Tyre shelf life?

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axel_knutt
Posts: 2881
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 12:20pm

Re: Tyre shelf life?

Post by axel_knutt »

I've got three Marathon HS368s that are still fine after 14 years.
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Gazelles
Posts: 45
Joined: 10 Sep 2022, 6:51am

Re: Tyre shelf life?

Post by Gazelles »

For everyday undemanding use it used to be popular to store new tyres for a few years. The tyres became harder wearing in this time.

I have used old tyres in many cases with varying results. My impression was that they hold up for longer when the presure was kept in the middle range so the fabric is not stretched too much und the tyre doensn't deform too much at the contact point.
Nearholmer
Posts: 3930
Joined: 26 Mar 2022, 7:13am

Re: Tyre shelf life?

Post by Nearholmer »

I think that in the old days, tyres were made from single rubber compounds, and single woven cloths, both organic, plus wire bead.

Nowadays, they are made of a very sophisticated combination of materials to get all sorts of different qualities.

My suspicion is that in the old ones the decomposition products of the materials got on quite well together, so if protected from UV and excessive heat and humidity, they degraded gracefully, gradually becoming rock hard, and eventually brittle, but the rubber not fighting the cotton(?).

Now, the products of decomposition may be mutually reinforcing, the decomposition of one part speeding-up the decomposition of another …,. I’m sure the design chemists must consider all this and attempt to achieve some optimum balance between wear rate, decomposition rate, puncture resistance, rolling resistance etc etc. The net result may be a far better tyre when new, but a shorter life if left unused.

As a PS: if you want to ruin tyres and cost yourself money, leave your car outside, unused for months on end. I did that during the pandemic, not using the car at all during lockdowns, and barely at all between, and the tyre sidewalls developed oodles of tiny cracks, far, far quicker than during normal use, and I had to replace all four with barely any tread-wear!
rjb
Posts: 7200
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 10:25am
Location: Somerset (originally 60/70's Plymouth)

Re: Tyre shelf life?

Post by rjb »

My Dawes Kingpin folding shopper is still running on its original Michelin tyres. Heading for it's 47th birthday later this year. :D
Half a century looks a possibility.
viewtopic.php?t=109030#p1049605
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At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
cycle tramp
Posts: 3532
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Tyre shelf life?

Post by cycle tramp »

axel_knutt wrote: 4 Feb 2023, 7:05pm I've got three Marathon HS368s that are still fine after 14 years.
I got ten years out of my marathon pluses. Again, I'm agreeing with 531colin. You just can't jab a tyre lever in between the tyre and the rim, you've got to push back the tyre from the rim either a strong thumb to begin with, to avoid any damage - I've inherited a couple of second hand marathon pluses and these have shown tyre wear around the beads in some places where i think tyre levers have been unsympathetic used in the past.
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ANTONISH
Posts: 2967
Joined: 26 Mar 2009, 9:49am

Re: Tyre shelf life?

Post by ANTONISH »

rjb wrote: 5 Feb 2023, 12:26pm My Dawes Kingpin folding shopper is still running on its original Michelin tyres. Heading for it's 47th birthday later this year. :D
Half a century looks a possibility.
viewtopic.php?t=109030#p1049605
Image
That's interesting my partner resurrected her 1968 kingpin and was able to inflate the tyres.
She is still running the same tyres - no idea of their age.
rjb
Posts: 7200
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 10:25am
Location: Somerset (originally 60/70's Plymouth)

Re: Tyre shelf life?

Post by rjb »

She is still running the same tyres - no idea of their age.
55 years old. :D
My Michelin's are still only middle aged at 47 so plenty of life left in the old dog. :lol:
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
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