I recently discovered this nice little cut in my tire's sidewall. The cut doesn't go all the way through to the tube. It seems like it is just the outside rubber stuff that is sliced through. Given my explanation and the pictures below, is it necessary to replace this tire right now? That is, is it safe to ride with this? I mainly ride on paved roads in the city and occasionally have to go through a little gravel, short grass, etc. (nothing too "off road") if that makes any difference.





The inside

Hi,

Personally I'd slap some glue on it and run it on the rear.
As long as there is no bulging I wouldn't be worried.

rgds, sreten.

The fabric cords are what give the tire its strength and they do not appear to have been damaged. I'd just glue down the flap and ride it. Putting it on the rear as sreten suggests would be a prudent course of action.

any advice on a specific type of glue?

Do what you like -- if it were mine, it would be sitting in the trash right now.

i agree on the trash.
cost of new tire about $20.
cost of a crash and a fast introduction to the ground at speed due to a tire blow out= MUCH MORE than a tire costs.

Replace

I'd ride the tire. However, I feel the question about the glue is a good one. I'm awaiting answers to that myself in the event I have the same damage. No glue will be ok. The wrong glue may cause problems.

Hi,

The glue that comes with a patch kit should be fine.
The tyre will be fine as long as there is no bulging.
(i.e. the carcass, the threads are undamaged.)

Putting it on the back is because you can.

rgds, sreten.

Any flexible glue like contact cement or shoe goo is good. You could also just trim the flap off. You could toss the tire, but that'd be a waste regardless if it's cheap or you can afford it.