Iief

Do bike tires normally fail catastrophically, or do they tend to be manageable leaks? I notice my riding has been a bit meek on steep downhill grades due to a lack of confidence in my tires.

BassNotBass

I've seen low quality tires tear at the casing and some tires that were of such poor quality that their bead had no real shoulder to speak of and would pop off of the rim allowing the tube to push out and blow. I have yet to witness any catastrophic blowouts with higher quality tires.

fietsbob

,
NO, the word 'Normally' involves statistics and probabilities, of course .

The largest category is likely to be getting cut by road hazards,
not an inherent flaw in all such tires made.

pick up a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires to reduce the possibilities.
they add a layer of protection under the tread , outside the casing.

and check the tires regularly and remove imbedded glass and wire bits and such ,
before they work their way thru the tire, to puncture the tube.

jefmcg

Leaks.

I've had two spectacular "bangs" due to brake rubbing on sidewall. But even then, though the noise was spectacular the deflation wasn't. It was no more dramatic than a leak.

Note: Sheldon Brown says that front tyre blow outs are much more serious that back tyre. If you are concerned, when you buy a new tyre, always put it on the front. I've personally had dozens of flat tyres, and it has always been the rear tyre. The risk of a catastrophic failure of the front tyre is small, I think - but can't be ruled out. You've just got to decide an acceptable level of risk that you are comfortable with.

JimBeans83

How well does your tyre sit in your rim uninflated? Youre speaking in context of small wheeled folding bikes? Of course you know of [more prevalent] rim heating issues with small bikes?

Dynocoaster 

What make and type of tire are you using? How old are they?

Azreal911

I've had one slow leak and one spectacular one. Both on the same tire, 18 inch kojaks pumped up to 115psi! one was a slow leak and the tube had a tiny hole on the inside (towards the spokes) which was weird cause I had a nice plastic rim liner. Replaced the tube and it never happened again, oh well. The next time I was going on a long 60km ride around the city and suddenly I heard a loud bang and my rear just started vibrating. Oh man my poor kojak looked like someone took a knife and slashed it directly across! belt and all. I booted it and switched the tires front and back so the back has the good one (most of the weight was on the back tire on my strida). Hobbled it to the recumbent/commuter store downtown and picked up a marathon. I ended up replacing both tires with some heavier looking stuff (marathons) and never looked back. Roads aren't the best conditions here for thinner tires in my city so I just fold up my extra kojak as a spare.