tire hair
 

how do i get hair off my tire (like the little hairs from the molding process :P)

Just ride it? Cut them off?

Nail clippers. Or miles.

They add wind resistance.:lol:

I use nail clippers. Those little hair are from holes in the tire mold that insure the tire fills the mold properly when the tire is being cured.
Some will wear off and others will not.
I clip all of my tires simply because they will spray water if you ride through puddles or in the rain.

yeah i wanted to clip it too but i was wondering if there was a more elegant way of doing it.

I also think they are ugly with hair :P

I tug on them and give a quick swipe with a knife close to the tire, they wind up being flush with the tread, It's also quicker then trying to feed each one into nail clippers.

No more than valve caps, and with less weight penalty.

Never worried about it...Just ride.

No they don't.

They're like dimples on a golf ball: the scientifically-designed layout of the "hairs" causes a certain turbulence pattern in the air that actually reduces wind resistance. ;)

Is there a market out there that would buy hair for their hairless tires, to get that aero edge?

If you remove the tire hair, do you then have bald tires?

Holding a lighter flame nearby melts them away and helps keep new ones from forming (obviously not so close as to set the tire on fire). But it's also fine to just ignore them - the tires will still last and ride ok.

Sorry - didn't read the whole post and thought you were talking about the frayed 'hairs' that form on some tires over time, expecially older Contis.

Whatever you do don’t cut them off. :eek: They are like wear indicators.:D Once you wear them off you need new tires anyway.:thumb:

I assume this is sarcasm

Nope. In order to do this, clip them off of the tires of the new bikes at your local walmart and glue them on.

Nice try, but you're making that up as you go along. Doesn't make sense on its face (how can you compare a 3/16" whisker to a dimple?). Plus the late, lamented Bicycle Guide magazine actually did a test on this, spinning hairy and shaved tires under controlled conditions, and the hairy ones did slow down more quickly. It wasn't a huge difference, but it was consistent.
Having said that, I ride them off unless I happen to be fixing a flat in front of the TV or something, when I might grab a pair of scissors and snip them.

Im giving this bike to my girl and I try to be sensitive to possible sources of ugliness :P

Ask her if she prefers hairy or shaved down there.

I have to say this is a very odd topic!! Who notices or cares about the little bits that stick out from the tires???? Just ride the bicycle, they'll wear off and once they are all gone, you'll want to start thinking about a new tire.

People: Don't let Machka discourage you.
This topic is very important.

I've found burning the hairs off with a blowtorch works well.
I gain 2-3 km/hr when scorched hairless.

Ya Think?:innocent: Still I put on so many miles a year the little things hardly get noticed.

By this logic, fenders are hats for your tires.

If it could be shown that hairy tires are even half a watt easier to pedal at TT speeds than their bald counterparts, then I'm sure there would be a market.

sanding block

I like to keep the hair on. It reassures me that tires are still relatively new.

My LBS sold me a jar of salve to rub on the tires to increase the amount hair on them. So far, I can't tell that it's working. Probably wouldn't help any on my head either.

Ken

Most of the replies here are sarcasm... most folks don't worry about the tire overmold, they just ride.

you're talking about a tired hare, right?

Have to agree with Bob. Why bother taking them off? Its a fiddly job and gives you an indication of how much the tyre has been ridden. And how much you lean in cornering.

ROFL thread winner!!

whip skids.