Tires are a huge contributor to bike handling performance, and you might be right considering them a critical component of your bike.
Tire are also the most consumable item on your bike, and this leads us to the discussion when you should replace them. When to Replace Bike Tires?
The conventional wisdom is that your bike tires should last anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 miles, with the high-end tires lasting at least 2,500 miles.
Unfortunately, we cycle under different conditions and use our bikes for different purposes, meaning you might hit the standard miles earlier than you expect.
In some cases, signs of a tire replacement are obvious, for example, missing or smooth tread. In other cases, it might be that your bike feels and handles poorly.
To avoid any surprises, it’s crucial you know the signs to look out for.
In the section below, we shall highlight the top ten signs you need to know for replacing your bike tires.
When to Replace Bike Tires – 10 Warning Signs
You need to replace your bike tires in the range of anywhere from 1500 to 3000 KM. The front tiers usually run around 2000-3500 KM. However, in the case of mountain bikes, the mileage data is not applicable due to too much abuse.
#1. Cracks
Cracks are dead give-away of sidewall damage, consequently, need for a tire replacement.
In most cases, cracks happen if your bike is kept under the house unridden for a long period. With time, rubber becomes brittle, thus, jeopardizing the structural integrity of your tires.
If you see crack appearing (they mostly start on the sidewalls), it’s time to get a new pair of wheels.
#2. Frequent Flats
Everyone gets a puncture once in a while, but if you get several flats in a week or multiple flats over a long ride, it likely means you need to get your tires replaced.
In any case, frequent flats mean that you tire have grown so thin that they cannot repel any sharp objects anymore.
#3. Lots of Cuts, Holes, and Abrasions
Holes and cuts are a fairly normal sight to see on tires.
However, if you notice a constant buildup of the holes and cuts that run fairly deep inside your tires, then you run the risk of puncturing.
Riding a tire with plenty of cuts leads to uneven contact patchiness that will hamper your ride quality and performance of your bike.
#4. Uneven Tread Wear
Easy to spot, the absence of discernible tread pattern is a good indicator your tire needs replacing.
Presence of squarish wear of the tires in which the tires get worn out from the center portion of the thread should be a red flag.
While the worn out tires are obvious to a professional, the gradual wear makes it hard to notice. The solution is simple-when your tires are new, make a mental note of how thick the rubber case is and visually monitor it over the miles.
#5. Squaring Off
Squaring off is quite a rare sign. It happens when your tire gets a smooth center while the knobs on either side look perfectly fine.
Squaring off might happened even if the tread on your bikes looks fine, and in most cases, squaring off happens if you’re fond of doing straight lines and doing little bends as you’re using the middle part of your time most of the time.
It’s hard to tell, but you will feel it in the handling. Often, squared off tires handle poorly, have less grip and aren’t as fast.
#6. Exposed Casing
An exposed casing is yet another classic sign indicating you need a replacement.
An exposed casing is obvious if you look for it.
Often, the manifestation of an open casing is through a series of diagonal threads, that mostly occur on the side of the tire but can occur on any other part.
Now, if you spot the treads you need to make an instant replacement as the only thing separating your inner tube is a thin section of casing, which in any case, is not designed for road contact and will wear at a greater pace than rubber.
#7. Bulges and Bubbles
Typically, a healthy tire should be springy, young and fresh, while sporting a perfectly rounded profile.
However, if you find out that you’re always feeling a regular bump, or notice a bulge in your tire, it indicates that you need to replace your tires.
The bulgy and bubbly tire is dangerous because it can burst anytime causing a crash.
#8. Balding
Balding is manifested through the deterioration of lugs.
Once you start riding, you will start to notice your lugs rounding off, and this happens because there is no hard wall for your tire to cut into the dirt with.
With the loss of the hard rubber wall, your wheels will lose traction, and the surface will start to get more slippery.
#9. By Mileage
As we had mentioned in the beginning, there are a few applicable guidelines per mileage for bike tires.
A majority of the tires will require a replacement after achieving anywhere from 1,500 to 3,00 miles, with the hind tires wearing more quickly than the front tires.
However, this is just, but a rough estimation and the rate of wearing will depend on a slew of factors. For example, if you’re light, the longer it will take for your tires to wear and vice versa. Equally, a mountain bike, which mostly runs of a rugged terrain will wear at a faster rate than a road bike running on paved roads.
#10. Attrition by Age
Wear is not always obvious if you’ve not been riding your bicycle.
However, if you store your bike for several months, be sure to check on the status of the wheel before jumping on to it.
See, when rubber is stored for a long period, it hardens and starts to crack.
Even more serious is when the casing, popularly known as the sidewall rots, crack and detaches itself from the rubber.
Dry rot, in particular, is discernible when frayed threads and cracks become visible. While the tire might hold air, it’s usually not or long when you hit the road.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to keep your tires in good condition and have the desire to make them last for longer, maintain them and keep on checking them regularly.
Hopefully, the above signs should help to prevent any catastrophe and keep your tires in an optimum condition for the best riding experience.
