15 year old tires - any life left in 'em?

Hello all.

I've got an '89 Giant Iguana. 15 years ago the original tires were
replaced with Avocet Cross 26 X 1.50 Kevlar tires. The rims are Araya
36 spoke.

Over the years I haven't ridden this bike much at all, and there's
plenty of tread left on the tires. I've been riding the last couple
weeks and the tires seem just fine. But I do see cracks on the
sidewall - nothing major but definitely noticeable. I attribute this
cracking to the fact that the tires are 15 years old, and this kind of
(rotting?) cracking is inevitable and normal.

I'm wondering just how much life is left in these tires? Is this
normal and to be expected given the age of the tires? Do these cracks
increase the risk of a sidewall leak, or blowout?

I've heard that with a good quality tire, unless you're seeing lumps
and bulges in the sidewall, this kind of cracking is no real cause for
concern - and if they still have tread, you can keep riding on older
tires if you plan to get as much life out of them as possible. Is this
true?

I've looked into buying some new Avocets to replace what I have now,
but from what I've been told this Kevlar model is backordered until
the fall. So it looks like I'll be riding on what I've got fore the
rest of the summer.

Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

- Dave

On Jul 7, 1:22*pm, wrote:
Hello all.

I've got an '89 Giant Iguana. 15 years ago the original tires were
replaced with Avocet Cross 26 X 1.50 Kevlar tires. The rims are Araya
36 spoke.

Over the years I haven't ridden this bike much at all, and there's
plenty of tread left on the tires. I've been riding the last couple
weeks and the tires seem just fine. But I do see cracks on the
sidewall - nothing major but definitely noticeable. I attribute this
cracking to the fact that the tires are 15 years old, and this kind of
(rotting?) cracking is inevitable and normal.

Any fraying of the fabric? No? Then it's just cosmetic. The thin
coating of rubber was just there to protect the casing from abrasion.
Ride with confidence after a visual inspection.

On 2008-07-07, landotter wrote:
On Jul 7, 1:22*pm, wrote:

I've got an '89 Giant Iguana. 15 years ago the original tires were
replaced with Avocet Cross 26 X 1.50 Kevlar tires. The rims are Araya
36 spoke.

Over the years I haven't ridden this bike much at all, and there's
plenty of tread left on the tires. I've been riding the last couple
weeks and the tires seem just fine. But I do see cracks on the
sidewall - nothing major but definitely noticeable. I attribute this
cracking to the fact that the tires are 15 years old, and this kind of
(rotting?) cracking is inevitable and normal.

Any fraying of the fabric? No? Then it's just cosmetic. The thin
coating of rubber was just there to protect the casing from abrasion.
Ride with confidence after a visual inspection.

If the casing is cotton, then the rubber also servers to protect it from
water. Wet cotton softens, stretches, and will degrade more quickly. A
quick coating of fresh latex on the sidewall can seal it up again.

--

John )
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

On Jul 8, 2:22 am, wrote:
Hello all.

I've got an '89 Giant Iguana. 15 years ago the original tires were
replaced with Avocet Cross 26 X 1.50 Kevlar tires. The rims are Araya
36 spoke.

Over the years I haven't ridden this bike much at all, and there's
plenty of tread left on the tires. I've been riding the last couple
weeks and the tires seem just fine. But I do see cracks on the
sidewall - nothing major but definitely noticeable. I attribute this
cracking to the fact that the tires are 15 years old, and this kind of
(rotting?) cracking is inevitable and normal.

I'm wondering just how much life is left in these tires? Is this
normal and to be expected given the age of the tires? Do these cracks
increase the risk of a sidewall leak, or blowout?

I've heard that with a good quality tire, unless you're seeing lumps
and bulges in the sidewall, this kind of cracking is no real cause for
concern - and if they still have tread, you can keep riding on older
tires if you plan to get as much life out of them as possible. Is this
true?

I've looked into buying some new Avocets to replace what I have now,
but from what I've been told this Kevlar model is backordered until
the fall. So it looks like I'll be riding on what I've got fore the
rest of the summer.

Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

- Dave

I wouldn't worry about it too much, the rubber is mainly window
dressing, it covers a canvas/kelvar liner which is the strength of the
tyre.

Did you try pumping them up and going for a spin? Any noticable
effects?


Owen

On Jul 7, 4:42*pm, Owen wrote:
On Jul 8, 2:22 am, wrote:





Hello all.

I've got an '89 Giant Iguana. 15 years ago the original tires were
replaced with Avocet Cross 26 X 1.50 Kevlar tires. The rims are Araya
36 spoke.

Over the years I haven't ridden this bike much at all, and there's
plenty of tread left on the tires. I've been riding the last couple
weeks and the tires seem just fine. But I do see cracks on the
sidewall - nothing major but definitely noticeable. I attribute this
cracking to the fact that the tires are 15 years old, and this kind of
(rotting?) cracking is inevitable and normal.

I'm wondering just how much life is left in these tires? Is this
normal and to be expected given the age of the tires? Do these cracks
increase the risk of a sidewall leak, or blowout?

I've heard that with a good quality tire, unless you're seeing lumps
and bulges in the sidewall, this kind of cracking is no real cause for
concern - and if they still have tread, you can keep riding on older
tires if you plan to get as much life out of them as possible. Is this
true?

I've looked into buying some new Avocets to replace what I have now,
but from what I've been told this Kevlar model is backordered until
the fall. So it looks like I'll be riding on what I've got fore the
rest of the summer.

Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

- Dave

I wouldn't worry about it too much, the rubber is mainly window
dressing, it covers a canvas/kelvar liner which is the strength of the
tyre.

Did you try pumping them up and going for a spin? Any noticable
effects?

Owen- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Thanks for the replies.

No fraying of the fabric at all. This cracking is just on the outer
layer of the sidewall, so yes, it appears to be just cosmetic.

Sure, I've pumped up the tires and have taken it for a spin. Have been
riding for the last 3 weeks. No noticable effects at all. Except for
one thing. And this is probably due to the fact that I'm 265 lbs. The
rear tire looks perfect before I get on the bike, but when I start
riding on it, I look down and the tire flattens out. I'm guessing this
is due to my weight. Is this normal though...should this flattening
occur?

These tires have a range of 45 - 85 psi. I've got them filled up to
around 65 or 70.

Thanks again.

- Dave

wrote in message
...

These tires have a range of 45 - 85 psi. I've got them filled up to
around 65 or 70.

Fill them to 85-90 psi for your size unless you're riding off-road in very
deep powder or mud.

Tom Kunich wrote:
wrote in message
...

These tires have a range of 45 - 85 psi. I've got them filled up to
around 65 or 70.

Fill them to 85-90 psi for your size unless you're riding off-road in
very deep powder or mud.


As long as we are still talking about this, if you plan to keep riding
the bike, I would replace the tires and tubes pretty soon anyhow. You
might as well eliminate one worry, which is when the tubes and tires you
have now are going to fail, kevlar belt or no. My first road bike was
similar to yours, but I have not ridden on one with wheels like yours
for along time. I know my tires now are rated for 120 psi. I run 120
in the rear and 115 in the front. If I were you, I would be concerned
about pinch flats if I were running much below the recommended max.

"still just me" a écrit:

I'd change them too. You can ride them, but the risk of a blowout or
puncture is higher with that old hard rubber. Plus, that dry rubber is
going to wear out rapidly... you'll be replacing them soon anyway.

There's lots of rubber on an Avocet Cross:

http://www.bikepro.com/products/tires/avocet.shtml

Personally I think I'd keep riding them, but as others have said there are
plenty of reasonable alternatives on the market.

James Thomson

["Followup-To:" header set to rec.bicycles.misc.]
On 2008-07-09, still just me wrote:

And running at high pressure is going to make those cracks look even
more ominous.

I'd change them too. You can ride them, but the risk of a blowout or
puncture is higher with that old hard rubber. Plus, that dry rubber is
going to wear out rapidly... you'll be replacing them soon anyway.

Seems to me the best tubulars were always aged for a several years
before being sold. I suspect storage conditions are more important than
just age.

--

John )
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

On Jul 8, 5:14 pm, "Tom Kunich" cyclintom@yahoo. com wrote:
wrote in message

...


These tires have a range of 45 - 85 psi. I've got them filled up to
around 65 or 70.

Fill them to 85-90 psi for your size unless you're riding off-road in very
deep powder or mud.


Indeed. For road use always run your tires at their maximum rating,
and yes you can go over a bit. The heavier you are (I weigh around
200 lbs.) the more important this becomes.

At the community bike co-op I help run we get so many people who are
afraid to pump tires to the max, thinking the tire will explode.
Well, it will if you don't seat it correctly, but almost all decent
tires can be run well past their max before they explode.

Once we explain to people that proper tire pressure will 1) help them
ride faster, and 2) protect their rims from potholes, etc., then they
start to get it.

And then there are the folks that insist their road tires need treads
of some sort for "safety"...

Mark