# How Long To Break In Tires?



## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

My new road bike tires arrived this week and I had them mounted and pumped to ideal PSI level. Today, I took my first ride on them, and right away, felt like I was riding on ice (even though the terrain was completely dry), as I did not have much grip. Inevitably, even though I rode much slower, I slid and fell a few times while on some corners (bike is fine). 

Apparently, the tires need a "break-in" period. While using the tires more is the key to breaking in the tires, how long does it usually take to properly break in tires?


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

maybe if you told us what kind of tires, what pressure, and how much you weigh...we might be able to help. at this point, it just sounds like too much pressure.


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## Elpimpo (Jan 16, 2012)

cxwrench said:


> maybe if you told us what kind of tires, what pressure, and how much you weigh...we might be able to help. at this point, it just sounds like too much pressure.


THIS!

AND

Some of the best tires I've used (conti products) do need break in to get them sticky for some weird reason. (doesn't make sense)

I usually run them at 90 psi for a few rides (or about 100 miles whichever comes first) before i go to 120 (which is what i usually ride).

Im 6'1" 200 lbs BTW 


FYI: MOST brands advise you NOT to corner or brake hard 

Michelin Bicycle USA - A better way forward®


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Clean your tires*



SevensRacer said:


> My new road bike tires arrived this week and I had them mounted and pumped to ideal PSI level. Today, I took my first ride on them, and right away, felt like I was riding on ice (even though the terrain was completely dry), as I did not have much grip. Inevitably, even though I rode much slower, I slid and fell a few times while on some corners (bike is fine).
> 
> Apparently, the tires need a "break-in" period. While using the tires more is the key to breaking in the tires, how long does it usually take to properly break in tires?


Most likely what you are experiencing is some residual mold release agent on the tire surface. Clean the tire surface (and maybe rough it up a little with a Scotch Brite pad).


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

Here are the tires: Kenda K36 27 Inch Tire at BikeTiresDirect

They are 27 inch tires for a vintage road bike. Max PSI is 90 - I have them pumped at 80 and I weigh 130 lbs.

Thanks for the info guys. The break-in reminds me when I used to do a bit of auto-racing - I would typically break-in new tires by going slower on the first few laps before going at normal speed. I guess it's no different in cycling.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Dude those Kenda looks like it's cheap rubber. And you fell multiple times on one ride and still didn't back off?! If it were me, I'd dump those tires. They might disintegrate at 30+ mph!


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

aclinjury said:


> Dude those Kenda looks like it's cheap rubber. And you fell multiple times on one ride and still didn't back off?! If it were me, I'd dump those tires. They might disintegrate at 30+ mph!


That's funny - one of the faster riders I have encountered along the route I use recommended these to me, as he uses them on his vintage Colnago (I can't keep up with him and I have seen him easily cream a bunch of riders on S-Works). From his experience, they have excellent grip, last a very long time and because of the low TPI (22), you are "almost" guaranteed to not experience a flat or puncture from most road hazards.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Sure he may be fast in a straight line. Now ask him to take a corner while heavily leant at 25 mph or a fast sweeper at 40 mph. Guarantee you he'll end up eating tarmac. Those chevron/wedges on the sides will fold when the bike is leant over, and you slip.


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

aclinjury said:


> Sure he may be fast in a straight line. Now ask him to take a corner while heavily leant at 25 mph or a fast sweeper at 40 mph. Guarantee you he'll end up eating tarmac. Those chevron/wedges on the sides will fold when the bike is leant over, and you slip.


Who said I was talking about just straightaways? When I witnessed him beat the riders on the S-Works, it was on a downhill with lots of corners. You can reach up to 45-50 mph. He did not wipe at all, and ironically, one of the S-Work riders almost wiped out trying to keep up with him.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

SevensRacer said:


> Who said I was talking about just straightaways? When I witnessed him beat the riders on the S-Works, it was on a downhill with lots of corners. You can reach up to 45-50 mph. He did not wipe at all, and ironically, one of the S-Work riders almost wiped out trying to keep up with him.


Well maybe you need to go faster then. 

HTFU maybe?


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## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

SevensRacer said:


> Who said I was talking about just straightaways? When I witnessed him beat the riders on the S-Works, it was on a downhill with lots of corners. You can reach up to 45-50 mph. He did not wipe at all, and ironically, one of the S-Work riders almost wiped out trying to keep up with him.


a.) Those chevrons will reduce traction in cornering (not much rubber on the road)
b.) Just because someone rides a S-Works does not mean they are capable bike handlers.
c.) Perhaps you should ask your friend how long it took for those tires to break in.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Blue CheeseHead said:


> a.) Those chevrons will reduce traction in cornering (not much rubber on the road)
> b.) Just because someone rides a S-Works does not mean they are capable bike handlers.
> c.) Perhaps you should ask your friend how long it took for those tires to break in.


was thinking the same thing.

OP, your friend is super fast on what appears to be super cheap tires. He's doing something right, and something most guys on here probably can't. Your friend is your source of knowledge.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

buy some decent rubber, those Kendas look like they're low-end cruiser tires...


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

surferdude said:


> If it were me, I'd dump those tires. They might disintegrate at 30+ mph!





Oxtox said:


> buy some decent rubber, those Kendas look like they're low-end cruiser tires...


Most of the "supposedly" better tires have a pretty high TPI (Threads Per Inch), meaning while they are lighter and more compliant, are much more prone to damage and punctures from road hazards. Though paved, some of the longer parts of the trail I use for training and exercising can be quite rough, with various tire killers like small, jagged rocks, dust, uneven pavement, etc. On these parts of the trail, many tires with higher TPI would literally disintegrate at just 10-15 mph. However, with tires with low TPI like the Kenda K36, I essentially have a 99% guarantee of protection from those common obstacles.



Blue CheeseHead said:


> c.) Perhaps you should ask your friend how long it took for those tires to break in.


Agreed - when I run into him, I'll give him a holler. Also, considering the amount of misinformation from some of the recent posts, it's best to spend my time somewhere else. But before I do, I'd like to thank the other posters who actually provided helpful information on the original intent of this thread.


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

*Break-in information directly from Kenda Tires*

Here's an important update for all regarding breaking in tires.

Since I will be riding tomorrow, I decided to call Kenda Tires directly. I was able to talk to their tire specialist and got very helpful info from him:

-First, as mentioned by some of the posters on this thread, there is a chemical/coating on the tires to prevent them from sticking on the machinery during production. This is what gave me the "icy", no-grip feel from yesterday's ride.

-Second, while the the break-in period can differ from various factors (climate, terrain, mileage, etc) I did give him some info on those variables. His approximation is around 60-100 miles for my case before the tires are properly broken in.

-Lastly, in addition to riding slower during the break in period, the PSI used must be lower as well. For my tires, with a max PSI of 90, a PSI level of around 60 would be recommended until the break-in period is completed.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

SevensRacer said:


> . However, with tires with low TPI like the Kenda K36, I essentially have a 99% guarantee of protection from those common obstacles.
> .


Is this a true story you just made up?

I will not justify your purchase of cheep crappy tires by falling for this nonsense.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

SevensRacer said:


> I essentially have a 99% guarantee of protection from those common obstacles.


you also have a 100% guarantee of riding cheap cruiser tires.


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

tihsepa said:


> Is this a true story you just made up?
> 
> I will not justify your purchase of cheep crappy tires by falling for this nonsense.





Oxtox said:


> you also have a 100% guarantee of riding cheap cruiser tires.


TPI is made up? From what you have just said, I can now guarantee that you have absolutely no knowledge on bicycle tires. Listening to any of your advice would be, indeed, cheap and crappy. Do me a favor and actually learn about TPI from a someone who knows about tires. Better yet, check out a glossary on TPI to fulfill your ignorance: Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Glossary Tp--Tz

Also, if I am not mistaken, cruiser bikes typically are sized in 26" and 24", not 27". Furthermore, if something is cheap, but works well, then what is wrong with that? That is, in simple, economic terms, what you call _"value"._


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

from the link you provided earlier:

Replacement tire for road bikes or cruisers using 27 inch wheels.

maybe you should let the ad caption writer know he's in error.


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## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

SevensRacer said:


> Most of the "supposedly" better tires have a pretty high TPI (Threads Per Inch), meaning while they are lighter and more compliant, are much more prone to damage and punctures from road hazards. Though paved, some of the longer parts of the trail I use for training and exercising can be quite rough, with various tire killers like small, jagged rocks, dust, uneven pavement, etc. On these parts of the trail, many tires with higher TPI would literally disintegrate at just 10-15 mph. However, with tires with low TPI like the Kenda K36, I essentially have a 99% guarantee of protection from those common obstacles.
> 
> 
> 
> Agreed - when I run into him, I'll give him a holler. Also, considering the amount of misinformation from some of the recent posts, it's best to spend my time somewhere else. But before I do, I'd like to thank the other posters who actually provided helpful information on the original intent of this thread.


TPI has nothing in and of itself to do with puncture resistance. For example one could use the exact same thread to produce a 22tpi tire as a 320tpi tire if it is just loosly woven (think guaze). Or, the thread could indeed be a thick but a cheap, cotton thread. Do you really think that is more durable than a thinner, more densly packed kevlar thread? 

Most high thread count tires are made for racing, thus are made to be light weight. They have no puncture specific layer, like a Gatorskin, and little rubber in order to make them light weight. Those factors are far more likely to make them less flat resistant than simply the thread count.


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## Sloburu (Mar 23, 2011)

OP are you serious


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

SevensRacer said:


> Inevitably, even though I rode much slower, I slid and fell a few times while on some corners (bike is fine). Apparently, the tires need a "break-in" period. While using the tires more is the key to breaking in the tires, how long does it usually take to properly break in tires?


Classic error when making assumptions: two events occuring roughly at the same time (new tire purchase, crashing) led you to the conclusion that one event was the cause of the other. While that could be true, it could also be false.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

SevensRacer said:


> TPI is made up? From what you have just said, I can now guarantee that you have absolutely no knowledge on bicycle tires. Listening to any of your advice would be, indeed, cheap and crappy. Do me a favor and actually learn about TPI from a someone who knows about tires. Better yet, check out a glossary on TPI to fulfill your ignorance: Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Glossary Tp--Tz
> 
> Also, if I am not mistaken, cruiser bikes typically are sized in 26" and 24", not 27". Furthermore, if something is cheap, but works well, then what is wrong with that? That is, in simple, economic terms, what you call _"value"._


I have never crashed several times and tried to blame it on a cheep tire. 

Remember you get what you pay for. Those are some cheep ass tires. Did they make you crash? I dont know. I am however hoping you go out for another ride and report back. The entertainment factor here is priceless. :thumbsup:


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

SevensRacer said:


> .....
> 
> Furthermore, if something is cheap, but works well, then what is wrong with that? That is, in simple, economic terms, what you call _"value"._


There is absolutely nothing wrong with value buying. But let's talk about value.
Right now, you can get a Pro3 for about $60/pair on Ebay, at most given time. You can also get a pair of GP4000 for about $80 on Ebay. This is *half* the price of MSRP.

So based on value buying, you are getting a lot more value if you guy Pro3's and GP4000's on Ebay.. than you get for buying those Kendas. Can we agree on this?

Here, I'm pointing out that value buying does not mean you have to go for the cheapest absolute price.

Furthermore, Kenda is a tire company. They know all about the quality of the rubber and the associated cost necessary to produce a tire, and if they deem that a tire should have an MSRP of $12, then it's for a reason that it's only $12. Let me ask you this, is there any thing in life with quality that come at a cheap price? Not all expensive things are quality things, but almost all quality things are necessarily expensive. That's how it works in our resource-limited society.

People sometimes get confused between value buying and cheap buying.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

aclinjury said:


> .
> 
> 
> 
> People sometimes get confused between value buying and cheap buying.


Well said


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

aclinjury said:


> People sometimes get confused between value buying and cheap buying.


+2......25 years of cycling has taught me a lot through trial and error. I've used inexpensive Kenda tires before.... not good value. They wore out faster than any tire I've ever owned and the handling sucked. However, I've also ridden on higher end Kenda tires and they were great. Unfortunately, they were priced as much as most tires at that level so there really wasn't any value there. Value came when I bought Vredestein Fortezzas. I was always a Conti GP (3000s and 4000s) due to their performance and long life. When I switched to the Fortezzas, a new world opened up to me. They were about 30%-40% less to buy than the GP4000s, yet they were every bit as good IMO. Performance sells a version called the Fortezza SEs and they make an even greater value. I've seen them for going for 50-60% less than the GP4000s. Now that's value.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

awww, no more snippy comments from the OP...?

oh well, guess he didn't want to be subjected to any more of our ignorant opinions.

but here's another one, just for good measure...regardless of any other attributes, that tire is really ugly.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

^ c'mon dude no need for datt!!
Let's group hug.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

aclinjury said:


> ^ c'mon dude no need for datt!!
> Let's group hug.


Uh, no.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Oxtox said:


> awww, no more snippy comments from the OP...?
> 
> oh well, guess he didn't want to be subjected to any more of our ignorant opinions.
> 
> but here's another one, just for good measure...regardless of any other attributes, that tire is really ugly.


Hopefully he is out on a ride breaking (tho operative word here) in his new tires.


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

*Stupid is as stupid does....*

WOW, I see some people spent their entire Friday night doing flawed research to support more of their flawed arguments. ut: Anyways, I'll let this be the last post for this thread, since I am clearly dealing with village *i.d.i.o.ts.* with *major* ego issues. :thumbsup:




Oxtox said:


> from the link you provided earlier:
> 
> Replacement tire for road bikes or cruisers using 27 inch wheels.
> 
> maybe you should let the ad caption writer know he's in error.


Related? 



Blue CheeseHead said:


> TPI has nothing in and of itself to do with puncture resistance. For example one could use the exact same thread to produce a 22tpi tire as a 320tpi tire if it is just loosly woven (think guaze). Or, the thread could indeed be a thick but a cheap, cotton thread. Do you really think that is more durable than a thinner, more densly packed kevlar thread?
> 
> Most high thread count tires are made for racing, thus are made to be light weight. They have no puncture specific layer, like a Gatorskin, and little rubber in order to make them light weight. Those factors are far more likely to make them less flat resistant than simply the thread count.


Absolutely *false* - I sent a copy of this to my lbs to give them a good laugh (LOL). 

TPI dictates the overall performance of a tires and this obviously includes it's resistance to punctures and damage. First of all, though other materials have been used, most of the tire casings are typically nylon, because it's known for it's high tensile strength (I see you do not clearly know that). Also, much of the heavily touted benefits of protective, puncture layering are just additives. They can help, but a tough casing through lower TPI is the major factor in deciding a tires durability against damage. Essentially, as the associates I have talked to at bicycletires.com, bicycletiresdirect.com, Kenda Tires and my local lbs all state, TPI decides the overall picture of the tire. Nastasha Brief, a cycling author, perfectly summarized this in the magazine, _Bicycling_:

*"Higher tpi becomes most noticeable when cornering, as the tire better conforms to the road's surface. While lower thread count tires do not offer the ride quality of a 120-tpi tire, they are more resistant to cuts and flats. If you want a high-mileage tire, go for a lower tpi; if you want a high-performance tire that will roll faster and corner better, select a higher tpi."*



wim said:


> Classic error when making assumptions: two events occuring roughly at the same time (new tire purchase, crashing) led you to the conclusion that one event was the cause of the other. While that could be true, it could also be false.


Hey wim, going out on a "whim" is a classic error you just made since tire companies like Michelin, and more importantly, Kenda, state of proper "break in" periods to remove the slick mold on new tires, which is added to prevent them from sticking on machinery during production. (Doh!) 



tihsepa said:


> I have never crashed several times and tried to blame it on a cheep tire.
> 
> Remember you get what you pay for. Those are some cheep ass tires. Did they make you crash? I dont know. I am however hoping you go out for another ride and report back. The entertainment factor here is priceless.


Working in the financial field, the motto, "You get what you pay for" is typically the rule of thumb for people that are financially weak and illiterate. And now I know that from you, I can officially confirm that you, sir, are truly nothing else but cheap and crappy. 



aclinjury said:


> There is absolutely nothing wrong with value buying. But let's talk about value.
> Right now, you can get a Pro3 for about $60/pair on Ebay, at most given time. You can also get a pair of GP4000 for about $80 on Ebay. This is half the price of MSRP.
> 
> So based on value buying, you are getting a lot more value if you guy Pro3's and GP4000's on Ebay.. than you get for buying those Kendas. Can we agree on this?
> ...


Nice tires. I helped a few riders that got punctures using similar tires on the rougher sections of the trail I go to. Brings me back to the almighty rule of TPI, which you cannot (and shouldn't) ignore. First of all, those are *racing* tires, not ones meant for typical, street use. They do have protective layers, but as I mentioned from the sources above, they are just additives for preventive measures compared to the far more important factor of TPI. You ignore those and you are clearly asking for trouble for yourself. As Natasha Brief, a cycling author, mentioned in the magazine, _Bicycling

*"Higher tpi becomes most noticeable when cornering, as the tire better conforms to the road's surface. While lower thread count tires do not offer the ride quality of a 120-tpi tire, they are more resistant to cuts and flats. If you want a high-mileage tire, go for a lower tpi; if you want a high-performance tire that will roll faster and corner better, select a higher tpi."*

Sure grip is important, but for where I go, the priority goes more on durability. Heck, my last tires were the original tires that came with the road bike (which is a vintage bike from the 1970s). They might have been old, but still gave me good grip and outstanding puncture protection from the numerous glass, rocks, nails and common road hazards I have encountered (TPI was a low 24). If the sidewalls did not start blistering, I would still be using those tires - not bad for 36 year old tires btw.

And from this, is where you can find value. As I mentioned earlier, I work in the financial field and deal with value on a daily basis. You find value in needs. If you do not know what your needs are, then how can you honestly find value? I clearly know what my needs are in a tire, how about you? 

*I would like to end this post with an advice to all forum visitors: Despite alot of negative and ignorant rants on this thread, forums are great places to chat and learn about general information on issues you want to know about. However, when you need accurate and specific advice on important aspects, go directly to the professionals or people who have clear expertise in the matter. I did so by consulting Kenda and got the advice I needed. I followed their instructions, gave my bike a ride today and grip has definitely improved. From the estimations of the Kenda specialist I talked with, one more week of riding and I should be able to use the full potential of the tires. Now, if I ended up listening to some of the fanatical, forum posters here that have a serious problem with their manhood, then that would be another silly case of "stupid is as stupid does".*_


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