When to Replace a Tire
 

Had some glass in my tire, pulled it out and there is a bit of a bump on the inside of the tire. Tried to scrape it down, but there is still a little of a rough spot. Should I just get a new tire?

This is a 700x28 road tire.


Thanks

I generally ride a tire until either it starts flatting very frequently (indicating the hard rubber on the outside of the tire may be gone), or until I see threads. Unless it was more of a slash than a puncture, your tire probably still has miles to go.

If it's just a little bump on the the inside, with no obvious cuts or bulges when inflated, you are probably ok. Pictures would help

If the glass cut through the casing to the inside, it won't last. If the glass only got through the rubber, it should last a long time but that gash could retain any other debris it happens to ride over and that'll shorten the life; use shoe-goo or something to fill up the gap. I'm not sure what you mean by a rough spot inside the tire, sounds borderline... you need to do a better inspection.

The glass shard made its way through the tire.

I was able to get all of the glass out, it frayed some of the tire cords and that's what I can not get smooth on the inside of the tire.

Hard to believe that in the past two years I have gone over 3000 miles and this is the first time I every had a puncture.

I agree with pdlamb: When I start getting frequent punctures or when I start to see cords all around the circumference, I replace the tire.

There is one additional test: If after replacing the tube and re-inflating the tire I can feel a lump or see a zig-zag on the outside of the tire, I assume the cords have been compromised and I replace the tire.

If it was a pretty new tire with just a little cord damage, I might try to run it a bit longer, I would boot it from the inside with a couple layers of gaffer tape and put it on the back. Otherwise I'd replace it.

Given that you have 3K miles and two years on the tire, I'd replace it; seems like a small price to pay for removing any doubt.

It would depend a bit on WHICH unspecified tire you have.
Tires with extensive (relatively speaking) "flat protection" would likely be more resistant to "failure".

IF you have a new tire, use some kind of caliper and measure how much thicker the new tire is.

At 3000 miles, you have gotten your money's worth and a new tire provides more peace of mind.

If the tire still seemed in reasonably good condition, I'd probably put a patch on the inside to cover the "roughness". No sense having it possibly compromise the tube.

I agree with this.

I've booted and rolled the dice with questionable tires more than once, but I can't in good conscience recommend anyone else do it.

just wanted to thank everybody for the input.

With the info gathered here I went ahead and put a new tube in and kept riding while the new tires are on order. Went to two local shops and neither had what I was after in stock..

And sorry for the confusing statement. 3k on the bike with no punctures, only about 1300 miles on the current tires.

When sharp pokey stuff penetrates the tire and cuts a few inside layer threads/cords, but it appears okay otherwise I'll boot it with a Lezyne self sticking tube patch -- these are almost paper thin and shouldn't interfere with proper seating for most tire/tube/rim/rim tape combos.

Also, the thin patch reminds me where the tire was cut through, so next time I have a flat I'll remember to check that area to be sure it hasn't worsened. So far, so good.

And I'll fill cuts in the tread with Shoe Goo. Tough stuff, lasts a long time on my tires -- going on 7 months with my Michelin Protek Cross Max on the errand bike, which get slashed up by really nasty roads in my area filled with broken glass, metal shards and construction debris.

I'm not expecting the Shoe Goo adhesive to actually heal the cut. I just want to minimize the risk of debris infiltrating an open cut and penetrating to the tube. It works for that.

I just used Shoe Goo to fill a couple of 1/8" cuts on some 700x23 Vittoria tires that had less than 200 miles on 'em. I inspected the cuts with a 10x loupe and used tweezers to pick out a couple of tiny pebbles stuck inside. The cuts didn't penetrate or damage the thin inner puncture shield, so it should be fine. I usually give it 24 hours before riding, although the stuff dries quickly under a fan.

If the hole is less than 1/8" I wouldn't worry about it. If it bothers you put a piece of duct over the hole. For larger cuts I super glue a piece of 1/32" reinforced gasket material in the tire and cover it with duct tape. I usually run a booted tire on the back, but I have never had one fail.

Tires are the only thing on the road and they are not all the expensive. I would error on the side of caution and change the tire if any doubts. The price of a tire is less the an office visit to the doctor by far and compared to surgery to fix any problems.............no contest. Get a new tire.

I punctured my Continental Grand Prix 4000S II with a glass shard after just 500 km. I can see the pinhole in the tire. I installed Mr Tuffy in both tires. Hoping this will help prevent future flats.

I've been gluing and internally patching tires for pretty much ever. If the cut got enough of the cords, you'll know soon enough-- the cut will start to spread and you won't be able to stop it. Most nicks and small slices can be "repaired" with just superglue from the outside, and sometimes by gluing a patch to the inside of the tire.

The only thing that will almost certainly trash a tire is a cut in the sidewall. I've seen stitch jobs, but that's too far even for me.

tap it with a round hammer/end of a scredriver

i wish id get 1300 miles out of a pair, ever

Well, ran over a patch of gravel on a bike path yesterday. Few seconds later, POP! pfff... pfff... pfff... 1 cm sidewall cut. One Grand Prix 4000S II destroyed in about 1000 km :mad:

I have a three flat rule, 3rd flat, time for a new one since the road contact area is probably getting thin. Most road tires have a rounded profile when new. When you start seeing a 1/2 inch or so wide flat area, time for a new one. I have tubes with 4 of 5 patches, but I rotate them from bike to bike as I repair them. I've also glued patches inside the tire casing to keep a cut from getting worse, or letting other foreign matter inside to damage the tube; usually works for small cuts.

Sounds reasonable, if you can keep track of flats. I can't remember 3 months back, so I can't keep track until there's 2-3 punctures within a month. Also, I give things like logging or construction staples a pass, since they're often big and strong enough to punch through anything.

Yes, yes they are, along with nails...

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New tire goes on the front, old front is the new rear.