tires. how old is too old?

[nofd504]

i've got a '72 R60 that probably has OLD tires. Michelin M45 & S41, year ending in 0. Bike has 82,000+ so probably '80,'90 or maybe 2000.Seems tire dating became more specific after 2000, that being said, front tire (s41) has plenty of tread, rear (m45), not so much.Any thoughts? Replace both? or just the rear?

[dduelin]

Replace both. Tires get hard and waxy with time even when stored indoors. 5 or 6 years is too old.

[coastranger]

yep, too old. start eh summer out wiht some new shoes

[Cogswell]

I would replace both if it was mine.


Mike

[The Raven]

I look at it this way...if they are cracked..toss em. Anything else is good. I've used some pretty old rubber with success. The older hard stuff actually gives me the best mileage. I'm not kidding

[pthomas]

Originally Posted by The Raven

I look at it this way...if they are cracked..toss em. Anything else is good. I've used some pretty old rubber with success. The older hard stuff actually gives me the best mileage. I'm not kidding

That's because they're harder.

I just replaced the tires on my R90. I didn't shop around and bought the only vintage tires in the right size, from the first website I looked at. A set Dunlop K70 plus tube, rim strip, shipping, etc was under $150 from tire bandit. I bet you can do better than I did.

If you were looking that close at the tires and asking, it's likely your inner voice telling you it's time to change them.

[Wirespokes]

Tires in the old days were probably responsible for more crashes than anything else. I talked to an old timer (rode indians in the 30s, raced them on the beach) and he told me that blow-outs were really common back then.

It's hard to say just how much is old data and what isn't. I haven't seen a blow-out in all my days of riding, and I've ridden on some old tires. I've even ridden on old hard tires that were cracked.

They don't seem to come apart these days.

Then again, I do pay attention to my equipment and don't over-stress it. If I know something is questionable, I'll account for that and go easy on it. I wouldn't ride an old tire at 120 or push it really hard. I've ridden old tires in the rain, but there again, took it pretty easy. I tend to take it easy in the rain anyway.

Also, it isn't true that an older tire is junk. Sometimes they are, sometimes not. If it's been in a cool space out of the sun, then there's a good chance it's fine. Check it out, poke your fingernail into the rubber; see how resiliant it is.

No one will authorize use of an old tire - they don't want to be responsible if you crash. So of course, they'll tell you not to use it.

And make sure it's not under-inflated! That's the quickest route to big tire problems with any tire - new, used, or old. If you're heavy, or carrying a load, set the pressure so it rises ten percent (over cold pressure) after 20 minutes of spirited riding.

[supershaft]

I think they have been dating tires the same for 40 years? The first two digits is the week of the year and the last two digits are the year. No reason to guess if it was made in '80, '90, '00, or maybe even 2010. It say will say.

[squish]

I've ridden on tires that were more then 10 years old, hard as rocks
They went off, quick, the back tire just went away in like 1000 miles. The front tire wore fast and developed cracks around the lugs. I knew I was going to replace the tires, and I was working the bugs out of the bike so I knew I wouldn't be pushing it so I kept them until I knew the bike was working.

Still it was really shocking how much just new tires made the bikes handling
(Or more likely my confidence in it's handling) more sure footed.

Here's my litmus test, my wife rides, would I put the tire in question on her bike? If I say no, then I pitch it. If I think it's safe enough for her then I keep it. (I'm of course more cautious with what I do with her bike then my own bike.)

Generally for sport tires I want them to be less then a year old when put on the bike.
Commuting/touring tires I want them to be less then 5 years old
Dirtbike knobbies I'm ok with between 5-8 years old on smaller play bikes.
5 years old for big heavy dual sports.
Vintage bikes, totally depends on the condition of the tire.

[Rob Farmer]

OopS!! I'm finishing one off I'd discarded at the end of the garden a few years ago. It had more tread on than the tyre that was on so ended up having the snails and moss scrapped off and being refitted. I've also run some pretty old tyres on Brit bikes, they soften up when you start to use them again but are a pain in the arse too fit.

Obviously for the sake of a few $'s it's not worth putting your neck on the line so you need to do the sensible thing and fit new tyres.

[motu]

I've used some seriously old tyres before with no problems - but,virgin and stored in a cool dark place.

[dduelin]

Originally Posted by supershaft

I think they have been dating tires the same for 40 years? The first two digits is the week of the year and the last two digits are the year. No reason to guess if it was made in '80, '90, '00, or maybe even 2010. It say will say.

It was three digits prior to 2000. The week was the first two and the year was the last one.

[buls4evr]

And fresh TUBES TOO!

[The Raven]

Originally Posted by Rob Farmer

I've also run some pretty old tyres, they soften up when you start to use them again but are a pain in the arse too fit.

+1. I bought an old tire on ebay once for $25. Took 3 hours and some big screwdrivers to spoon it on (Didn''t know about spoons back then)

[caponerd]

I've ridden bikes with pretty ancient tires on them many times and gotten away with it. You just have to know that they're not going to work as well as new tires.

An old friend who was trained in England as an "engineer" once told me a method that seems to be reliable for determining if an old tire is still usable.
Rub a questionable tire against a smooth surface like linoleum or polished concrete.
If it leaves a black streak, it's still usable.

That said, you should never expect older tires, even if they're uncracked and leave a streak on a smooth surface, to work as well as fresh tires.

Anyone riding an old bike needs to ride with an extra margin of safety regarding cornering speed, stopping distance, w.h.y. Tires aren't the only issue.