tmckeen Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 So I was changing the Oil in my commuter bike today and happened to notice these bizarre marks cut/worn into my front tire. They are fairly shallow grooves in the rubber and I have absolutely no idea how I could have managed to create them. They look a little too small and narrow for say locking up the front tire on rain grooves on the freeway, but thats the only possible explanation I could think of. Anyone got other ideas where / how these marks came from ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepsi Drinker Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 The rain groove theory looks like the correct explanation to me. Do you remember ever locking up the front? Isn't that tire worn out anyways? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotfoot Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 I am looking at a very small picture on a cell phone so detail is poor - but are you sure you haven't worn the tire down to the cords? I've seen tires where all the surface rubber has worn off and you are starting to see the construction underneath, it looked a lot like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmckeen Posted May 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 but are you sure you haven't worn the tire down to the cords? I've seen tires where all the surface rubber has worn off and you are starting to see the construction underneath, it looked a lot like that. Not unless there's some kind of weird defect in the tire, I've worn many a back tire down till the cords show in the middle, and worn Q2 front tires more than this one without this happening, its definitely a pattern that's worn or cut into the rubber, its all still rubber the white looking bit in the picture there is just dirt or dust or glare here's another closer view Isn't that tire worn out anyways? I wouldn't take it to the track, but its still got some plenty of freeway miles left in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktk_ace Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 looks like the rubber "re-formed" ... kinda like flat spotting but ... did you heat the tire up to its working temp and then did an e-brake / let it sit to cool down on any surface resembling this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faffi Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Or could have been parked agaist a hot radiator or similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csmith12 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Second time I have seen this on someones bike. Have you ridden through where they are scalping the road surface in prep for repaving? Kinda like a surface like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmckeen Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 They have been doing some repaving on the I15 lately and there is some sections where the seam between the new lane of blacktop and the old one is cut up like that slightly. I show'd the marks to a friend who also commutes by bike and he claims to have seen the same marks on rear tires before but never on a front, I think its just from sliding the tire on freeway with tiny rain grooves, which apparently very pretty significantly in size and width and are actually quite smaller in sections then I had previously realized Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csmith12 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Both times I have seen this, we concluded it was from sliding the tire. I seen it on rears also, never seen it on the front though. If you were locking the front, I would think you would know it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUNLOP-RTS Posted May 29, 2013 Report Share Posted May 29, 2013 The tire has tread left so its no the cords showing. It look like you locked up the front tire on a grooved pavement. IF this is the case it should slowly wear away, unless its now out of balance, in which you should rebalance it. Or, you let it sit on a grating of some sort for a long time, leaving an imprint. If this is the case it should go back to shape when heated or ridden on and it flexes back. Hard to tell by just a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Peachy Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 They look like stretch marks so expansion is a good theory but they only go around about 20% of the tire. Also the grooves start off shallow, get deeper in the middle and then fade out again. Definitely looks like skidding on something to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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