stevel610 

Nah, a little steel wool will clean those right up

Actually it is a cheap wheel, from a 1980's Schwinn I converted to a fixie. Having similar concerns I was surprised when I first got the bike it held up at all. I trued it a little, took it out for a short test and it has held up fine since. I only use it within a few miles of home and now mostly on a paved rail trail.

I have a replacement wheel I've had lying around a while that I put on the bike yesterday. A nice NOS 36 hole Normandy high flange hub with Weinman rim I got from a local bike shop a while ago.

Now just need to decide what replacement tires to get. Right now Panaracer Pasela's and Conti Gatorskins are in the lead.

stevel610 

Thanks everyone for the replies

Peugeotpx10Fjm

No way

GamblerGORD53

+1 CHUCK the whole wheel.

sharpywarpy

I'd have no problem at all riding on this tire. That "crack" is superficial and does not go down into the real part of the tire which is where the "cord", or "thread" is, and the cord is embedded in the rubber. I've ridden on tires a lot worse looking than this because I know what is going on underneath that very thin layer where the "crack" is located. It's like that because it's basically just a covering for the tire. Save time, money and trouble - unless you're like most American riders these days and are more concerned about how you look than where you're going and what you're doing.

DrIsotope

A hearty vote for Paselas. I bought a pair of the non-Tour Guard (that is, the cheapest ones) as an interim/backup tire, and I like them so much I haven't taken them off. They roll quicker than any Gator tire could ever hope to, the weight isn't bad for a wire bead, and they are very comfortable.

Also, darn cheap.

Ty0604

+1

Might want to get a cover! Probably cheaper than replacing the tire every X amount of years..

I would ride on those tires though.

cyccommute 

You've hit it on the head, sir. It looks like the tread is delaminating a little but the underlying casing looks sound. I doubt that stevel610 can get a lot more use out of them but they aren't going to asplode.

cyccommute 

Unless Schwalbe is using something other than rubber, there is always the possibility of oxidation and cracking. you can either wrap the tires in plastic to prevent aging and cracking or use the tires up before they have a change to age.

Based on what? You have no idea how or under what conditions stevel610 stored the tires (nor do I). Four years of basic nonuse takes a toll on rubber. I don't agree with above posts that those cracks aren't caused by low inflation. The first picture certainly looks like the bike may have had only partially inflated wheels.

The only "waste of money" was the fact that stevel610 didn't have a chance to ride the rubber off before the tires degraded but that's not the tires' fault.

Yes, oxygen and UV are destructive although I can think of other forces that are more destructive.

I can't agree on the inflation pressure, however. 80psi might work on a 32-37mm tire but using 80psi on a 28mm tire with a heavy rider significantly increases the chances of a pinch flat. There's just not enough volume with a 28mm.

There's nothing wrong with the Vittoria brand. It's a very good brand. Same with the Panaracer.

However based on several past experiences with Continental tires, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. I've suffered numerous blowouts on many different rims at the recommended tire pressure and a delamination of the tread following a small rock strike. I'd use Helmart Bell tires...and have...over any Continental product.

rumrunn6

I rode these 44 miles after noticing them, but then I replaced them. it's fun to buy new tires!


just happened to have some flexible super glue from England. so rode them 22 miles dry then glued overnight for the second 22 miles. they were fine. probably cudda got a lot more miles out of them


these are on my son's bike. I'll replace them before the summer comes around


these are the older used studded marathons I bought this fall. still riding them. gave them some tire treatment. the cracks haven't gotten worse. think I'm fine


these tires are really old. no splits but the sidewalls are dry. currently shopping for replacements but still riding them

DrIsotope

I just trashed a pair of Michelin Pro4 Endurance that were cracking not just on the sidewall but all the way across the carcass, and I had only had them in my possession for about 7 months. Both tires had multiple cuts in the sidewall, one that I had booted with tape. It was like they had progeria. The sidewalls on the Gator Hardshells I ran year before last looked WAY worse before retirement-- not uncommon for Contis. I had a pair of Freedom Thickslicks that went back on warranty, the sidewalls had big chunks of rubber falling out of them within about 2 weeks of use-- apparently improper storage while they were warehoused.

Man, I do not have good luck with tires.

stevel610 

They were stored in a garden shed. 2 sets mounted, one set hanging. Even the one's hanging had the same cracks, though less pronounced.

When I removed the tire in the picture there was no visible weakening on the inside. I did find more cracking just at the rim.

Milton Keynes

Just to be on the safe side I'd replace them.

cyccommute 

There are any number of ways to degrade rubber. By storing them in, I assume, an unconditioned shed, you aren't likely to have issues with UV. But rubber can degrade due to heat and ozone as well. If you have gasoline powered equipment in the shed, that can have an effect as well.

Basically, heat cause the rubber to continue crosslinking and hardening. The rubber doesn't "dry out" but it becomes brittled with age because it is less flexible. Let the tires sit with a bit of load on them and they become more brittle at the edges of the bend where the rubber is flexed most.

I don't think yours have reached the point where the cords of the casing won't hold pressure but they won't last too much longer either.

bbbean 

Tires are cheap. Why risk a flat at just teh wrong time?

coominya

I would throw them straight in the bin, but then the price of new tires is inconsequential in my economy.

FBinNY 

Can't see why not.

Odds are they were ridden while a bit underinflated, and that combined with their age caused tome checking and slight tread separation. But if the tire is still uniform when inflated to full pressure, without lumps, bumps or wiggles, the body is fine, and you can ride them until you can't take the comments of your friends.

smarkinson

The exterior rubber provides nearly no structural integrity to the tyre despite what some people like to think. The structural integrity of the tyre is provided by the carcass which is below the rubber. If the carcass is OK (pull the tyre off and check the inside of the tyre) and the tyre is not bulging (as Rollfast points out) then I wouldn't have a problem with riding them.

cyccommute 

If by "exterior rubber" you mean the tread, you are correct. However, the sidewall is "exterior" and the rubber there definitely provide structural integrity. That's casing rubber is is absolutely needed if the tire is to do its job.

smarkinson

I shall quote the great and almighty Sheldon Brown:

"Once the fabric has been woven between the beads, and the tire has its basic shape, it is coated with rubber. The rubber is mainly there to protect the fabric from damage, and has no structural importance.

The rubber that comes into contact with the ground is called the "tread." This area usually has thicker rubber than the "sidewalls" of the tire, mainly for wear resistance. Most tires have some sort of 3-dimensional pattern molded into the tread, which may or may not enhance traction"


On the matter of skinwall tyres:


"Skinwalls have either no rubber on the sidewalls, or a very thin layer. This, too is an attempt to make the sidewall more flexible and reduce rolling resistance."


Bicycle Tires and Tubes

curbowman

Look the ones that came with a bike I got recently. Fortunately, the former owner included a set of brand-new tires. Oddly enough, the black part looks intact.

Do you think I could cut the black part to use it as a puncture barrier inside the new tires?

FBinNY 

Those look like old IRC HPs. They're noteworthy as the first HP wired-on (clincher) tires, and as marked the beginning of the end of the tubular tire hold on performance rubber.

IMO- as bad as they look, Odds are you can still ride them safely. Cutting them apart to use the tread as a liner inside another tire, may work, but it's thick and will make that tire ride like a stiff piece of ****. I suggest you make a decision to either use them while they last, or chuck them now.

jefnvk

Wouldn't that imply, though, that lacking that protection makes the tires more vulnerable to sidewall damage?

ClydeTim

OP's pictures, I'd ride the tires but replace them as soon as new tires arrived.

As far as the wheels? I wouldn't ride them very far myself. Spokes look like they could go at any moment and the brake surface looks really jacked. That is a sign that the wall could be worn thin and a sign that the rest of the wheel ain't in all that good a shape either.

In short, I'd trust the tires more than the rims.

SquidPuppet

Based on what he wrote. He's had a few sets.

It takes a toll on low quality rubber.

.

That is exactly my point. It IS a waste of money and it IS the tire's fault. Four years is way too short. I have tires that are 16 years old on a bike that's only ridden about 200 miles each summer. It's stored in sub freezing temps for months on end in the winter and is exposed to 100+f sunshine all summer. No cracks in the sidewalls. No indication of decomposition. Good tires are good tires. Tires of low quality rubber fall apart prematurely. I know they exist because I've had a few sets, and won't buy the brand that let me down again.