Tire condition question - slashes-bulge-microcracking
 

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.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...834e7533df.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...49b83c6f1b.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...07c5376bcb.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8a7ae42937.jpg

and a couple of spots on the front

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...13f598a7ad.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1f02c6af1e.jpg

They look pretty good for old tires. As long as the slashes have not damaged the tire fabric (as in- the tire bulges at the cut) you should be OK.

The answers to your questions are fairly personal. Some people insist on running tires down to nothing, and/or do so for financial reasons. Other people throw-out or give-away tires that present them with any doubt whatsoever -- correctly calculating that any resulting injury costs more than a set of tires.

That said, one of those seems to be starting to delaminate on the sidewall, as my last Gatorskins did, and many of them do. I did not continue riding on those tires, but many people do.

I'd keep running those other tires, from what I can see, but that opinion is worth almost as much as you paid for it. It's your call.

one thing to remember... rear flats are a bummer.. front flats break things.

Those look OK to me. I use Conti GP 5000's and they usually look worse than that by the time they get replaced after maybe 1 1/2 years of use from brand new. I've used the Gatorhardshell's as well and the slashes are nothing to worry about as long as they haven't cut through the casing. The weave on the sidewalls tends to separate but just cut off the excess as it happens. doesn't provide structural strength. I couldn't see the bulge so can't comment on that. For skinny road tires those are pretty tough but the only flats I had were goatheads unfortunately, but they survived most of them.

Those minor cuts look like the gators have done their job. The second from the top looks to me like the tire's bulging, indicating the threads underneath have been cut. It might last another thousand miles, it might blow out 10 miles from home. That's the only reason I'd replace that tire.

Depends on what a blowout is to you. To me I've never had a blowout that was a hazard to my life. I've had some scare the crap out of me and if I had done the wrong things I might have had a spill. However just letting the bike slow down and stop on it's own with no braking or just minimal braking till I get down to a safer speed always seems to work.

You can leave the tires on the bike as long as you care to, IMO. However consider what your next rides will be. If I'm going to be doing a ride that a flat will be a big inconvenience to me or others, then I might replace those tires.

If I was going to be going fast down some long steep grades with sharp turns, I'd probably replace them now. Not so much that I'd be fearful they are going to flat. But because they look like the rubber might be hardened from age or storage conditions. Which means it won't grip as well when I really need it when going fast through a turn.

To sum it up, those kinds of cuts are not a safety issue. Bulges of just about any size represent damage to the casing and cause to at least boot the tire if not replace it altogether.

Those look ok, I would probably deflate and check the cuts for glass or sharps.

I can't agree with this approach, but that may be down to the difference between our riding. I had one blowout at the bottom of a nice little hill, a quarter mile from the projects. Sounded like a rifle shot, I was cruising at 35-40 mph, but fortunately it was straight and level where the tire blew. (Not sure whether I was lucky that nobody gave me more than a passing glance!) I was able to bring it to a stop.

I've also had a blowout on a curve going half that speed, and let me tell you, when you try to make that turn on an aluminum rim, there ain't no traction.

But for the grace of God, one of those tires might have blown on a steep downhill, going into a right hand curve, with traffic coming uphill. Catastrophizing? Maybe. But until I'm reduced to riding a nice level bike path around a lake, I'm not going to take a chance with a failing tire casing causing a bulge in the tire ever again.

I'm not sure where we disagree. You seemed to lay out all the conditions that will have made me lean on the side of changing it. And in the following paragraphs you left out of my quote, I mentioned some of them.

I got 3 or 4 goatheads well stuck in these tires, did their job on that test, pulled them out with no leaks. My heavy tread MTB tires on the other hand (hitting the same goathead patch) went flat.

The bulge is very small and existed when I installed the tires. I am thinking it was a defect, inside of tires were clean (no sign of damage) when installed and center ridge (manufacturing remnant) was still intact. I guess I should pull the tire and double check.

If you got these in an auction a few years ago, who knows how long the prior owner(s) had them or how they were stored. Then you store them for a few years under unknown (to us) conditions - so they could be wearing quicker than if brand new. Typically, I'll wrap new tires for future use in a heavy duty compactor trash bag to mitigate the effects of aging.

All that said, I usually err on the side of caution and change tires out sooner than later. I'd rather change them in my basement on my own time than deal with the consequences of not doing so out on the road.

Good luck.

Rideable, sure but would I ride them probably less so. I would just get new tires at that point. With that many cuts and cracks it is not long before something finds its way into it and makes a home in your tube. Better as HMJ said to replace them at home than have issues on the road.

When I bought the tires they were inside a large closed box with other tires. Since they have been in my possession they have been hung up inside, in a dark closet. Do you wrap tires in a bag to protect from UV? What kind of breakdown would cause them to wear quicker? Someone else mentioned they looked like they might be "hard", they feel plenty soft to me, and definitely grippy on the road.

Here is some information from Continental about tire storage. Although geared toward automobile tires, I think the principles are more or less the same.

https://www.continental-tires.com/pr...storing-tires/

Hope this helps.

From the thread title I was expecting something drastic, those cuts are nothing to worry about - if the casing is damaged the tyre will usually develop a wiggle when it is spun and viewed from above. I would recommend deflating the tyres and exploring the cuts with a pointy thing to be sure there's nothing still in there that might cause further damage. If you're worried you can take them off and check internally for signs of damage to the casing. Having said that, tyres deteriorate with age even when they're not getting worn and cut, and those don't look fresh - they probably don't grip as well as they did when new, it may be time to start thinking about what your next tyres will be. Buy the replacements while these are still good and you may not need them for years.