Sticky asphalt!
 

This morning, I rode across a 4 lane road that was in the process of being repaved. I didn't realize it until I got to the other side, but my near new 26 x 2.00 Bontrager H5s got coated with a layer of really nasty asphalt. When I got onto the bike path, a layer of small gravel coated the sticky goop. It's really a mess.

I did a search here on the forum. There's various solvents to try, and the consensus seems to be to let it wear off. But, it's really imbedded into the tread pattern. I tried some gasoline, but I think it's kind of a lost cause. I finally had enough of messing with it, and I ordered a new set of tires.

I'm feeling pretty foolish, but in my 50+ years of biking, nothing like this ever happened. I've learned a fairly expensive lesson. Stay away from paving projects!

I did this a few years ago (only crossed a single lane being repaved) with my Conti GP4000s. :eek: No harm done. It wore off within a month.

You will get more miles out of your tires with that extra coating:)

It will wear off, I did this yesterday, but with not as grave(l) consequences.

That would be my view as well. Once tried to cross a road that was being repaved and thought it was already cool. But it turned out to still be very soft and my tires sank down a couple inches. One of the road crew filled in the pavement scar with some fresh asphalt and my tires cleaned themselves off in fairly short order.

This, lol

Better pay attention to directions from any flag personnel on duty.;)

This sounds like a chip seal project that he rode on before it was covered with rock. In which case that's pure asphalt not hotmix.

Peel the outer part off with a shovel or something and ride it down a dirt road for a little while.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=396219

Next time wait for these guys to cover it up before you ride on it.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll try riding a bit, and see what happens; at least until I get my new tires. It was just so damn nasty!

I very often carry my bike in the back of my van. If my tires are really dirty, I like to at least rinse them off before it goes in the van. This stuff is beyond nasty. It's thick, black, oily, sticky, goop. And, it stains everything it touches.

Anyway, I've got a new pair of tires on the way. I've got a couple of friends who would probably be happy to take my sticky ones. They're probably not as bad as I'm thinking they are. But, when it comes to my bike, I don't screw around. My bike is pretty damn important to me. I'll usually do what it takes to keep it nice. And, this vile crap on my tires is making me crazy!

RSNG

Automotive bug & tar remover, and a rag.
So mild it doesn't matter if you get it on your hand, but dissolves tar like crazy.

Got any sandy patches nearby? Sand has a lot of surface area, so if you ride through it, you'll pick up a bunch of sand, which absorbs a lot of the asphalt, but it flies off pretty quickly.

You may want to get the chain degreaser handy; dirt, sand, or dust will collect on the tires and get flung into the chain, making a real mess.

Never ever ever use gasoline as a solvent: it is extremely volatile, and explosions can and do happen, and can and do burn and even kill people. Much better/safer to try mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, alcohol, acetone, kerosene, etc. Also don't use gasoline to start a fire (unless you want to be part of it).

Good luck and stay safe, Dick (please excuse my "shouting")

^
Or Diesel

So you chip-sealed your tires! That should make last a long time, and give great traction in the rain!
You may have ran over a chip-seal before the chip, or a repaving project where it isn't unusual to lay down some asphalt before the top coat. Either way you got pure asphalt on your tires, and I really don't think any solvent will get them clean.
You best bet is to do what you did, new tires.

Lesson learned, if it smells really bad, stay away!

In our area they use tree sap under chipseal. Not good to run thru that either (learned from personal experience with bicycle and car).

Actually diesel is "the" stuff to use to cut asphalt. I spent 5 years delivering hot asphalt UN1999 to jobsites. My semi trailer had an electric pump and diesel tank to clean valves, flush hoses and use as a solvent to clean up drips. The temp of the asphalt was >220° when we loaded it and >200° when transferred to a storage tank or distributor 4-6 hours later. Proper PPE was used and since the materials were hazmat training was required. My experience is that bug and tar remover is almost worthless in cleaning up splatters.

Zinger FWIW the asphalt was for Grant County and loaded at Richmond Beach, (Shoreline,WA) koke, N. Freya, Spokane, and IAS in Post Falls. 2001-2006.

The type of asphalt we hauled was cut with diesel by the refinery. To cure the diesel evaporates and the remaining asphalt thickens or hardens. Other road builders and districts used and still use asphalt emulsions which are asphalt and water.

That said, if you use a rag soaked in anything to clean your bike or tire you should be environmentally responsible and properly dispose of the hazardous waste.

I think you all are looking at this as a negative, glass half empty kind of way. I see the glass half full, and I can see a set of studded winter tires already mounted and ready for this coming winter's rides.:p

I did the same thing this summer. Yep, a big mess. I cleaned it up with mineral spirits or paint thinner.

Yeah our asphalt distributor "paint men" also used to soak their coveralls in diesel to cut it.

We used to find it entertaining when somebody missed seeing or ignored the flag personnel at intersections.

The stuff will come off. I used to slip into it running the spreader box now and then. I'd find a side dirt road and run down it, weaving back and forth, to knock most of it off and seal the rest with dirt......No reason for a good box operator or his lever man to have to pick up a grain scoop shovel too often. :)

And I haven't worked at paving since in my 20s and never in Washington state or Idaho.