Originally Posted by
gsa103
Marginally. It will also wear out faster, and a rear flat is much more controllable than front flat.
If the cords aren't cut, I wouldn't worry about it.
Pull the tire, inspect the inside, if the cords are intact, put in on the rear and ride it. If there's a minor cut, add a boot then ride it.
I don't know I'd call the difference force and stress marginal; that rear tires wear out much faster-- twice? More?-- is proof of that. There's more weight on it, and it's the driven tire. I mean, if you could make twice the power as someone else, or go twice as fast up a climb as you do now, would you consider that a marginal difference?
If the point of moving it to the back is to hasten its demise, I get that; the sooner it fails on its own the sooner you get a guilt free resolution to the problem. Rear placement both increases force/stress and the likelihood of a flat.
If want to maxximize the service life of the tire and reduce the chance of flats, though, it should be left on front.
If you're afraid of a flat on the front, I'm not sure the cut will make one any more "catastrophic" than it would be otherwise, though it must increase the risk of flatting by some incalculable amount. I'd consider use of the word "marginal" appropriate in this context.
Different strokes for different folks; some are more afraid of what might happen than of that which they know will happen.