Hi all:

I recently bought a used road bike, my first really nice one (Masi in my sig). It came with Hutchinson Atom tires (700x23)with black tread and grey sides. When I got the bike, they looked fine with no visible wear or damage. I keep them at 100psi, though they are rated for 115.

Yesterday, I went on a longish group ride; the longest ride I've done on this bike since I bought it. At one of the stops toward the end of the ride, I looked down and realized my front tire was splitting apart where the black and grey rubber meet. The splitting was occuring pretty much around the whole tire in a series of 2-5 inch long sections. I could see the cords inside the splits. I finished the ride, which was thankfully mostly uphill the rest of the way, worried I'd have a ka-boom and a wreck if I went too fast. Obviously, I'll be replacing the tire. The rear tire looks fine, but I'll replace it too.

Clearly, the tires could just be old, or have been damaged in some way. Not knowing their history, it's hard to say. But is this known to be a weakness of tires with colored stripes? I weigh 220lb (100kg) (and dropping). Are they just too weak for a Clyde to use? Did I have them underinflated? Any experience would be welcome.

Thanks in advance,
John.