Schwalbe tire failure
07-28-25 | 10:18 AM
#26
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 1,836
From: Spain
Ouch. I had that happen on a 20" Schwalbe with about 1700 miles on it - riding fine, then thump thump THUMP KABOOM. And no evidence of contact with the brake pads.
Also non-fixable - no amount of tape or boot material would prevent an aneurysm above 5 psi.
Had to get a ride in.
Also non-fixable - no amount of tape or boot material would prevent an aneurysm above 5 psi.
Had to get a ride in.
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07-28-25 | 11:46 AM
#27
bicycle tourist
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,626
Likes: 464
From: Austin, Texas, USA
Bikes: Trek 520, Lightfoot Ranger, Trek 4500
I had a case like that but didn't consider this in the cases of Schwalbe failures. In particular, the tires last long enough that at times when I've bought more than one spare - it put it in storage in my garage. I had a case where the tire was perhaps 10 years old and it had dry rotted in that spot and also cracked. When I wore through a previous Schwalbe, I put on this (old) tire and it failed about 10 miles later. I took that not so much on Schwalbe but more that I had saved the tire for too long.
07-28-25 | 02:32 PM
#28
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12,727
Likes: 2,105
From: Madison, WI
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
... ... I had a case where the tire was perhaps 10 years old and it had dry rotted in that spot and also cracked. When I wore through a previous Schwalbe, I put on this (old) tire and it failed about 10 miles later. I took that not so much on Schwalbe but more that I had saved the tire for too long.
I think both tires on my light touring bike right now are over a decade old. One of them is a Schwalbe XR which I think has been out of production for at least a decade, I put that tire on it when I built it up eight years ago. The other is a Hutchinson Globetrotter that I think I bought over a decade ago. I think the Globetrotter does not have much life left, about two thirds of the tread is gone. I used that bike for my tour last summer, but for the tour I put a Mondial on the rear instead of the Globetrotter, which went back on it when I got home.
Now that I think about it, I think I put the tires that are on my rando bike on it in early or mid 2017. So, those are at about eight years, the rear tire tread is almost all gone. I was thinking I should take that tire off and use it as a spare tire, it still has several hundred miles of rubber on it and has a folding bead.
07-28-25 | 06:42 PM
#29
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,300
Likes: 115
Lee, I rode my first set of Supremes a lot with four panniers plus extra stuff on long extended trips, but was very, very aware of the thin sidewall and also appropriate pressure for the bike+rider weight.
re squirm-- I would say that any supple tire is always going to exhibit more squirm if under inflated for the bike+rider weight. I found it pretty easy with a small hand gauge to dial in my pressures and I really have to say that with Supremes, my touring bike handled better in corners than any touring bike + tire combo that I have ever ridden over 30+ years of touring.
A combination of tire width, proper pressures and the rolling+ ride characteristics of the tires were all factors in my bike handling so well on curvy downhills, which I love taking at a good comfortable clip.
I'd say that it comes down to the chosing "horses for courses", and any thin sidewalled, supple tire may not be the best choice for sharp rock gravel roads, or for riders who habitually rub the rear tire against objects without realizing they do it.
but we have tons of tire options out there, and decide what trade-offs we want to make for the given use.
re squirm-- I would say that any supple tire is always going to exhibit more squirm if under inflated for the bike+rider weight. I found it pretty easy with a small hand gauge to dial in my pressures and I really have to say that with Supremes, my touring bike handled better in corners than any touring bike + tire combo that I have ever ridden over 30+ years of touring.
A combination of tire width, proper pressures and the rolling+ ride characteristics of the tires were all factors in my bike handling so well on curvy downhills, which I love taking at a good comfortable clip.
I'd say that it comes down to the chosing "horses for courses", and any thin sidewalled, supple tire may not be the best choice for sharp rock gravel roads, or for riders who habitually rub the rear tire against objects without realizing they do it.
but we have tons of tire options out there, and decide what trade-offs we want to make for the given use.
Last edited by LeeG; 07-28-25 at 07:11 PM.
07-28-25 | 07:01 PM
#30
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 13,911
Likes: 1,242
From: Montreal Canada
re storage, I do tend to keep my folding tires unfolded for storage, I figure the bead is better off not being folded for year after year after year.
07-29-25 | 04:49 AM
#31
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12,727
Likes: 2,105
From: Madison, WI
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
When I saw tires on a really good sale price, I often bought them and did not use for several years. Stored in the basement, normal indoor humidity and a narrow temperature range in the 60s and 70s (F). But some of my bikes are in the unheated garage. Winter can be well below zero (F) or for example yesterday, 90 plus (F) with a dewpoint in the low 70s. So, I am sure that the tires on the bikes age faster than the stored tires since they have highly variable temperatures and humidity.
I used to store my errand bike outside, but no longer do that. Those tires had a lot more UV exposure than the bikes stored indoors.
