Tyres cracking from old age after 1 year

[Flying Kiwi]

I washed my Twist Comfort yesterday and noticed that the original Maxxis tyres have developed a few cracks in the tread area. Does anyone have any experience with products to stop this cracking or is the idea that this is normal and that generally the tread wears out before the cracking becomes so bad as to cause failure?

I'd rather my tyres didn't look like they were growing old gracefully.

 

[flecc]

I changed my rear Maxxis on the Twist very quickly to a Marathon Plus, but continued with the front Maxxis for over 3000 miles. It also showed a bit of cracking but I hadn't found it affected the life and still had tread for more life. I suffer a lot with broken glass problems round my area which also slits the tyre treads so I couldn't have the treads perfect anyway. That's partly why I didn't bother with it.

 

[Flying Kiwi]

Thanks flecc. I'll definitely look to replace my tyres with something better quality after these have worn out. Since there doesn't appear to be broken glass on my travels, I'm not to worried about puncture resistance (touch wood). How does your Marathon Plus do in terms of resistance to cracking. Is this something all bike tyres do to an extent? I'm tempted to spray my Tesco tyre cleaner spray on them to see if that helps. I've not seen this with car, aircraft nor motorbike tyres before so I'm wondering why it happens with bike tyres.

 

[flecc]

There's no problem with the Marathon Plus with cracking, they're superb tyres and almost totally protected against punctures, just very steep in price like most German production. I think many Chinese tyres use too hard a grade of rubber which isn't flexible enough, possibly their way of getting some puncture resistance or long life. I think it may be because bike tyre treads have to bend much more than car, truck and even motorbike tyres that makes them more vulnerable to cracking.

 

[rsscott]

I think the cause of the problem with the Chinese imports is they are produced to a price point i.e. cheap! In order to keep the total cost of the bike down they are supplied as standard. Personally I wouldn't trust them and junk them straight away for something decent like the Marathon's.

 

[Flying Kiwi]

I think it may be because bike tyre treads have to bend much more than car, truck and even motorbike tyres that makes them more vulnerable to cracking.

I found this very detailed artical about rubber and bike tyres (tires in the US) BikePro.com / Buyer's Guide / Tire & Rubber Overview

Under the section marked 'Ozone matters' it details the exact problem I've encountered and mentions that 'antiozonants' are used to help prevent this type of damage. Also oxygen, heat, light and ultra-violet rays play a part. I found that Continental have worked on a special Anti-cracking rubber for their Grand Prix 4000 tyres here Continental Cycle Tyres UK so at least one manufacturer is trying to do something about it. It really is shocking that my tyres are becoming geriatric after 1 year though. On Monday I'll enquire whether Tesco's tyre & bumper restorer contains antiozonants and UV screeners. The tin says not to use on tread or motorcycle tyres but I suspect thats just because its slippery. I've tried a bit this afternoon and it sure makes the tyre shiny, although slippery to the touch.

 

[rsscott]

I find it you are using the Tyre Shine stuff and it is has gotten onto the tread then it is best to take a sheet of sand paper and give the tread section a quick rub. I've seen a friend come off a motorbike many years ago after spraying his tyres with that stuff!

 

[flecc]

Obviously the main western manufacturers have sorted the ozone/cracking problem, so as Russ says, it's probably a matter of building down to a price with the whole emphasis on production. That's certainly true of many other aspects of their manufacturing.

The Kenda tyres on the two eZee bikes seem to be rather better than I've previously experienced though the front on the Torq is wearing quite fast, and I'm continuing with them for the moment. Those on my last three bikes I've got rid of at quite early stages.

 

[nigel]

tyres cracking

Hi
everyone its a shame that on a high quatlity bike such as the giant that it is let down by the tyres thanks to good advice from flecc and others i have ordered marathon plus tyres should arrive this week as i will be doing high mileage in the summer the main worrry is punctures hopefully no more.

 

[nigel]

5speed gears

Hi flecc
sorry to pester you but could you give me any details on changing from 3speed nexus to 5speed on your twist ie how much did it cost where did you take it to be done how long did it take many thanks nigel southampton.

 

[flecc]

No problem Nigel, you're not pestering at all. I did the job myself and the description is on my Twist website here.

If you want to have it done professionally you'd need to take it to a dealer who sold and services these bikes, they could do the job. The rough current cost would be the hub at £110, the changer parts at £35, a longer cable to suit the twist, the rim, spokes and wheel building at about £25 to £30, total about £180, plus fitting labour. It would probably total around £220.

 

[nigel]

flecc

wow thats
a lot of imformation many thanks but i think for me thats a job to far for me my limit is changing a tyre with a struggle however its great to know the imformation is on site and thanks also for price for job to be done. Credit to you your bike looks brand new and has done 4000 miles wow many thanks nigel.

 

[flecc]

The finish on the Twist range is excellent Nigel. As long as you treat it with a modicum of care, your bike will still look great after years of service. People regularly think my Twist is almost new, remarkable when you consider that much of it's duty is towing waste and recycling to the tip.