other than the waste issue, i think this thead brings up the fear of everything risk averse paranoia in some cyclists. why not change your chain every 1000 miles? you could break a link and a hard effort standing and go down!

For those that don't ride these tires, there's nothing wrong except maybe some wear. That's the way they look after miles.

You don't have to tell me.

Uhh, that's kind of a good point. We should here from the OP soon. Hopefully.....

Even if you pay full retail, high end clincher tires are like $50-70... you really willing to risk injury over a couple bucks? I wouldn't ride that unless you paid me, a lot.

Sunday I rode on a tyre that was soooo much worse than the OP's.
But today I switched it out.

i've got a couple NOS ones that look like that. and, honest to god, i'm anticipating the opportunity to put them on.

i like to think of it as a random longitudinal herringbone tread pattern, or "RLHTP Technology™".

Anyone seen the OP around anywhere? I'm getting worried....

I sure hope it's safe. I inspect my tires often enough, but not under a magnifying glass, and I don't think I'd notice if the rubber looked like that unless I did. I would notice the squaring off, though. Like others have said, handling would be sharper with a fresh, round tire, but I don't think it's unsafe to have a slightly square one, and I wouldn't be concerned until I started noticing wear-through.

Yea but the rubber is there to protect the casing....

If you can pinch the deflated tire and see exposed threads at the bottom of any of the cracks, then it should be replaced.
The reason is that road dirt will work down the cracks, get into into the threads and start abrading them internally.

Sorry for the lack of update fellas. I ended up throwing a fresh Pro4SC on the front. The old tire was indeed squared off, as evidenced by how smoothly the new one falls into corners. Definitely a huge improvement in how planted the front end feels. Here's a short clip carving some tarmac from that ride on the new tires:



(for some reason the front pads (stock ultegra) started making nasty noises on this descent, I replaced em with swissstops, all good now)

We are all relieved to hear you survived.

I wouldn't think twice if that were on the rear wheel. You made the right choice up front.

"squared off" tires are not to be feared. The contact patch with the ground is the same.

all in your head.

I think squared off tires are the future of road cycling.

You mean those voices telling me how well my new tires perform aren't real?

Sure, as much as ALL our experience is in our heads.
I've experienced the difference between squared-off tires and fresh ones, but I wouldn't have said it made anything feel more "planted." Rather I did find the handling smoother, more evenly and precisely responsive.

I can definitely feel the difference between squared off tires versus new ones on a descent. I've never felt less safe, but there is certainly a different feel to how the bike handles. It's almost as if the bike wants to ride in a straight line more than normal.

However, I'm talking about tires that look way more squared off than the one in the OP's picture. That's nowhere near squared off in my mind.

Buying expensive road bike - check
Beating your buddies max speed - check
Saving $40 on an old tire and crashing, losing the bike and being unable to ride fast for a year - PRICELESS

Here is the tip - If the tire is looking much different than when new - There must be something wrong with it.

So replace every 250 miles once the little nubs wear off ?

As mentioned many times, the better tire should be on the front, but no reason not to get full life out of the rear tire.

Wow...is this a joke or something? You guys buying expensive bikes, components, new fancy technology, and are ok riding super fast on a crappy tires?
I can't believe my eyes I see such opinions. That sounds just plain stupid. Darwin award may come your way one day, but don't suggest to others that dangerous choices. Cheap snob is what comes to my mind.
Rant over, stay safe and use your heads...

Cracked tire is NOT a good or safe tire. This one already did 2000 miles, and OP posted this thread here for a reason.

My riding center is hilly and twisty. My tires wear accordingly. The OP's tire looked as though it had seen a lot of straight roads.

Some riders are more likely to ride on the peripheral parts of the tires. Heck, some people can't make a left turn worth a damn but can sweep through rights turns like nobody's business. We tend to wear tires differently.

No.
Damaged tires should be replaced immediately, especially if front tires. 1/2 worn tires can still be used.

Tires do not explode after half the rubber is worn. The cords/casing are the important part, and any damage to them most likely requires a new tire. The rubber does protect the tube also, but not as much.

So, replace it whenever you want, but I prefer to get full use before replacing.