multiple sidewall splits

[fzn12s]

I was riding in that slushy, frozen stuff yesterday. I lost most of my cassette as the ice buildup wouldn't allow the chain in the lower gears. As I was riding along, my rear wheel started hopping sideways like it was really out of true. I stopped and looked at it and there was about 6 splits in the tire casing, causing the tube to poke out. Anyone seen this before? Was it caused by ice, freezing, what?

TIA,
Bryan

[Coda1]

When I fixed a flat a couple weeks ago I saw a number of slits in my tire. None of them were big enough to let the tube poke through. I was wondering what had happened to it. Maybe it is the cold.

[mtessmer]

Hmmmm... I've been riding year around for over 22 years with temps as cold as -24F/-31C and I've never had that happen. Is it an old tire?

[Coda1]

Mine is a couple of years old. Only been on the bike for about a year. I've been riding year round for 4 years and this is the first time I've had a problem.

[brokenrobot]

If it's REALLY cold and you're running on low pressure, you could theoretically crack a sidewall... Or you could have damage / cracking as a result of some de-icing solvent they use where you are, perhaps? Some kind of chemical rot? I've heard people complain that the new solvent they've been using on CO roads in the last couple of years is "bad for tires" but I never paid much attention... since it's so much less bad for the environment, I always figured drivers could just suck it up and buy tires more often ;)