are older bicycle tires hazardous too?

I just noticed the following news article:

DETROIT, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts consumer safety
group wants Washington to require easy-to-read "born-on" dates for
vehicle tires, the Detroit News said Monday.
Safety Research & Strategies cited 50 crashes resulting in
37 fatalities caused by older tires with very little wear and tear
in its petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.
[...]

I just bought an older bicycle (1980s?) a few weeks ago, and its
tires (27") seem to be old, but in decent condition. Should I
replace them anyway?
--
Ben Pfaff
email:
web: http://benpfaff.org

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 14:51:15 -0800, Ben Pfaff
wrote in message :

I just bought an older bicycle (1980s?) a few weeks ago, and its
tires (27") seem to be old, but in decent condition. Should I
replace them anyway?

Look for cracks in the sidewalls. You know rubber degenerates in UV,
right?

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

In article ,
Ben Pfaff wrote:
I just bought an older bicycle (1980s?) a few weeks ago, and its
tires (27") seem to be old, but in decent condition. Should I
replace them anyway?

Are there any cracks in the rubber or mold/mildew on the casing?

"Ben Pfaff" wrote in message
...
I just noticed the following news article:

DETROIT, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts consumer safety
group wants Washington to require easy-to-read "born-on" dates for
vehicle tires, the Detroit News said Monday.
Safety Research & Strategies cited 50 crashes resulting in
37 fatalities caused by older tires with very little wear and tear
in its petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.
[...]

I just bought an older bicycle (1980s?) a few weeks ago, and its
tires (27") seem to be old, but in decent condition. Should I
replace them anyway?
--

Yes! over time the rubber loses it's oils and elasticity so there is no grip
when you need to turn quick or stop on wet pavement. i had to learn this the
hard way.
-alan

(do not spam) writes:

In article ,
Ben Pfaff wrote:
I just bought an older bicycle (1980s?) a few weeks ago, and its
tires (27") seem to be old, but in decent condition. Should I
replace them anyway?

Are there any cracks in the rubber or mold/mildew on the casing?

No mold or mildew. I don't know what qualifies as a "crack";
there are numerous short, narrow, very shallow striations
parallel to the rim, but nothing deep enough that I'd call it an
actual crack.
--
"Now I have to go wash my mind out with soap."
--Derick Siddoway

"alan" .@. writes:

"Ben Pfaff" wrote in message
...
I just bought an older bicycle (1980s?) a few weeks ago, and its
tires (27") seem to be old, but in decent condition. Should I
replace them anyway?

Yes! over time the rubber loses it's oils and elasticity so there is no grip
when you need to turn quick or stop on wet pavement. i had to learn this the
hard way.

Interesting. I thought the braking was poor because it's a cheap
older road bike; I certainly do get better braking on my 2003
Trek 2300. It hadn't occurred to me that tire performance could
be an issue too.
--
Ben Pfaff
email:
web: http://benpfaff.org

"Ben Pfaff" wrote

Interesting. I thought the braking was poor because it's a cheap
older road bike; I certainly do get better braking on my 2003
Trek 2300. It hadn't occurred to me that tire performance could
be an issue too.

Chrome or alloy rims? Brake shoe condition/age?

Pete

"Pete" writes:

"Ben Pfaff" wrote

Interesting. I thought the braking was poor because it's a cheap
older road bike; I certainly do get better braking on my 2003
Trek 2300. It hadn't occurred to me that tire performance could
be an issue too.

Chrome or alloy rims? Brake shoe condition/age?

I assume that a magnet would stick to chrome rims, but not alloy?
Then they're alloy. The brake shoes are in good condition.

I guess the style of brake could be another factor? The Trek
2300 has Ultegra dual-pivot calipers and the old bike has
"Weinmann 610 Vainqueur 999" brakes which according to a website
found via Google are centerpull calipers. Actually according to
the same website those brakes were made through the mid-70s, so
maybe this bike is older than I thought.

This bike is also certainly heavier than the Trek: steel frame
and outfitted with a rack and baskets. It's for commuting and
grocery shopping mainly, whereas the Trek is just for fun.
--
"How could this be a problem in a country
where we have Intel and Microsoft?"
--Al Gore on Y2K

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 14:51:15 -0800, Ben Pfaff quoth:
I just noticed the following news article:

DETROIT, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts consumer safety
group wants Washington to require easy-to-read "born-on" dates for
vehicle tires, the Detroit News said Monday.
Safety Research & Strategies cited 50 crashes resulting in
37 fatalities caused by older tires with very little wear and tear
in its petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.
[...]

Odd, my car has been on the same tires for 10 years. I asked our
mechanic about them because they've got a lot of little surface cracks,
and he said not to worry. (My mountain bike has been on the same knobbies
for 10 years as well.)

bkr

Beaker wrote:
:: On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 14:51:15 -0800, Ben Pfaff quoth:
::: I just noticed the following news article:
:::
::: DETROIT, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts consumer safety
::: group wants Washington to require easy-to-read "born-on" dates
::: for vehicle tires, the Detroit News said Monday.
::: Safety Research & Strategies cited 50 crashes resulting
::: in 37 fatalities caused by older tires with very little wear
::: and tear in its petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety
::: Administration.
::: [...]
::
:: Odd, my car has been on the same tires for 10 years. I asked our
:: mechanic about them because they've got a lot of little surface
:: cracks, and he said not to worry. (My mountain bike has been on the
:: same knobbies for 10 years as well.)

What's odd? The fact that you drive on the same tires for 10 years or the
fact that older tires, with very little wear and tear seem to present a
greater risk of crashes? Obviously, you know that just because you're riding
old tires don't mean the observations are wrong.

::
:: bkr