I bought a bunch of bikes parts a few years back in an auction. Included were a bunch of Continental Gatorhardshell tires, 32mm. Most were new, some barely ridden. I put a set on my Cuevas and despite there lousy (hard as rocks) reputation, they were a big improvement in ride over the old 25's. The roads around me are quite rough, lots of potholes and uneven pavement, always debris on the road and Goatheads in the bike lane! The Gatorskins have been doing there job and I have not gotten any flats since installing them. Fast forward to an hour ago when I headed out to the post office to send out a flickstand and I noticed a few slashes on the rear tire? There also seems to be micro-cracking/abrasion surrounding the slashes. Finally there is one spot were there is a small but noticeable bulge (on the tread surface more than sidewall)
Are any of these slashes likely to cause a full blow-out? Is it just time to replace the tires? Were these a bad batch or improperly stored? I ask because not long ago they still had the fine center manufacturing ridge.