When to change slick tires?

I road and mtb. Now it's obvous to me when I need to change
my mtb tires. But how do I know when to change my slick road
tires? Keep track of the mileage? Even then I assume different
tires will have different mileage. Right?

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC USA
(Remove XSPAM)

Zilla who? writes:

I road and MTB. Now it's obvious to me when I need to change my MTB
tires. But how do I know when to change my slick road tires? Keep
track of the mileage? Even then I assume different tires will have
different mileage. Right?

That's why the best method is to watch when the tire casing cords
begins to show. When the first sign of that, a diagonal line that
looks like fine thread, appears you have about 100 miles left on the
tire. That's when you move the front tire to the rear and put on a
new front tire.

Jobst Brandt

"Zilla" wrote:

I road and mtb. Now it's obvous to me when I need to change
my mtb tires. But how do I know when to change my slick road
tires? Keep track of the mileage? Even then I assume different
tires will have different mileage. Right?

Yes they will, but tracking the mileage won't tell you much about how
worn the tires are. Assuming the tire is not fatally damaged by cuts to
the fabric, you can ride tires until the threads begin to show. But
many tires are replaced before that because flats are more likely as the
rubber thins.

--
Ted Bennett

Apparently they are NOT more puncture-prone as they wear. At least the
experts say they're not.

In article . com,
wrote:
Apparently they are NOT more puncture-prone as they wear. At least the
experts say they're not.

Depends on the tire and the type of puncture. Touring tires with thick
rubber probably do get a little less puncture resistant when the rubber
gets very thin. Racing tires with thin rubber probably don't change much
as they wear.

In article ,
says...


I road and mtb. Now it's obvous to me when I need to change
my mtb tires. But how do I know when to change my slick road
tires? Keep track of the mileage? Even then I assume different
tires will have different mileage. Right?

When the casing threads are showing, or when you start to get more flats than
usual. That's the method I use. It is usually around 3k miles for me.
--------------
Alex

In article . com,
says...


Apparently they are NOT more puncture-prone as they wear. At least the
experts say they're not.

That hasn't been my experience. As the tread gets thinner, debris can cut
through to the threads much easier.
---------------
Alex

Alex Rodriguez writes:

Apparently they are NOT more puncture-prone as they wear. At least
the experts say they're not.

That hasn't been my experience. As the tread gets thinner, debris
can cut through to the threads much easier.

Considering that I ride my big yellow all purpose bicycle:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/

on the same roads as some of the folks here who report many glass and
thorn flats... and because I don't have that problem, my experience
may not help here. I ride my tires until substantial areas of casing
cords are exposed, and obviously do so on inflated tires. I don't
notice an increase in flats as the tires wear thin, probably because
the kind of glass cuts I get would go through any reasonable tire
equally easily whether new or worn out.

I ride many rough unpaved roads and never had a flat from "debris" out
there, only an occasional pinch flat.

Jobst Brandt

Zilla wrote:

I road and mtb. Now it's obvous to me when I need to change
my mtb tires. But how do I know when to change my slick road
tires? Keep track of the mileage? Even then I assume different
tires will have different mileage. Right?

Many slicks adopt a rather squared-off profile when worn. This would be
a good time to change them. When the centre of the tread starts
cracking up it's definitely due.

Interesting, why is it only "slicks" that adopt a "rather squared-ff
profile when worn"? Wouldn't tires with tread do the same?