+1. I wouldn’t even call that a gash. More like a slit.

The tire looks pretty worn. I would replace it.

My 2 cents.

If the cords aren't significantly cut, I wouldn't worry. As mentioned, if the rear tire is about ready to replace, replace them both. I've never worn the tread down on a front tire. I just replace when the rear is worn out. By then the front is usually cut up a lot with many cuts the size of your one cut. All superficial.

Unless that front tire is new, I don't think it's a mistake to replace or NOT to replace.

Why the need to emphasize though? It just seems like an odd point of emphasis but yes had you brought that into the shop we would have recommended a new tire, I think anyone who sees that tire and says you are good to keep riding on it especially as a skinnier high pressure tire at the front would be doing you a bit of a disservice. Yes certainly you can boot it and potentially get by for a bit, sure it is not as bad as some tires we have all seen but it is not good.

Just leaning into the zeitgeist... Bike/Car/Motorcycle/Anything dealers seem to have a reputation for recommending over-servicing.

That tire looks worn in addition to the cut but it looks as if it may give you a few more miles. I would take it off and inspect it more closely from the inside. With the tire off you can better assess whether the cut is only superficial but it sounds like you’re ready to replace it anyway so go for it and replace both while you’re at it

Not so much in the bike industry, we really don't have the time or energy to add extra unneeded work. Most of what I recommend is for safety or because it is just simply worn out. On occasion I recommend luxury items but that is few and far between.

Agree, as the sorta the "bike guy" in our little old folks community what I hear about the nearby shops zeitgeist is very reasonable as I often can easily explain why the recommendations were made.

Super glue works as well to seal cuts in the rubber. Likewise I have ridden thousands of miles on tires with tread rubber cuts. It seems like there is a lot of superstitious fear of tread cuts.

I have learned in life you don't get far B.S.ing people it doesn't do you any good and doesn't do your business any good. Be honest with people and they will appreciate it or they might be a little mad but at least they know you aren't just out to take their money there is a reason. I wish I could go up to every bike and say yep $600 done and have them pay me without batting an eye or asking a question but the world doesn't work like that people want to know the breakdown of what you are doing and why and I want to be able to provide that to them because I want them to feel comfortable and confident in what we are doing. If there is something I am adding to add it I tell them look not absolutely necessary but will make you more comfortable on the bike or make a certain part last longer or just help get your bike where it should be.

I think there is a very well-founded fear of cuts in the cords and casing, as that can have unpredictable and very unpleasant results. But we seem to agree that simple tread cuts aren't in of themselves grounds for discarding a tire. The key issue is having the good judgment to assess which category it falls into and act accordingly. As someone else noted, an inspection of the tire from the inside can help assess if there is cord or casing damage.

I noticed the same issue on all my tyres...

First I panicked and started buying replacements, but for now I've been keeping the old ones.



I have 3 cuts or cracks like this on my front tyre, the other are limited to the wall. I suppose this comes from braking hard on rocky terrain at relatively high speed, from shear stress.



Rear tyre shows many small cuts, and weird holes...

I'm still using them, including on bad trails.

Today I found a new variation (rear tyre):



If I raise this bit, the cord is "naked" (I didn't manage to take a picture with one hand) but it looks good... this one is ~10K km old.

Soon to be replaced...

While true we can not forget the location in this discussion, happy to use tires w/o cord/casing damage on the Tucson Loop but no way on the Mt. Lemmon Climb/Descent or here at our summer place in the Bighorns.

OK, so you will use a tire without cord or casing damage on the Loop, but "no way" on Lemmon. So I'll have to make sure next time I go up Catalina Highway I have a thump or bulge in one or both of my tires.

(wait, that's not what you meant...?)