a set from '79 that still have miles left on them and still look good. My clincher tires are mostly out of any light and hang supported where the temp doesn't vary 15 degrees in a given year.

I had this confirmed by a "puff" piece I saw on Verses. It was about the mechanic who supported Lance Armstrong in the TdF. He "aged" Lance's tubular tires for several years in a cool basement before they were installed for riding. He was shown going to the basement where there must have been over a hundred tires slightly inflated sitting on the concrete floor. He picked out a couple and came up to the shop to glue them on.

I asked the fellow on the bus list about using ATF. His theory is that trannys are filled with rubber parts that must remain soft and pliable. He says he has been using the ATF on all his tires for close to 20 years and he swears that it works.

Does anyone have any reason why this would not work?

Store in a cool dark place and AWAY from any electric motors such as on a furnace or built in vacuum, the ozone that they create is very harmful to rubber. I have heard about ATF and I have personally seen some window rubber on a 60's muscle car that my friend rejuvenated by soaking in brake fluid! I can understand some of these home remedies for display purposes but of course, not for riding on.

vjp

ATF sounds like something that might work, but not to rejuvenate a tire, but just keep it from degrading. 20 years worth of experience is worth something. But I'll bet he keeps them in a cool, dark place, too.

Welcome John! Sounds like you've been bitten by the bug and also that there might be some good 'finds' up there in the 'Land of Sky Blue Waters'.

Re the tires, I'm not a chemist by any means but I think common sense dictates that:

Start with quality tires. All tires are not made of the same stuff any more than any other product. Some last longer than others and usually you get what you pay for.

Keep them in a cool, dark place. I'd bet almost any chemical change (aging) speeds up when the ambient temperature is raised. UV also degrades most things rubber or plastic.

Keep them clean .

Don't park your bike and let it stand on the tires for long periods, hang it up instead.

+1 on the recommendation to keep rubber away from motors (ozone is EXTREMELY reactive) and also don't forget to keep them away from all the other various solvents, etc you might have lying around.

My local auto store says to store tires in plastic bags to reduce their exposure to ozone. I've also heard of folks putting glycerin and then talc on them as a preservative - you'd want to remove it before use of course!

While doing a search for a product to use to try to keep my bike tires in decent shape I came across this old thread and mention of "ATF". What is ATF?

[QUOTE=regfman;What is ATF?[/QUOTE]
Not Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Automatic Transmission Fluid. No idea on its effect on tires, though. Interesting.

To determine how to preserve, the first question is, what is being preserved? While I don't know all the components that are leaving the tire to create the "dry" appearance, I do know that the loss of elastomers is a large part of the problem.
As has been said, the use of chemicals such as tire shine and Armorall, is a double edge sword. Yes they help to maintain elasticity, but it is very dangerous to use tires that have these compounds on their surface.
Don't kid yourself. Properly stored NOS tires have lost less of the elastomers than tires that are used and mounted, but they are NOT the equivalent to new tires. They've still aged and lost some of the elastomer compounds.

Automotive tire companies don't recommend MOST products you put on the tires. Many of the products leach the UV inhibitors from the rubber.

The one I use is called Aerospace Protectant (http://www.303products.com/shop303/index.cfm/category/65/303-aerospace-protectant.cfm). It was recommended on the CR list for keeping rubber looking good. I like it. It has UV protection and is non-toxic. You can get it at boat supply stores and, not surprisingly, amazon.com.

I know the cool dark basement is supposed to be it, but this 1945 Rudge was kept in a backyard shed for untold years, and when I got it the pedals were mint, and even the war grade tires weren't too bad. This was in Cupertino, in Northern California. Gets pretty hot there. Don't kno wif that speaks to the quality of rubber, or the storage conditions - both, probably.

http://sciencemonster.net/machines/rudgesports/bikepedal.jpg