BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Oh man I didn't realize it was you who got one of the flats. If it was me, I would get a new tire, but I am just paranoid.

Is it in the tread, or on the sidewall? Either way, with a slit that small, I'd probably just boot it and not worry too much.

I have had great success with the Park Tools "tire boots" in these situations, especially where the hole is in the sidewall. They adhere to the inside of the tire and prevent the tube from blowing out the side of the tire. REI has them (among other places) and they will let a tire live out the balance of its life. They are a great thing to take on long rides.

FWIW, I got a shard of glass in my tire that popped a tube about 3 months ago. I haven't had any issues since then in the ~200 miles I've rode on it.

Also what the previous two said about booting.

Wow, thanks for all of the ideas.

The hole is dead center on the tread, not the sidewall.

The boot method sounds good - especially using a tire patch on the inside of the tire, but the copy on the website goes on to warn you that a damaged tire isn't as reliable as new. I like to ride hard down hills, so I'm beginning to think I should just get a new tire. The current one (on a hybrid) has 2,500ish miles on it.

On another note, I was expecting something bad to happen tonight (like a blow-out).. i noticed that there is a bulge on the sidewall on my front tire. The beading may not be seated just right, so it may be a simple fix. I have no idea how long i have been riding on that.

dan, if you are going to get new tires, i have found great success with the RIBMOs or the Randonneurs. I have only gotten pinch flats (my fault) with them.

Thanks for the recommendation, stefb.

+1 I've can only personally speak for the Randonneurs but I've heard equally good things about RIBMOs. One flat in 3 years due to riding over a thumbtack.

I don't really know what the stresses on a tire are like but I think a hole there would bug me too... although rear tire isn't as bad as front.

I have ridden a few booted tires because I couldn't afford to replace the tire at the time (or they were expensive tires that I couldn't reason throwing away).

Though a repaired tire isn't as reliable as a undamaged tire, I wouldn't stress over it. Though, if you are worried and replacing it isn't an issue, just replace it.

The tire has some life, but not enough to worry about. I think I'm headed to buy a new tire. Anyone want to suggest the best local place to buy the RIBMO (website I checked said the acronym means Ride Bikes MOre Often)?

Thanks for all your help.

Dan, http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=46345 is designed for UST (tubeless) tires but it works nicely for regular tires also. Reinforced.

If you're ok with taking chances on a 30 mph + downhill failure, I'd keep riding it and skip spending the 30 - 60 bucks on a new tire. On the other hand, you'll definitely have it in the back of your mind every time you descend a hill... I know I would.

to echo what pretty much everyone else has said: you will want a new tire, but you can put it off if need be. got a nice little gash in my tire on the dirty dozen (two sides of a triangle, much worse than yours, it seems), and i felt like i had a good bit left on my tires, so i used a dollar bill to boot it. it lasted about three months, and another did about the same, riding essentially every day. you couldn't predict when the buck would fail, but i was happy to get an extra 5-6 months on my tires for $2.

and, btw, i replaced the tires last week. with ribmos. got them at iron city, which has wire beads for about $7 less per tire than kevlar beads.

Thick has those tires usually, Dan.

Dan, have you looked at the tire from the inside? Inside you can see the cords, which are the structural part of the tire. If you can see the hole but none of the cords are cut, ride on it, don't even worry about it. Most of the time pointy things just go between the cords. If a cord is cut through and you can see like a frayed string end hanging out, start shopping for a new tire.

@ stefb do those RIMBO tires give fairly good traction in light snow and slush? I didn't enjoy riding my Slicks in the winter.

They don't have much traction. Thick carries them and I believe REI does as well.

@Mr Marv

I don't think they do. They're basically slicks with a little diagonal line across the tire every inch or so.

@TeamDecafWeekend

What I've found to be good for boots is the rubbery strip material that goes on behind lights and other gadgets that attach to the handlebar or seat post

I've ridden long distances over periods of weeks? with much larger holes and didn't have any issues. If it isn't creating a bulge in the tire when inflated, it probably makes almost no difference

Mr marv, I have never wiped out. I ride in all conditions on those tires without trouble. You may find them too slippery compared to what you have now, but I haven't found that to be the case.

Again, thanks for all of the suggestions.

I decided to swap tires with my second bike which I had forgotten was hanging in the garage for the last year with good tires. I used the boot described by Pierce - the rubbery strip material that goes behind lights and other gadgets - in the damaged tire and put it on my second bike. So, goodbye to the stressing thing, at least while I ride my number one bike.

I also decided that I should get educated on tires since I'll be in the market by the end of the summer.

Maybe it's odd, but I've owned 3 bikes in 4 years of riding and I haven't had to replace a tire yet. Time to figure it out.

@ stefb I ride Thick Slicks and usually have no problems except the occasional wet metal surface in the rain. In the winter they give me 0 traction in snow. I think having multiple tires for different occasions might work.... or it could be a waste of money.

i am probably doing things the hard way by just having the same tire all year, but oh well.

so i examined my tire issues further and the sidewall is thin and wearing out on my Randonneurs on my fixie. that is why it is bulging there. so a trip to thick is in order. I am going to get 25s for that bike instead of 28s (which i thought were 25s but forgot that i got 28s at the time cause chris was out of 25s). I will have more fender clearance.

I don't think anything will give traction on wet metal- just ride carefully over it.

Maybe you slip in the snow because you are off the saddle as in your picture?

The way one rides (or drives for that matter) has a huge effect on slipping on slippery surfaces.

@ helen s I've cut my hair since that picture.

echoing helen's sentiments, slicks will give you the best traction in almost all urban riding conditions. i doubt knobbies would help much in the snow, and might make things worse. tread patterns are for preventing hydroplaning, which bicycles are essentially incapable of doing. consider studded tires perhaps, but those are better for a fairly narrow set of circumstances.

RIBMOs are pretty tacky tires. There is adequate tread on them. I examined them as I put them on my bike today.

I also discovered that the sidewall ripped away from the beading on my Randonneurs. I have never seen that before.

It is true that a bicycle is incapable of hydroplaning, but the tread pattern on bicycle tires is meant to help on loose surfaces eg gravel.