Anyone else have bad Duremes ?

[bikerwaser]

So far I'm not having a lot of luck with Schwalbe Duremes.

They are supposed to be excellent quality touring tyres but I'm on my second set in 5,000 miles.

The tread didnt go on the first set. Far from it. They look as though they had hardly been used.
They just started with a worrying crack around the side wall.

At first I thought it was just a little cosmetic thing but on further inspection it wasn't.

I put it down to "friday" tyres and , when I saw a deal on the folding version, I bought a new set.

After about 2,000 miles on the new set I have the same issue. I've used a magnifying glass to take a good look at the cracks and they are not cosmetic or superficial. I certainly wouldn't want to tour on them .

Before anyone asked, I kept both sets of them well within the recommended tyre pressures at all times.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had issues with these tyres ?

[Brucey]

I have not used duremes but I have experienced premature cracking with very many Schwalbe tyres in recent years. Some have been OK though. I blame lack of QA in their far-eastern factories, basically not putting the right ingredients into the rubber mix.

I may just have not seen enough tyres yet, but the only brand where I have not often seen premature cracking in far-eastern manufactured 'European tyres' is in Michelins.

If you want to avoid this trouble (or at least its consequences) then don't buy schwalbes. Buy a tyre that does not have a reputation for side wall cracking which also has a nylon (or other rotproof) carcass. That way

a) it is unlikely to crack in the sidewall and
b) even if it does it is probably still safe to ride on.

In touring tyres I've had good luck with bargain Vittoria Hypers. They have a nylon carcass and I have had several sets with no cracking to date (several years use outdoors).

cheers

[gbnz]

I've had three defective Schwalbe(Delta Cruiser Plus) tyres this year, all experiencing extensive sidewall cracking either on receipt or after a few weeks wear (I've posted elsewhere-CRC Warranty claim). None have been safe to continue using

Not a problem I had with the cheap Michelin City tyres I've used for 3-4 years

[san0]

I've had bad experiences with the white/cream coloured versions. They cut easily, and puncture too easily. They are very grippy however and fast and light.

[bikerwaser]

It's official , after years of waving the Schwalbe flag and being very underwhelmed by their tyres I have switched to Continentals as my go to tyre manufacturer .
I've had enough of paying top dolar for poor tyres from Schwalbe. They have been great for puncture resistance but all of them have split alont the sidewall despite being run at the right psi.
When I got my Genesis Longitude , which i'm mega happy with , it came with 2.4" Conti X Kings. I've found them to be such a good tyre. Light and durable and they just do what they say on the rim.
Years ago I had good experience with Panaracer Pasala tyres but I like running a 2" tyre on my Thorn Sherpa and never found a good alternative until now.
I found this Tyre comparison site and saw that the Conti Sport Contact 2 look good on Price, Puncture resitance, and rolling resistance.
I bought a set a couple of weeks a go and put 200 or so miles on them so far which has included a fairly full loaded touring weekend. I'm really happy with the speed , grip (despite the shallow tread ) and comfort of them .

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... weight=755

[gbnz]

I have not used duremes but I have experienced premature cracking with very many Schwalbe tyres in recent years. Some have been OK though. I blame lack of QA in their far-eastern factories, basically not putting the right ingredients into the rubber mix.

I may just have not seen enough tyres yet, but the only brand where I have not often seen premature cracking in far-eastern manufactured 'European tyres' is in Michelins.

If you want to avoid this trouble (or at least its consequences) then don't buy schwalbes.......

In touring tyres I've had good luck with bargain Vittoria .......s

Thought it may be worthwhile to add to this thread, having recalled it when deciding on the "fate" of my tyres!

1. I fitted Schwalbe Delta Cruiser Plus tyres last August/September, , with three replacements required immediately or within 2-3 weeks due to extensive side wall cracking.
2. I had refitted with Schwalbe Delta Cruiser Plus tyres assuming I must have had a bad lot. The bikes had minimal use during Nov-March due to work relocation etc, etc, the tyres have a good few thousand miles left in them in respect to tread, being barely worn.
3. I've had to accept that binning my fourth and fifth Schwalbe tyre within seven months (4pcm actual cycling) is essential, as the sidewalls are cracked to an extent where they're clearly unsafe (10-14mm length cracks all over, 1mm wide, the rear tyre being heavily distorted in shape in 3-4 places)
4. The final factor was my fourth real ride of the year yesterday (I.e. >40 miles). I actually felt another part of the rear tyre fail 30 miles into the ride, the tyre becoming distorted in another place, due to the sidewall failing.

While I've £35.00 of nearly new tyres on the bike, the risk of being seriously injured due to Schwalbe's quality issues has forced me to bin them. I've never had tyres from Vittoria, Continental, Michelin, Specialized, Hutchinsons or one or two cheapo makes fail in this manner. The core consideration on replacement, has been to ignore Schwalbes offerings.

[mercalia]

well my basic £16 Green Guard Marathons have been ok. Now 2 years+. Maybe its just the exotic types that have that special feature. They cant afford tyres on e-bikes to fail?

seems to have a good review also with a decent rolling factor for its build quality?

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/tour-reviews/schwalbe-marathon-2015

one thing I wonder about is how hard can you pump these up to ? is it a matter of the rims robustness as much as the tyre its self?

[Cyril Haearn]

I asked about this somewhere else, Brucey replied
Rims do indeed give under high pressures

[gbnz]

w

one thing I wonder about is how hard can you pump these up to ? is it a matter of the rims robustness as much as the tyre its self?

Well, the rims are near new. The worst affected rear tyre on a Rigida Sputnik, the front on a Rigida Chrina. There's no sign of wear on either, the rim surface looking near new. Equally there's no sign of the rims being distorted or damaged in any way.

I had a few months use of the rims with a pair of heavily worn Michelin City tyres fitted (Nb. Having replaced the wheels, I can recall thinking about fitting brand new tyres; kept the original tyres until they were worn out). No sign of sidewall cracks on either tyre (Nb. I've never seen sidewall cracks such as those on the Schwalbes). The Michelins survived without an issue, only being binned due to being worn out (Nb. I normally use tyres until the puncture resistant layer can be seen). The tyres are always fully inflated, given that I dislike cycling on soft/flat tyres! And while I don't use a tyre gauge, I've used the same type of pump, rated to a max pressure of 160PSI, since 2002 without ever having an issue with sidewall cracks.

I'll report if the Michelin and Vittoria tyre's replacing the Schwalbe develop sidewall cracks (Nb. I'm aware that they won't). Michelin on the rear, Vittoria on the front.

[Brucey]

my update; still not seen premature cracking in Michelins.

I have seen some cracking in (cheap eg Zaffiro) vittorias, e.g. where the tread rubber joins the sidewall rubber, but these tyres have a nylon carcass so I am not overly worried about them failing before they wear out.

cheers

[peetee]

I too have seen premature cracking with some Schwalbe tyres. In some cases in less than a year. I can't say for sure if it is a quality issue or improper use such as under-inflation as these tyres are fitted to customers bikes. I know Schwalbe also own a brand called Impac which is at the cheaper end of the market and some of these tyres have identical tread patterns so maybe the problem Schwalbe tyres are being produced in a alternative factory under less exacting quality control standards.

[mig]

i think there is a correlation between getting the tyres 'on a deal' and premature cracking. i'd think that someone in the supply chain has a boat load of a model that have sat in stock for a while and more/newer versions are coming through. so they get shifted on to retailers at a deal and we all buy them. planet x springs to mind. maybe add in that the QC and rubber mix aren't so clever either and they're likely to be quite short lived items.

[mercalia]

i think there is a correlation between getting the tyres 'on a deal' and premature cracking. i'd think that someone in the supply chain has a boat load of a model that have sat in stock for a while and more/newer versions are coming through. so they get shifted on to retailers at a deal and we all buy them. planet x springs to mind. maybe add in that the QC and rubber mix aren't so clever either and they're likely to be quite short lived items.

well SPA had lots of the HS368 Marathon predecessor to the Green Guard one, i suppose picked up cheap by them due to the introduction of the Greenguard. I have had no problems with the ones I bought from them. What about other buyers here?

[gbnz]

my update; still not seen premature cracking in Michelins..... I have seen some cracking in (cheap eg Zaffiro) vittorias
cheers

Have to admit cheap Michelin City's would have been my choice, forgot they're either out of production now or no one's stocking them. So a slightly more expensive Michelin City and a Vittoria Rand....are my choice.

I've been using the latest batch of Schwalbe tyres on my much reduced mileage this year, tempted to retain them purely for the work run, but accept the injuries subsequent to their failure while cycling at 15-30mph aren't going to be worth it

[gbnz]

I'll report if the Michelin and Vittoria tyre's replacing the Schwalbe develop sidewall cracks (Nb. I'm aware that they won't). Michelin on the rear, Vittoria on the front.

500+ miles, no sign of sidewall cracking on either the Michelin or Vittoria tyres