Originally Posted by
Black wallnut
In all seriousness do you ride on asphalt? Chipseal? My front tires look like the one posted after the first 100 miles with every single new tire I have purchased and I go through at least one steer tire a year. I fear not descents >40 mph. Superficial cuts in tire tread is not a cause for concern I assure you. Rotating bike tires is just dumb to me. I wear out several rear tires a year. By the time I think a front tire is too warn it might be useful as a trainer tire but as a drive tire it would last maybe a month.
I totally agree about rotating tires. It's hard to tell by that pic but I was just trying to say that risking your life or frame over $50 is stupid. I was just saying that if your rear tire looks good and you're concerned about your front AND you're too cheap for $50, rotate them. Otherwise, put a new tire up front and put your worse tire out back.
I ride asphalt and I don't start to get little cuts like that until about 2,000 miles, at which point I'm starting to flat spot my tire and ready to replace it anyway so I'll throw my rear away, move my front to rear, and a new tire goes up front. I've never gotten cuts like that up front, only in the rear. My front never gets worn out enough with this process to get to the point those cuts happen.