vintage tyres and degrading rubber - your thoughts?

[konahed]

Does anyone her use vintage tyres for regular cycling? I have a few but most are cracking or the rubber seems a bit dry with a white coating to the knobs.

 

[chrisv40]

The last time I used retro tyres was a couple of years ago on one of the North Yorkshire Moors ride, my nice original Saracen came with a pair of what I thought were good condition Ritchey Z Max's on it.

Unfortunately out in the middle of nowhere the side walls decided enough was enough and I had the inner tube popping out like balloons on both wheels. Some expert bodging with choccy bar wrappers and gaffer tape let me finish the ride albeit very slowly.

None of my bikes have old tyres on now I'm afraid, no point really either considering Charge Splashbacks are currently £10 each posted.

 

[konahed]

The last time I used retro tyres was a couple of years ago on one of the North Yorkshire Moors ride, my nice original Saracen came with a pair of what I thought were good condition Ritchey Z Max's on it.

Unfortunately out in the middle of nowhere the side walls decided enough was enough and I had the inner tube popping out like balloons on both wheels. Some expert bodging with choccy bar wrappers and gaffer tape let me finish the ride albeit very slowly.

Interesting, as I've just recently put a Ritchey Z Max on the front of my bike. It seems decent enough apart from that sort of whitening you get over the tread surface (mould or the rubber drying out?). Sounds like I should take it off and bin it!

 

[REKIBorter]

The white powdery stuff on tyres is the release agent from the vulcanising process.

 

[raidan73]

I fitted some nos 1.9 Ritchey ZMax WCS to my Brodie. A nasty crash on the Cardinham Woods trails caused a front wheel puncture which blew a hole in the sidewall of the tyre too. I put it down to the force of the impact (and the weight of the rider ) rather than the condition of the tyres!

 

[PopsTrippin]

The white powdery stuff on tyres is the release agent from the vulcanising process.

Ah i wondered what that stuff was.. Took me ages to scrub it off. Does it weaken the tyres?

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

it's basically a non-stick coating between the tyre rubber and the mould. Totally normal, and certainly won't do any harm!!

The conditions the tyre is stored in is critical. If it doesn't still feel soft and tacky, I won't trust it. This applies to tyres only a few years old too. If they're out in the sun & rain for a few years, they won't be at their best.

 

[lewisfoto]

When i bought the Wicked Fat earlier this year it had old tires that still looked good. I rode them for about 5 months but eventually the front gave way resulting in a crash.

 

[konahed]

With car tyres they say you should avoid fitting tyres which are more than 6 years old.

 

[frank.youngman]

I was given a Proflex 855 by my father,which had perfect looking tyres on it which had been sitting in his hallway bathed in UV light for a decade.When I tried to take them off to fit new inner tubes,the tyre lever punched a hole through the rotten carcase.

I always replace tyres irrespective of wear when the surface shows cracking,ever since the carcase of the front tyre on my 2004 Enduro bulged during a steep descent,the tyres had been on it when I bought it second hand and because they had tread I carried on using them.

I used to caravan and the advice there is to replace tyres every 4-5 years,irrespective of wear,due to general degradation over time

In short I would not use old tyres.