# How many miles do your tires last?



## dir-t (Oct 14, 2005)

I have about 2000 miles on my bike and the Specialized Mondo tires that came with it. I got 2 flats in the rear during my last 3 rides. 

The first flat was due to a piece of glass but when I was fixing it I noticed a few holes in the "tread" area that seemed like they could almost go the whole way through the tire. I also noticed a bit of dry-rot or cracking along the interface between the tread and sidewall.

The next time I got a flat I found a small peice of gravel had penetrated the tire (actually, it was a peice of cinder that they put on the roads in the winter time). 

I'm wondering if it's just coincidence that I'm getting flats all of a sudden or if the tire is worn out. Since the tire is smooth and not knobby like a MTB tire, how the heck can you tell when it's time to replace it??


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## John Nelson (Mar 10, 2006)

I'm not saying that the stock Specialized Mondo tires are bad, but I had terrible luck with them. I was getting flats often. I retired them after about 1500 miles, but they were not worn out. Tire life depends a lot on the tire. I generally get 3000 to 4000 miles out of a tire, but I don't buy racing tires. I do believe that tires get more likely to flat as they wear out. Unless they start flatting more often than usual, I run them until the threads show. Rear tires wear out a lot faster than front tires, so I generally do what most riders do--when the rear tire wears out I move the front to the rear and put on a new front.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

If this is a rear tire it is not at all out of the question that at 2k you are due to replace it. Signs of wear include visible threads and significant squaring off of the tires rounded profile.


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## ti_litespeed (Oct 21, 2004)

*"only 2000 miles?"*

If you are using the standard 23x700c tire, then I would consider that very good mileage. I weigh 190 lb and consider anything over 1000 miles as decent.


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## dir-t (Oct 14, 2005)

Thanks for the replies. That puts things in perspective for me. Coming from a MTB background, I never took into consideration that the road is more abrassive and I log way more miles in an given amount of time on the road bike than I do on the MTB.

I'll have to check on the squaring-off of the tire and maybe stick a new pair on my x-mas list.


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## allons-y (Nov 15, 2006)

i have a tire on my front wheel that is going on 2200 miles. (knock on wood). the rear lasted 1500 before it got sliced (i could have kept on riding it but didnt want to push it). the new rear is starting to go, so i think im gonna turn the dead front into a trainer tire and get a new set for spring


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

I think it varies a lot with tire quality. I'm pretty loyal to Michelin Carbons and have been for about 4 1/2 years. I tend to get about 2,000 in the rear and 3,000 in the front on 'em. Softer racing tires (which I haven't bought in a long time) I got less. 

I've never tried the super hard tires like Armadillos and whatnot (not willing to give up ride quality) but I'd been you can get a ton 'o miles on 'em. But back when I was younger and poorer, I did buy plenty of $8 tires and put 4-5,000 miles on them.


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## saccycling (Sep 30, 2004)

I'm using continental gp4000. There the best all around tire that I've found. I get 3500-4000 miles out of them and they come with a wear indicator on the tread. One flat in 4000 miles.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I usually ride Michelins. Around 2000 mi/set.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

saccycling said:


> I'm using continental gp4000. There the best all around tire that I've found. I get 3500-4000 miles out of them and they come with a wear indicator on the tread. One flat in 4000 miles.


+1 for GP4000's. I don't get that kind of mileage, but they do last 2000+ miles and flats are rare.


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

100 miles till my rear tubular tire burst when it hit something on the road... that was the second time.. first time was like a week ago or so and my rear tire got cut too...


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## Cory (Jan 29, 2004)

*Anybody up for a brief version of my tire rant?.*

Two thousand is terrific mileage for the way-too-skinny tires most road riders insist on using. I weigh 220-230, depending, and back when I used to jiggle along on 700x23s, anything over 1000 was great (actually I rarely got even that, because I spread my mileage over several bikes and the tires nearly always age and crack before they wear out).
In any case, flats from punctures shouldn't count against the tire. Maybe it's because I average a flat every 75 miles or so (lots of thorns and sharp rocks around here), but a lot of the tire posts seem to harp on that: "I'd only had my tires TEN MILES when I ran over a broken bottle and got a flat." Not the tire's fault.
If you want longer mileage and fewer flats, buy a tougher (which is to say heavier) tire. If you want super lightness and imperceptibly faster acceleration, use a racing tire--but it will be a tradeoff. Tires are always a compromise, whether on bikes or cars or anything else.


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## LetsGoOutside (Dec 2, 2005)

I weigh 135 and got 3000 miles out of some stiff wire bead Spec. tires I used for training this season.

My mountain bike tires on the other hand last me maybe a few months, but that's because they are purely race oriented tires and there's nothing I can do about that.


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## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

wipeout said:


> +1 for GP4000's. I don't get that kind of mileage, but they do last 2000+ miles and flats are rare.



yep.. i had cheapo hard michelin speediums and they lasted 3 thousand kms... last event was blowing out the side wall.. nice...

but my new contis have around 1100 kms on them and still look like new... seems they will rival the life of the hard compounds easily, but have far better ride quailty, FAR better mountability on the rims (campy) and are generally more confidence inspiring.

bad thing is the price, 4x what i paid for the michelins, but i could never go back :thumbsup:


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

dir-t said:


> I have about 2000 miles on my bike and the Specialized Mondo tires that came with it. I got 2 flats in the rear during my last 3 rides.
> 
> The first flat was due to a piece of glass but when I was fixing it I noticed a few holes in the "tread" area that seemed like they could almost go the whole way through the tire. I also noticed a bit of dry-rot or cracking along the interface between the tread and sidewall.
> 
> ...


Geez damage like that sounds like its time to replace. Many people move the 
front one to the back and put a new one on the front. I always put a new one on the back. I buy them on sale and its not a huge expense and its a part of cycling that I don't skimp with. If you find cracks or deep gouges why risk it? Do you really want to ride that going 35mph down a hill? I don't!!
b21


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## Ray Dockrey (Aug 28, 2005)

I had terrible luck with the Mondo's. I got less then 1000 miles out of mine.


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

jtolleson said:


> I think it varies a lot with tire quality. I'm pretty loyal to Michelin Carbons and have been for about 4 1/2 years. I tend to get about 2,000 in the rear and 3,000 in the front on 'em. Softer racing tires (which I haven't bought in a long time) I got less.
> 
> I've never tried the super hard tires like Armadillos and whatnot (not willing to give up ride quality) but I'd been you can get a ton 'o miles on 'em. But back when I was younger and poorer, I did buy plenty of $8 tires and put 4-5,000 miles on them.


Continental GP4000/GP3000 and Kenda Iron Cloaks last nice and long.
5000 on a front GP3000. It looked safe, but I couldn't fathom it still worked, so I took it off. Turns out it was perfectly fine, and I felt like an idiot.

The racing tires are getting better and better mileage as long as you don't go for goofy things.
-estone2


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## Zwane (Jun 30, 2006)

3500km on a set of 700x28 conti ultragators, rotating the tires (which i'll do this week) might very well double that.


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## ttug (May 14, 2004)

*yup*



ti_litespeed said:


> If you are using the standard 23x700c tire, then I would consider that very good mileage. I weigh 190 lb and consider anything over 1000 miles as decent.


Same weight, same tire size, I agree. I used Conti 1000's and got ~2000 miles on the rear and about 3000 on the front.


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## bikenerd (Jan 22, 2004)

I've been commuting on Michelin Axial Carbon 700x23 for a couple of years now. The first set lasted 4400 miles, the second 4700. I weigh 160 and run them at 100 psi, and try to remember to rotate them front-rear every 500 miles or so. They don't flat any more than the Armored-dildos I used a few years ago, and they ride 100 times nicer. My 'training tires' on my 'race bike' are Vittoria Rubino Pro Techs, the rear lasted about 1950 miles. I am very happy with both of these tires and the mileage they give me.


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## Powder Hound (Aug 11, 2005)

Weight: 190.

I replace fronts with the rears--run Conti Attack/Force combos and the rear takes me about 900-1000 miles.


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## trek_FL (Apr 7, 2006)

*Vredestein Fortezzas*

I have been riding the Vredestein Fortezza SE for about a year now and I love them for training. It's the one that's on sale for about $25/tire. What I like about them is that I can run them at about 120psi (I am about 185 lbs) and they still have great grip and not too harsh of a ride. The downside? Blue, blue, blue (they have a blue sidewall) but I'm used to it now.


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## Powder Hound (Aug 11, 2005)

trek_FL said:


> I have been riding the Vredestein Fortezza SE for about a year now and I love them for training. It's the one that's on sale for about $25/tire. What I like about them is that I can run them at about 120psi (I am about 185 lbs) and they still have great grip and not too harsh of a ride. The downside? Blue, blue, blue (they have a blue sidewall) but I'm used to it now.


I actually just replaced my rear with that same tire to test it out (couldn't turn it down when I had a worn rear tire and that Performance 40% off coop). Only one ride on it, but it does feel very comfortable. It's strange running the pressure at 125 v. my normal 95. My bike is an eyesore now (orange front, blue back) but I'm not fast enough to care about aesthetics.


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## trek_FL (Apr 7, 2006)

*120+psi works best for me*

When I first started out I was inflating to about 90 psi just because I didn't know you could go higher until I got a pinch flat at that pressure. I now run at 120 psi and haven't had a flat since (knock on wood). The higher pressure just feels faster too.


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