Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Tire Wear

My girlfriend and I bought new Cannondale Bikes at the end of July (her: Synapse 1; me: Synapse 2) with the 23mm tires.

After 400 miles, the stock Maxxis tires on mine are showing much more wear than I would have expected, developing a nice flat spot on the rear tire. My front tire is considerably less, but still more than her rear tire.

I'm 6'2" 225# and she is 5' 10" 170#, so I expected some wear difference, but not necessarily that much.

Was I crazy for expecting much wear-wise from the 23mm tire?

I understand that Armadillos have good puncture resistance, but how are their wear characteristics, or is there a better wearing tire I should be looking at for someone my size?

Thanks!
Bob

Your rear is going to last roughly about 1/2 the time of your front. Different tires wear more quickly, but I expect 2,000 miles out of my rear tire.

Your rear is going to last roughly about 1/2 the time of your front. Different tires wear more quickly, but I expect 2,000 miles out of my rear tire.

Yeh... I was expecting the rear to wear faster... just wasn't figuring they were going to wear so much with this few miles on them.

For comparison I can tell you that on my LeMond I have 25mm Bontrager Race Light tires. I weigh about 215, but I always carry a tire pump, two bottles of water and a handlebar bag with some essentials so I take about 10 Lbs of stuff with me. After 947 miles the front tire show pretty much zero wear, and the rear tire shows only a little wear. From this I'd think I should be able to get 2000 miles out of the rear tire and possibly double out of the front. I have no flat spots, but I also try to be very careful to not press the rear brake to hard. I start braking with the rear, and then immediately start to apply the front brakes and dial in as much front brake as needed. A the weight shifts forward you I have noticed that I have to back off the rear brake to make sure I don't cause a slight skid. Anyt skidding will quickly wear out a tire. Either way, that sounds like a lot of wear in a short time.

Happy riding,
André

I have used the Armadillo and it is HEAVY. I felt like I was dragging a boat anchor. It has good puncture resistance. I would recommend the Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase. I rode the last one 2813 miles with only one flat. The flat was due to a very fine strand of wire. I hit what looked like a carpet tack on my first century ride the tack entered the center of the tire hit the carbon layer and pushed out through the sidewall and never lost air. I stopped due to the clicking noise the tack made every time I rolled over it. I rode that tire until you could see the cord pattern through the rubber.

chevy57

Typically you rotate your front tire to the rear and put a new tire on the front. I've been getting about 3000 miles on my Bontrager Hard Case tires. I think men ride faster and harder than women and that accounts for accelerated tire wear.

Are you and the lady-friend running the same tire pressures?

i think men ride faster and harder than women and that accounts for accelerated tire wear.

:roflmao2:

I'd concur that 2k is a good number for the rear, probably 3k total for a tire. I have over 2k on the stock Conti Contacts on my bike, and the rear is pretty much worn to a slick while the front shows little wear. I'm pulling the rear and trashing it, while the front will be on the shelf until next spring, when it will go back on as a rear. For the fall/winter I'm going with Schwalbe Marathon Crosses, which I hear great things about, and hope to get 2k out of.

There are varying beliefs on tires, I just know every cheapie I've had has been a flatmonster. I've paid for good tires, and they've been great. Hence, well, for me I'll go expensive. For you, you might look into 700x23 Gatorskins. I hear they're the goodness.

Typically you rotate your front tire to the rear and put a new tire on the front. I've been getting about 3000 miles on my Bontrager Hard Case tires. I think men ride faster and harder than women and that accounts for accelerated tire wear.

Well... that's probably the case here.

Are you and the lady-friend running the same tire pressures?

Yes... I usually pump them both up at the same time when we throw them on the rear bike carrier. I've been pumping to the rated tire pressure, but have read a few snippets that indicated that we might want to experiment with running 10-15lbs less.... some of that for comfort.

Are there tire size charts around with recommended rider weights listed?

Well... today I opted to go with the Armadillo tires... 28mm rear; 25mm front. Time will tell if this was a good move or not, but after reading about recommended weights for various tires sizes, I wasn't comfortable staying with the 23mm any longer.

After a ride tonight on a trail with lots of storm damage refuse, I was very pleased with the difference in ride already... much less jarring. The test for me will be how the difference feels (if any) on the 30-60 mile rides.