Wileyrat

Due to a freak circumstance last Monday, I shredded my rear tire half way through a 60+ mile loop ride, and now I have new tires mounted up and ready to go.

I was ready to do the same 60+ miler that would take me a ways from home (same loop ride as Monday, hopefully without a ride home from the mid point), but I decided that maybe the prudent thing to do would be to put some miles on the new tires that weren't quite so far from home, until everything shakes out.

Anyone else here back off a bit until they get a couple of rides on new tires?

Twenty years ago I would've jumped on the bike and just went for it.

berner

I'm always surprised how some people will put themselves in awkward situations without a way out. Of course I do this myself now and again. But being a cautious man and son of a cautious man I try to look ahead and imagine what is the worst that could happen. In other works, in evaluating the risk to reward equation, I pay plenty of attention to the risk side. As an offshore sailor, at least when I was younger, in the middle of the ocean you have to deal with problems yourself. This attitude carries over into everything else I do such as carrying a used folding tire in the seat bag. Last year, nearing the end of a club ride I caught up to a fellow member in a racing kit, alternately pedaling then standing and pedaling. Ordinarily this guy would be traveling at twice my speed but as I came alongside I could see the rear tire was flat and he was riding on and wrecking the expensive carbon rim. There is much in the universe I don't understand and this is just one more example of that.

Retro Grouch 

Somewhere I'm sure there's a rule about not making major changes before a big ride of any kind. I definitely always do at least a short shake down ride.

RonH

I usually buy the same tires (Conti GP4000) so I just head out on the new tires.

Rick@OCRR

When I put new tires on . . . I just ride them, pretty much right away. This did bite me once, however, when I put a set of new Conti's on my wife's bike the day before we set out on the Butterfield Double Century.

One of the tires (turned out to be the rear, of course) was made incorrectly and had some "wobble and bounce" for lack of a better term. I didn't notice it when I put it on, but she noticed it right away when she started to ride! Fortunately a SAG had a spare tire for her so she finished the double and fortunately the bike shop exchanged the defective tire for a new (and perfect) one the following week.

I just had to put up with "Upset Wife Syndrome" (UWS) for awhile . . . and some of you know how difficult that can be!

Rick / OCRR

MinnMan

I generally don't go for long rides on new equipment or gear (shoes, for example - also shorts- if they turn out to chafe after 30 miles, oh dear), but I wouldn't worry about tires so much.

OTOH I once had a brand new Conti 4000 self destruct on a first ride when I was out in the middle of no where, so mebbe....

leob1

The rime on some of my bikes are very difficult to mount tires on and to get them to seat properly. so if I don't take new skins on a shake down ride, I could be in big trouble. Problems usually are noticed in the first few miles.

jppe

Just depends how much I trust who did the wrenching, and it's always me????

Wileyrat

Nice ride today. I put 50 miles on the new tires (Vittoria Rubino Pro III's), and now per Weather.com I'm looking into the beginning of a long string of 100 plus temp days.

The West side of the Tucson Mtns may have to wait till fall.

OldsCOOL

Pro Slick III? Decent tire for the price. I have a set on the Trek 760.

Wileyrat

Nope. The treaded version.

Funny though, I was thinking about that today. I used to ride on slicks in Seattle before I moved to Tucson, Now in Tucson I ride tires with a tread pattern.

I think I have that backwards.

OldsCOOL

You could give a comprehensive review on them.

Mobile 155

I tend to toss on a new set of tires just before a century. I have been known to put them on the day before the ride. So far I have felt better starting off on new tires than older ones. But then if I have to drive to the start of the Century, like the Patriot Ride or TDPS. I take a second set of wheels with tires already mounted. I ride Kinda kaliente pros mounted on the bike and Vittoria pro III or slicks on the spare wheels. The spares always have a few miles on them

noglider 

I do follow a rule of no changes before a big ride. After I make a change on my bike, I ride it around the block in case there's something wrong or I need to readjust the handlebars or something like that. Then I'll ride it a mile or so. Then I'll ride it longer.

But having said that, I pretty much trust new tires. And it's funny that I say that, because I've worked as a bike shop mechanic, and as such, my sample size is big enough to have seen defective tires. But they are pretty rare, and defects show up very quickly. If I had to change tires and continue riding, I would do it without fear.

rumrunn6

bought a 30 yr old road bike and tried a Sunday test commute 34 miles round trip with the original tires. bout 2/3 the way to the office the tires' threads started popping and sides started bulging. turned around of course and amazingly made it home, but that was so dumb. shudda swapped them out right away but yeah a test ride closer to home wudda been smart. test ride new tires? nah

mikiek

For tires, I do 2-3 miles around the neighborhood just to make sure I didn't hose up something when I mounted them. I trust the big brand new tires.

As a general rule, If I can't fix/replace it on the road I do a few local test rides.

osco53

Never had a tire let me down so far,,

Bontrager XR-3 Expert 27.5 X 2.35 out front..

Schwalbe Rocket Ron 27.5 X 2.25 on the back..

The Rocket's like all those expensive Schwalbe's wear way too fast and cost way too much.
I'm burning up the second one that came with the bike now,, It will be replaced with a Bonty XR-2 2.25 on the back soon..

catgita

Other than lubing a chain or airing up tires, I wouldn't do a special event or group ride without a shake down, but if it is just me cruising up the road 50 miles and back again, I would just go. If there is a problem, chances are I would figure it out in the first few miles and take care of it. That would be rude on a group ride, and a spoiler on a special event.

What more often stops me is when my handlebars are crooked or my seat is off. Dialing those in takes many stops and many miles. Definitely a solo ride sort of thing.

MZilliox

for me its not the tire, but my inexperienced self in changing them. tires seem to last me a while, so I don't get a lot of practice changing them, but i just mounted some conti 4 seasons and will do a test ride before a real ride, just a couple miles to make sure the tubes are good and everything is gonna hold.

Carbonfiberboy 

When I mount a new set of tires, I go over them after inflating with some coarse sandpaper. Sometimes there's some mold wax or a protective coating on them. Always inflate the tube until it's just barely round before you stick it in the tire. Then you'll never trap it under the bead. And learn to mount tires with just your hands, no levers. Again, then no mistakes. It's OK to take a tire off with levers if you have to, because you don't care so much if you mess up the tube then. Although I take them off with just my hands, too. If you can do that, you don't have to carry levers.

But no, I don't back off a bit just because the tires are new. I don't even do a trial ride anymore, having changed hundreds of flats. Well, except for big-time event rides, where errors are a disaster. Then the "don't change anything" rule is active.

scott967

I like a shake-down after doing some work, but tires? Nope. Mount-em and go. Unless maybe there's something experimental about them (like first time gluing or something like that).

scott s.
.

DBrown9383

I rode bikes every day for years as a kid and teenager and never had a flat. I'm back in to biking again and reading all these stories about flat tires? Also I don't remember having to add air on a weekly basis like I have to now. Were the tires in the 60's and 70's that much different than they are now? I'm not talking about specialty sew up tires or other mega expensive "racing" tires. Maybe todays tires are lighter so we give up durability for that?