Complete bike newbie here. I bought a cheap used mountain bike from an independent bike shop. I've had no issues with it apart from the back tire, which went flat shortly after I bought it. The outer tire completely covered in both large and small cracks. I took it back to the bike shop I bought it from and they changed the inner tube of the back tire, so it is now intact, but the outer tire is still very damaged. Is it worth me replacing the outer tire?
by MuffinChemical3627
30 Comments
Personally I would change them
The tire could last another year or 3 more feet. Best to swap out.
That thing is done
It’s just a tire — no need to specify “outer.” That tire is way past due for replacement.
A reputable bike shop sold you that?
Yup, I don’t want that exploding during a ride.
100%
That tyre is about ready to simply disintegrate…
That is a terrible condition for a tyre. Must be very old and beyond it’s service life. Dangerous to ride, replace.
Sure, and unless this rides 90% on dirt, you’ll probably enjoy something with a bit less knob on it.
Maxxis Pace or various Schwalbe tires (Marathons, Billy Bonkers, Big Bens) are popular 26″ choices.
Yeah
I’ve ridden worse and older without killing myself, but I’d probably replace unless you’re just following kids around the neighborhood at slow speeds.
That should have been changed 10 years ago, and my bet is the tubes are in similar shape.
Yes, you should change it.
And FYI, it’s just the tire. The *tube* is what’s inside.
Without a doubt
This is a joke right?
If the tire looks like that I would replace it and the tube within.
Yes. Weather checked.
Yup. Definitely. Think about it like this: the only thing that keeps you in touch with the ground, thus in control, are the tires. So…
I would.
It’s old enough that the rubber has aged, meaning it’s brittle. Both in the sense it’s prone to punctures, and at this stage, literally pieces of rubber falling off.
In addition, it’s essentially got a mud-oriented tread pattern that used to be common in mountain bikes and mountain bike -looking bikes, making for a lot of rolling resistance. Even if you intend to use this bike for mountain biking, it’s very likely you’ll be happier with better rolling ones.
Now I’m curious to see this guys inner tire.
Looks fresh keep riding until you can see all the stiching underneath then you know you’ve got your moneys worth out the tyre
Those are dry rot cracks. Def replace that
Yes
These are old tires which have broken down over time. Time to replace them.
Yes, and find a new bike shop.
Nah, leave it. It’ll remove itself soon enough.
The rubber is dry and it’s cracking all over. It’s dead. Tire size 50-559 (26”) should be easy to find. In Finland i can find those for 10-13€ at the lowest price.
Unpopular opinion.
If you don’t want to spend the money you can probably ride it a few thousand km more…
Pump it well so it doesn’t flex too much.
Or change it. It’s already lived it’s life.
If it blows out you risk destroying the inner tube (and maybe you fuck up your ring)
The opposite of inner tube is outer tire. I like it.
What shop would replace the inner tube and not the tire??