# Should I put new tires on before century?



## mrfizzed (Aug 27, 2011)

Judy wondering if there is any benefit to putting new tires on before a century ride? My tires will have about 800 miles on them (stock specialized turn elite 700x23) tires. If I should replace...... With what?


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## Kristatos (Jan 10, 2008)

Whether or not there's benefit depends on the tires and course. Lighter tires (no idea how relatively light/heavy your current tires are) may feel faster if there's a lot of climbing. If the roads aren't smooth a light 25C tire could be run at a lower pressure without pinching and therefore roll better. I wouldn't change anything the day before an event but if you have some time to ride on a new set of treads and the means to experiment a little why not?


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

What's the century route like?

Before I did a century, I have read that the ride I was doing was notorious for puncture flats.... so I slapped on heavier, more puncture resistant tires.... which was a good decision for me, as I passed by a lot of people changing flats....


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## Shinjukan (Aug 22, 2011)

I did changed my tires a few days before a scheduled Metric Century event and that alone added a bit of peace of mind on my part. Well, I have no choice. My previous tires upon closer inspection have developed some stretch cracks on the sidewalls and some buttonhole cuts on the treads.

And on the ride day itself I believe the move already paid dividends when on a good descent I was late in recognizing those glass shards and I had no choice but commit in running over those. My tires were unscathed.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I wouldn't bother. Your tires already have flat protection. While whose flat protection is better is certainly debatable, any flat protection is much, much better than no flat protection. And it's not like you've got 3500 miles and casing showing through the rear tread.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

I wouldn't bother either. If you're concerned about 800 miles of wear, it's nothing. And there's the old adage "never make a change to your equipment just before an important event."

If you insist on new tires, heed Kristatos' advice on when to install them. You don't want an installation error to show up with a loud bang 50 miles into the century.


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## natedg200202 (Sep 2, 2008)

I sometimes try to time it so I get to put new tires on before a big event. It feels like they have less rolling resistance as the top isn't squared off yet. Mostly a mental boost. 

Having said that, 800 miles is basically a new tire so no need to replace in your situation.


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## razredge (Feb 3, 2011)

My 2 cents....

If you have the time and money then yes (although, like others have said, your tires are practically new). However there are added benefits I think (depending on the new tires you choose that is).

I swapped my ol Conti gatorskins to Conti GP 4000s...a week and a half before my Granfondo from Vancouver to Whistler (120 km ride...very hilly...hence the route is called "Sea to Sky" highway...anyways). I did 2 training rides with them to get use to the new ride quality/characteristics of the bike and to make sure everything was ok. The new tires made my bike more comfortable (aluminum frame).

Although the road had been well traveled by cyclist training prior to the event (meaning there was minimal road debris), I still did not fancy getting a flat as I fly down one of the hills. In addition, the weather is always unpredictable (since it rains here in BC 3/4 of the year), I did not want to risk slipping and sliding. 

So...yeah, if you have the time and the funds...do it.
Enjoy the ride.


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## wooglin (Feb 22, 2002)

No. Tires with 800 miles ARE new. So putting other new ones on would be redundant.


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## jhkranzler (Sep 25, 2011)

mrfizzed said:


> Judy wondering if there is any benefit to putting new tires on before a century ride? My tires will have about 800 miles on them (stock specialized turn elite 700x23) tires. If I should replace...... With what?


You should look at them closely first. Even though those are not old tires, if you have any defects (e.g., large punctures from a prior flat) you should should replace them. If not, no worries. When they get old and lose their rounded shape, definitely.


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## budkid (Dec 15, 2010)

I swapped out my pair of Bontrager RaceXLites with Gatorskins a week before my century. I just needed a little reassurance that I wouldn't be on the side of the road changing a flat.

But it seems to me your tires are still practically new.


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## rooksmith (Jul 4, 2005)

Where I live (Northern California) the roads range from perfect, to deteriorated battlezones. Road bikes need good thick tires. Racing tires look cool, but they dont help you on century rides. Lower rolling resistence and wider (25's) will help. Ultragatorskins are nice, but pricy these days.

Put on new hard, low rolling resistant new tires (think 700x25), not racing tires, the weekend before the event. I prefer Continental Ultra Gators, but the 25's come awfully close to the rear deraileur with my carbon ultegra bike, so be prepared to bring them back if they rub.

Make sure you use a new tube (very imporant) and that the tube is seated well. Your wheel may also need re-taping of the spoke holes if you are using tubular tires. After inflating for the first time, let the air out and slowly reinflate. 

I believe in proper inflation (to 120 or whatever they say on the tires) I almost never need to change tubes, and the Gatorskins are good for at least 2000 miles of riding. PS- with the stock 'racing' 23 mm conti's I got pinch flats on rough roads.

I like mine at 120lbs - which is the designed limit, even though I weigh 190. Keeping the tires hard will decrease the number of pinch flats.But if you are riding in super hot (100+ degree) weather, you need to let some air out, and keep them at 110lbs room temp. Increasing altitude will also have an effect on inflation. I'm not sure what the exact formula is, but the higher the altitude and hotter the temp, the less pressure you need to be properly inflated.


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## vfr (Jul 14, 2012)

Visually inspect the tires. If you see no problems, use them. 100 more miles isn't significant on new tires with no cuts or dings.


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## professionalsql (Apr 5, 2012)

vfr said:


> Visually inspect the tires. If you see no problems, use them. 100 more miles isn't significant on new tires with no cuts or dings.


/agree

800 miles is perhaps 20-25% of the life for many tires. Sometimes tires get abused and are worth changing sooner. I had a set with about 1300 on it where I needed to replace the front due to obvious issues, but the rear was and is just fine. The front was largely fine from a wear point of view - it just had received a couple of clearly visible punctures that seemed to be the source of repeating issues for that wheel.

Look it over, if there isn't anything apparently wrong with it, ride it.

"Nothing new on race day!"


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## hill hunter (Jul 26, 2012)

wooglin said:


> No. Tires with 800 miles ARE new. So putting other new ones on would be redundant.


+1

I have over 2000 miles on my tires and they should last at least that many more. Just carry a spare tube in case you flat.


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## hill hunter (Jul 26, 2012)

100 miles might seem like a long way to you. However, to your tires a 100 miles in a single day isn't any different than 10 miles a day for 10 days.


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## thebludoc (Aug 21, 2012)

hill hunter said:


> 100 miles might seem like a long way to you. However, to your tires a 100 miles in a single day isn't any different than 10 miles a day for 10 days.


This

Consider the route: is it known for debris such as glass, metal and the like? If yes, perhaps a kevlar lined tire/puncture resistant tubes/tire liner is in order.

Other than that, you should be fine road willing.


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## cycmike (May 12, 2011)

Before a long ride, I've taken the tires and tubes off and inspected for debris trying to work through the tread and looked everything over. Only once have I found a tiny shard on its way through and it probably saved me a tube change on the road. Once, but it was worth it.


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