Does my tire need to be replaced????
 

I have a mountain bike and a 26 inch tire. The bead along the side of the tire is made of steel wire ( as I guess most of them are) I noticed yesterday that the bead has a crossing thread pattern on both sides of the tire. is this how they were made or does this occur from over use? I have had this tire for about two years ( it is on the front of the bike) and I never really looked that carefully at the bead until I noticed it yesterday. Should I be concerened about the tire?

wrong forum

not really, because it is a safety issue, so I posted it in the safety forum

I'm afraid invisiblehand is right CC... this is supposed to be more of a policy-related "Advocacy and Safety" room.

Not that it's a huge problem, but you'll get way more responses in the Bicycle Mechanics section, or maybe the MTB section...

As it stands I'm not sure I can envision what you're talking about from your description, wherever you end up getting answers pics would help a lot.

Can you compare the front and rear tire side by side to see if both have the issue? Can you check new tires at the shop?

It is hard to know what you mean - perhaps that the bead wire overlaps at the 'connection' point? I think that is normal for some tires.

At the least put the most concerning tire on the rear as a front blowout is almost always more difficult to deal with.

Al

Hi Al. The front and rear tires are different models and I have looked at the rear tire and it is OK.The rear tire is still in very good shape ( I have thin tires on the bike) the bead wire does overlap over the entire tire that is how I was trying to explain it but I didn't know how.

I wish my digital camera was working, I would post a picture of the tire.

It is not a problem, the outer coating has worn some and you are seeing the tire stitching (if I understand your discription correctly). I have continued to ride many miles with tires looking like this. Do check the sidewalls to make sure they are still good.

Under inflation causing excessive sidewall flex.

my tires are not underinflated. I always make sure my tires have the right amount of air before I ride.

That is what it is. I can see the tire stitching. The sidewalls are still good but like I say, I can see the tie stitching. So everything is still OK with the tire then?

What is the age of the tire (when did you buy it)? Where does the bike spend most of its time (sun, shade, garage, in house, on patio, etc)? How many miles on the tire?

Al

Al, the tire is about 2 years old. When the bike is not being ridden it stays in my basement with the tires on cement. I am not sure how many miles are on the tire?

Under those conditions it probably hasn't deteriorated from elements in 2yrs.

Thanks Al. So I should be allright if I ride the bike with this tire.

Only you can make that decision. If still in doubt take it to a bike shop to get more opinions.

Al