Is this tyre safe? Sidewall damage

[LollyKat]

This is my front wheel with a new 700c x 28mm Pasela Tourguard (wired) that has only done 300 miles. It came fitted to my Thorn Audax Mk3, and I have always kept it up to pressure - about 90psi (on my gauge - recommended max. is 100psi) which gives a very comfortable ride.

I've been very pleased with these tyres so was a bit horrified to notice this broken thread today. I don't think I've abused the wheels but presumably something has snagged at some stage. There is also a hint of something similar on the other side of the tyre further round the wheel.

Should I
a) bin it
b) glue a piece of pertex on the inside to reinforce it, and maybe...
c) ...swap it with the so far undamaged rear tyre?

I know that these tyres have thin sidewalls which is why I'm a bit concerned. Also I'm wondering what I should replace them with if I get as far as wearing the treads out.

Sorry to post yet another tyre question!

[alicej]

Hmm, I'm going to vote for "bin", although plenty of people on here are much more experienced so if loads of others disagree then please ignore me. Have you checked the rear tyre for the same sort of lengthways cracking that's going on on this one, aside from the bigger gash? Accidental damage can happen any time, but cracking after only 300 miles is a bit premature, isn't it?

[broadway]

How old is the tyre as it is cracking by the bead, and this something that shouldn't happen with a new tyre.

[rualexander]

I'd say it was faulty, take it back and see if you can get it replaced.

[alicej]

Could the bike have been in the shop for ages, sitting on these tyres while they were under-inflated? Did you spot if they were definitely not cracked already when you got the bike? Do the cracks go all the way around the tyres, or is it mostly in one place?

[meic]

Yes, swap it with the back tyre, as a back tyre blowout will not hurt, most times.

Personally i wouldnt worry about that at all, no fibres are cut by the look of it and there is no visible change in the tyre's shape. In other words it looks pretty superficial.
I have got home before to find a bit of inner tube bubbling out through the sidewall and used the tyre for thousands of miles afterwards with a patch on the sidewall.

When you swap it over check on the inside to see if it is through or not.
If it does go through I would be more inclined to patch with an inner tube patch or preferably a tyre repair patch.
Just because i have never considered Pertex before and unless you know something that I have missed, I could imagine it happily going through any hole* in the sidewall stuck to the side of the inner tube.

*I am talking in general here and not saying that you have a hole in your sidewall.

I have recently bought some Paselas cheap from Halfords and they have sort of perished on the sidewalls with the rubber coming off the fibres in a similar manner, probably because they are old tyres.

[Mick F]

I would bin it, or take it back.

Also, that tyre is old, maybe not worn, but old. The cracking on the bead area is indicative of an old tyre. I think it's sunshine/daylight that makes the surface deteriorate. Maybe the bike was in the window of the LBS for a while.

[CREPELLO]

If it's only the rubber that's somehow peeled away, there's nothing to worry about. If a single fibre of the carcass has come away, it's not really bad. Either way, just apply a dot of superglue to stablise the strands. Any more though and I would probably bin it.

How old is the tyre as it is cracking by the bead, and this something that shouldn't happen with a new tyre.

But it's not critical - most tyres do this sooner or later. It's the difference between the thin rubber of the tyre wall and the thick strip applied around the bead.

[LollyKat]

Thanks folks for all the replies.

The bike was built up for me by Thorn's and I had to wait several weeks for it, so it wouldn't have been sitting around on flat tyres for ages. Also I don't think they have much of a shop-front so it "shouldn't" have been in the sun.

It arrived middle of last November and only had time for a couple of short runs to confirm that I liked it before the weather turned really atrocious. The tyres were fine then - I checked them.

I got it as a 60th birthday present to myself for fun use and keeping it for best, so for weather/work/family/injury reasons didn't ride it again until April, then not at all in May, hence the low mileage. It lives in our bike shed and not exposed to sun, and I checked the tyre pressures regularly.

I thought that cracks around the bead were normal - it is the gash that bothers me. I have never had that in new or even middle-aged tyres in a lifetime of cycling. Also that front tyre has a lot of fine radial cracks all round on both sides that I haven't photographed. The rear tyre only has the usual cracks around the bead.

I could send it back to Thorn's but I can't prove that I haven't mistreated it. Maybe I should contact them and see what they say. Otherwise I think I will glue the strand and put a rubber patch on the inside just in case, and swap it to the rear for the time being.

I haven't knowingly maltreated it but our road surfaces are so bad in some places that maybe a loose chunk kicked up? It has been on a Thule roof-rack a couple of times but I have never known that to damage a tyre. All our bikes are treated with loving care in the shed and there is not a scratch on this one.

In any case this has put me off these Tourguards so I need to think what to use in future. I think there have been several threads on this - time to start searching.

[Trigger]

As above, I'd just swap it to the rear and keep an eye on it. It certainly doesn't look to be terminal.

[mark a.]

90 psi? That's quite a lot. I recently, under protestation, upped mine from 45 psi to 55 psi. I'm on 28 mm Paselas too.

It probably won't have any bearing on the tear, though.

[old_man]

My experience, especially with the children's bikes, is that any light coloured tyre, or this case side-wall, is going to deteriorate quite quickly, even if kept out of the sun.

Personally, I'd complain to retailer that it's showing signs of age - if you've just bought a new bike, they should replace faulty (and inexpensive) components like this as a matter of goodwill.

Otherwise, bin it. Tyres aren't particularly expensive.

[ChrisButch]

This matches my own exoerience with Paselas - also, conincidentally on a Thorn Audax. On several occasions I've had sidewall blowouts on quite new tyres, when the tread itself shows little sign of wear. Eventually I got fed up with them and switched to something else. I know a lot of people think Paselas are worth using because they're the lightest and easiest-rolling of puncture-resistant fast touring tyres, even though at the price of weak sidewalls. I'd much rather have something that isn't going to blow up on me with little or no warning.

[largeallan]

The only thing that would make me ride on that is if I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with no other option

No way, get it binned.... why take a chance for the sake of a few quid?

[meic]

I am happy to put my money where my mouth is.

If you are not willing to ride with this tyre I will happily pay you the postage to send me that tyre and I will stick it on the back of a bike and ride it until it is worn out.

I would have offered you money for the tyre too but I dont actually go for 28mm Passelas in 700C. For the same reason it may be sometime before I report on its demise.

You could consider carrying it as a spare especially if it is a folding tyre.