NoGaBiker

Bought a Merlin Extralight in June. It has Michelin Pro Race tires. The bike was built in late 2004 (2005 model bike) and sat in the shop for 1.5 years. The tires now have 700 miles on them, but they are covered in the little hairline cracks that older tires have. I hadn't ridden in a long time before buying this bike so I can't remember if tires get those cracks only when they are old or as soon as you start riding on them. They have exhibited no problems, hold air fine, only 2 punctures this summer, etc., but I was just wondering if they might have exceeded their sell-buy date?

Matt

johnny99

Unless there is mildew or dry rot on the inside of the tire, they are probably still safe to ride. They will probably wear faster than brand new tires, however.

FXjohn

That's ridiculous...just ride on the tires until they wear out.
Really, whatever happened to common sense?

clutchy

Safety, a ridiculous need for assured safety that overwhelms all forms of common sense...

operator

Considering a rubino is $18 shipped, why the hell not?

DavisClydesdale

If you are going to use a trainer for the winter, get some new tires and use these old ones on the trainer since trainers tend to wear the tires unevenly anyway. If it blows on the trainer, no big deal since you are stationary.

steve_wmn

1.5 years of indoor, bike shop storage and then 1/2 year of use is nothing. Keep the tires and don't worry about them. Tires aren't fresh produce, they're expected to sit in a store for a while before they sell. Now, if they were a decade or two old you might give some thought before using them but 2 years old? Meaningless. FWIW, my Michelin Carbons have some hairline cracks in the outer edges of the tread and they don't seem to effect them at all.

FXjohn

There's that common sense i was talking about

froze

Actually...this is strange...but I agree with FXJohn!? anyway, just ride those tires your fine.

NoGaBiker

You're right, of course. I mean, why would somebody over 40 get their prostate or colon checked if they can still piss and crap? Common sense says they couldn't possibly have cancer as long as there's no blood or puss coming out the hole, right?

Funny, I just thought that the 0.5mm thick piece of rubber that is the only thing between my face and a 45mph powerslide on the asphalt might be worth asking about. Obviously I need to use all that common sense we all intrensically have about the vulcanization process and the aging thereof, use it to refute the slight concern I had over thousands of tiny cracks in the tire that my eyes tell me are there.

I just hope, for the sake of the gene pool, that if you ever see similar cracks in any rubber you are using, that you consider replacing it before your next "ride."

Cheers Johnny,

Matt

badkarma

If you're so concerned about the tires, just replace them (the front moreso than the rear, b/c a rear blowout won't really cause any damage, unlike a front tire blowout). probikekit.com runs some pretty good deals on tires.

FXjohn

yeah, do you want to talk about the characterisitcs of rubber, the vulcanization process and so on?
I'd love to engage you in a discussion on that, I was in the tire manufacturing and rubber molded product business for 10 years.
You don't simply ditch the tires on your bike because they are older than a sell by date, that's stupid.
And throwing in that nasty prostate blurb was simply a red herring.

mwrobe1

Wow...you would've never known a pissing match would start from such a simple question.

Happy Monday EVERYONE!!!

NoGaBiker

Oooooohhhh, unfortunate choice of words!!!

Matt

blue_nose

Calling somebody's question "ridiculous" is not a good way to communicate. With the experience you note above, it would have been nice if you could have explained a position rather than writing a bit of a mean spirited response.

Happy Monday...

NoGaBiker

What you are NOT in is the reading comprehension business. The very fact that I am on here asking a question about tire life is evidence that I do NOT consider myself an authority on the subject. Don't you think that knowledge gained by your 10 years experience in the industry just might transcend what could reasonably be called "common sense" for the rest of the population? (Rhetorical question meant to point out the illogic of your position)

Oh, and the analogy of the prostate check was not nasty; the crack about you carefully considering the gene pool was.

Finally, your statement that it is "stupid" to consider replacing a tire because of age rather than wear is, well... stupid. As a former auto racer I can assure you that no serious racer would consider using last season's tires, whether they had sat in the trailer unused or been on the car for the last 5 races of the season. Rubber ages and changes it's physical characteristics as it does so. I don't know how that process affects bike tires (hence my original question), but I can guarantee you it DOES affect them. The question is just "after how long?"

Cheers!

Scorer75

*ahem* back to the topic, Bicycling magazine did an article on the discovery team (no I don't remember wehn but it was within the last two years) and the chief mechanic there actually ages his tires. He buys them and keeps them for a while before using them.

Just thought this was interesting since we're discussing colons and prophylactics.

mwrobe1

Indeed.

Biggziff

Mine are about 5-6 years old...been sitting for at least 4 years. Seem fine so far.

ghettocruiser

I think the best method for disposal of these unsafe tires is riding them until all the rubber has been deposited on your favorite local roads, then putting the casings in your regular household waste stream.

cooker

It's a question of knowledge, not sense. He doesn't know that cracked tires are not worn out.

To the OP: tires have an outer layer of rubber and an inner layer of mesh. The outerllayer can be cracked and look dried out and worn, even though the inner layer may still be intact. I replace them when all or most of the tread is worn off.

cooker

You set the tone. He doesn't have your experience to know when a tire is worn out.

eandmwilson

How old are you?

blue_nose

I remember the article. They use an old wine cellar to keep the tires, so that they do not dry out over time.

NoGaBiker

Interesting. Do you remember why he ages them? What he's looking for them to do that new tires don't?