jesspal

How many miles can i expect to get out of a cheap pair of tires? They are vittoria rubino's, the stock tire that came on my caad9, they have a flat spot that is expected from riding. This is my first road bike and I am not sure what exactly to look or. The tires have about 766 miles, and I weigh 280.

How flat of a strip is to flat?

I have a brand new pair of conti gp 4000's that i got from PBK for 48 bucks(a set), that I can throw on when needed.

jaxgtr

I got about 1200 out of the stock tires that came with my caad9, Maxxis tires, and I weighed anywhere between 295 and 315. I rode them until I saw wires.

jesspal

OK, I guess i'm just eager to put the new tires on to see how they ride. I'll ride these until i see wires.

sojourn

Your life is worth more than a tire.
Don't fool around with tires, you only have two of them and they are both needed! Us heavier guys go through tires much quicker then the light-weights......it's just the cost of doing business as it were......
Just sayen...........

jesspal

Ok so what are you saying, sorry i'm confused. Should I change them or not? I don't see any wires, just normal wear from what my LBS told me. When are you suggesting I change the tires?

Mazama

I guess it depends on the road conditions. I'm 340 and I expect at LEAST 2,000 out of them (at least he rear) I got nearly 4,000 out of a Bontrager.

Wogster

There are five indicators when it's time to change out tires:

1) If your starting to get more flats, even though riding conditions haven't changed.
2) If you see the cords, the tire should be changed out, immediately.
3) Bulges in the side wall, it indicates a weak spot.
4) Delamination, where the tread seems to be coming away from the rest of the tire.
5) Larger splits and cuts in the tire...

Usually the rear tire wears quicker then the front tire, so they don't need to be changed at the same time. usually a front tire lasts two to three times what a rear one does. What many riders do, is they put the front tire with very little wear on it, on the rear, then put a new tire on the front, this makes it much less likely that you will get a blowout on the front, because the tire is practically new. Never put a worn rear tire on the front, a blowout of a front tire will ruin your day.

jesspal

Thanks that makes it easy to understand.

sojourn

Couldn't have put it better myself!
In addition, I look for the tire "crown" flattening out. If the tire (looking at it from the side) doesn't have a round/radius look or feel to it, then it's time to replace. I get two rear tire changes to one front tire change on average. Mileage is not a good indicator to go by IMHO when it comes to tires.

jaxgtr

+1 to what Wog said. Perfect.

atcfoody

I completely agree. I got 1200 miles out of the original set of tires on my caad 5 while weighing in at 235ish. I got 2500 out of the original set of bontragers on my 7200 (wider tires, different style bike).
Personally, I look at replacing tires with a bit of pride; I wore them out.

D

George

I've got 3500 miles on Continental 4/season and I weight 205# and they really don't show much wear.

Ranger63

I used Vittoria Rubinos on the Paramount for several years. Got an easy 1700 on em (seasons worth of riding )
I've got Vredesteins on there now. Getting about the same.
More xpensive arn't always better.

"Retirement is when you stop living at work and start working at living"

IceNine

jesspal: it doesn't sound as though you need to change tires now. However, in my experience a nice tire can improve your riding experience as much as a good saddle. The Continental 4000s would probably give you a very nice ride.

stevel610 

Just change them out and save the old ones in case you get sidewall damage. It's fun to try new things on your bike.

jesspal

I agree I may change for the fun of it, I have a century coming up at the end of the month and wonder if these will have a better ride than my current tires.