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Tyre Damage On An Avon AV56 Storm ST
Blog Date - 10 December 2011
You ride and you ride and you ride on your tyres. I give them a cursory once-over every week or two, check the pressures and just generally accept that until they're getting close to the treadwear indicators then I start to panic and worry about just how much more they're going to cost this time.
Standing at my local bike haunt the other day I was looking at the bike and I though...what's that? I looked closer at the rear tyre and wondered if I'd got something stuck in the tread as bits of fine wire were poking out. Further inspection revealed the wires were part of the carcass, part of the contruction of the tyre and not something I'd picked up on the road.
I pondered what on earth could cause such damage. It could not be a stone, I must ride over countless stones every day and the tyres absorb them just fine. I wondered if it was some fault in the tyre construction. It is possible but it's not something I could prove. Overall my suspicions still lean towards some oddly shaped piece of glass or metal that managed to dig itself into the tread and shred the metal fibres that make the carcass. Damn unlucky.
The damage, right in the tread and at towards the edge of the tyre.
Yet the tyre was not leaking, so I decided to leave it. I'm no tyre expert so I figured that if it's not leaking and not making the bike ride all weird it'll probably be OK. With hindsight that was a mistake. The bike carried on just fine until one day after a 2-up ride I parked the bike in the shed and wondered what that hissing noise was. Folloing the noise I relaised it was coming from the rear tyre and eventually realised it was coming from the damaged section.
Again I'm no expert but I figure the damaged area would have moved, rubbed, expanded and contracted until it finally started to let air out. I must thank my lucky stars that it started to leak in a slow and controlled manner and did not blow-out at high speed somewhere. I shall now be much more concerned and cautious if I ever see such damage again.
Lord only knows how or why this should happen to a tyre.
I've replaced the tyre now, obviously. I figure getting the punture fixed was something of a non-starter...
Reader's Comments
Wes said :-
I Have just replaced my worn out rear Avon Viper with a new AV56 Storm 2 Ultra (180/55 ZR17) How do you rate the Tyre? You were unlucky to damage it, Its not worth taking any chances with bike tyres I wont even have puntures repaired, I replace the tyre as you dont know if any of the cords are damaged when puntured.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
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