lonesomesteve

I have many thousands of miles on Paselas both TG version and non-TG and have never experienced anything like that. I weigh about 150 and generally run 28s at about 70 psi, though I have used 32s and 35s as well at lower pressures. I usually get at least 4,000 miles out of a rear tire and more from the front tire. I'll admit though that I've never had the same tires around for as long "a few years." I usually wear them out sooner than that.

jimmuller 

I must be the odd man out. I have Paselas (mostly TG) on most of my bikes and I run them at their rated max. 115 for 25mm, 110 (or is it 105) for 28mm, 95 for the 32s on the tandem. The sidewalls don't say "Recommended pressure..."; they say "Keep inflated to..."

Wore out the tandem's rear tread at maybe 3000 miles. The front has over 4000. The other bikes have had almost no trouble. The only times I ever blew a sidewall was then I dropped into a pothole on a bike path and when a chunk of road debris popped up into the sidewall. The only true flat was from a staple from the office carpet which pierced the TG belt. I've never understood the premise of running less pressure. Why risk snake-bite punctures?

But I'd agree than if those marks on 4r6s' tires aren't from scrapes against a curb then they are probably due to under-inflation.

4Rings6Stars

Just as an experiment...drop them down 30 or 40 psi and take them for a spin. I rode them at 90psi for a while but found them MUCH more comfortable at 60.



This bike will fit ~40mm tires and I think wider is what I need to get the comfort I want.

Thanks for all of the input. No more Pasela TGs for this guy...

Velognome 

Too bad...it's not the tires fault but rather too low pressure as evidenced by the pattern on the side wall.

4Rings6Stars

I have lots of other tires I run at lower than recommended pressure and this has never happened to any of them... This is the only skin / gum wall tire I have though.

dddd

Most of the whitish "spots" on the sidewalls look entirely like typical exposure aging to me.

And when the surface rubber evaporates, the nylon fabric loses all strength quickly, so much more easily abraded or cut.

You'd have to feel the difference in the outer surface of a new Pasela sidewall to know just what I mean. The rubber on the pictured tire sidewall is simply gone, long gone.

A gumwall (as opposed to skin-side) tire will have many times the thickness of sidewall rubber that can resist ozone and abrasion for many years, while protecting the strength of the nylon casing.
So for off-roading and for years of intermittent use, the gumwall is the go-to tire, and their history of use on entry level bikes reflects the expected lower annual mileage and rougher handling as compared to the bikes made for enthusiasts.

auchencrow

The OP cites one of the reasons - lower inflation to yield a cushier ride - but I think many people would say 60 PSI is a good way to invite sidewall problems and snakebite.
The other reason to keep pressures low (Say, 80 PSI for a 1-1/4" Pasela tire) is to help insure they don't lift off the rim if you are riding old-fashioned non-hooked rims. (You probably should not be riding those rims if you ride hard.)

One last thing I'd like to stress is the importance of checking tire pressure frequently - especially on road tires... Your tires constantly lose pressure - they are are losing pressure at this very moment, so you'll have to IN-flate them to attain optimal pressure - not let air out.

Paramount1973 

The same thing happened to my riding buddy recently, premature failure of a TG 32mm Pasela with the same pattern as shown in the OP's photos. The sidewall looked like it had been in the sun for 10 years although the tire was only about 2 years old. This doesn't seem to happen as often or at all with the non-TG Pasela and I wonder if Panaracer had a bad run of casing material or not enough UV inhibitor/anti ozone treatment in the sidewall compound in the TG tires.

rootboy 

Thumbs up.

ericbaker

Sounds like you got a pretty good life out of the tires to be perfectly honest.

trailmix

Funny how a tire might work great for one person and perform terribly for another, such is life I guess. I am getting ready to order another set for my mom's Terry. Panaracer is one of the few companies that still makes ISO 520 tires.

ColonelJLloyd 

Obviously not a Bicycle Quarterly subscriber.

https://janheine.wordpress.com/categ...ponents/tires/

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2014/...nd-fast-tires/

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2010/1...-and-pressure/

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/0...ance-of-tires/

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2011/0...-narrow-tires/

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/0...of-wide-tires/

jimmuller 

Heh! Oh, I've read some of that stuff about running lower pressure (no, I'm not a subscriber), but I just don't believe all of it.

I once discussed this with the guy who gave me the Masi frame, a guy who raced back when he was younger. He argued that if it was so much better to run lower pressure racers wouldn't have been running high pressure for the past 75 (or so) years. But what do I know? My experience is that when I pump them up I don't mind the ride and the tires perform well.

ColonelJLloyd 

Not much of an argument from my perspective. At least Heine uses tests and science. Personally, I feel a major difference between a 25mm tire @ 100psi and a 32mm tire @80psi. My personal experience is enough to convince me. Someone who weighs 50 pounds less than I may feel different.

Chicago Al 

The only actual tire failure I've had in my family's group of bikes was a very low mileage Pasela Tourguard, 27" x 1 1/4", which developed a 'bubble' in the sidewall. It was probably a couple of years on the bike, my wife's mixte, but had only a couple or three hundred miles on it, and the bike was garage-kept. I kept it inflated to 70psi or so. My wife is not exactly a curb-hopper.

Wanderer

Not trying to fuel the pressure debates; but, running my 35 and 40 mm Schwalbe Marathon Supremes, at 92 PSI results in amazingly better roll, than at, even as hi as 85. When they drop down to 85, I feel the drag, and pump 'em back up.

rootboy 

It's always possible the sidewall design of the Pasela could be a bit flawed. Shows up for some riders, and some tires, but not all.

dddd

Also, keeping in mind that the tire's casing tension stress, and thus the localized hardness of the tire, is proportional not only to the inflation pressure but also is proportional to the casing width!

So a bigger tire must be inflated to a lower pressure, lest the tread surface become less yielding.

A wider tire only has a wider contact patch if the pressure is reduced, as the load is equal to pressure times area.

The wider tire presents a shallower bending angle in the tread and casing at the edges of the contact patch, which lowers rolling resistance. It also lessens the tendency for the tire to get steered or "hooked" by pavement seams that run parallel to the road or trail, especially if the pressure is reduced appropriately.

And a wider tire not only can have a larger contact area when run at lower pressure, but the taller profile of a wider tire further gives the tire extra "suspension travel" before any kind of impact can threaten the tire/tube/rim from pinching.

So, for example, I can run full-23mm tires at 95psi on the road with little risk of pinch-flatting, while with 29mm (actual width) gumwall tires, I can run only 60psi, and even ride rock-gardens off road!

And let's not forget that wider rims make a tire's cross-section wider, a bit taller and with more air volume, in addition to making the sidewalls more-vertical, which lessens the tendency of the tread cap to fall toward the rim as the contact area flattens and the sidewalls angle outward from the edge of the rim.

Again, lower pressures reduce contact pressure and thus the rate of treadwear, but also a softer tire better "absorbs" possibly-unseen gravel bits without the tread having to lift clear of the pavement and possibly cause a slideout.

So, it seems there are quite a few reasons for using lowest safe pressures in one's tires, as well as additional, related reasons for using wider tires and for using wider rims.

noglider 

Perhaps this is a flaw in the tire, but it doesn't damn the company's entire product line. The Pasela is still one of my favorite tires, and I plan to continue to use them.

trailmix

+1

jimmuller 

I'll say again...

ColonelJLloyd 

You should continue to do so. Also be sure to come to a complete stop at all intersections, over cook your steak just to be safe and never, ever, under any circumstances remove the tag from your mattress.

4Rings6Stars

I agree. I was pretty angry when I wrote this post... It was the first day in weeks that the weather / road conditions made it so that I could ride to work and I was on my way out the door when I noticed. I have read up on this a bunch and agree that it is likely the combo of weakish/older sidewall and pressure lower than it should have been. I'm thinking of trying the Ribmo to replace the Pasela TGs on my commuter...

noglider 

I'm glad we agree. As others have said, it is, at least to a degree, the price we pay for a nice ride. Now, I know there might be some tires that ride as well with a sidewall that is not as fragile, but still.

The Ribmo might be a good tire to try. Please tell us how it works if you use it. I see it's available in both wire and kevlar bead.

Panaracer has been my favorite bike tire company for a long time. They've sold under many names in the US, including Cycle Pro, Panasonic, and Schwinn.

4Rings6Stars

Update: I have been in contact with somebody at panaracer and shared with them pictures of the failure. He told me that the failure was due to a defect in the vulcanization process (I think some smart feller up above suggested that).

Thanks for all of the input everybody. I will update my original post to remove the part about not buying any more panaracer products because of this issue! Their customer service was / is excellent. Still, I think I will probably move on to something with a more rigid sidewall for my lower PSI (non road/race) bikes.


noglider - I will be trying out the Ribmo and will let you know how they are.