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D-Man

100 kW
Joined
Nov 28, 2006
Messages
1,557
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A buck per 100 miles is not that bad though, and didntcha notice, everything went up 50% last year? I just priced some tires for my subaru, :shock: It might be back to the used tire guy for me. On my bike, I am really liking a cheap bell tire that seems to be lasting well. At $15, I can afford to run over 30 miles of glass, rocks, metal etc per day in the local bike lanes.
 
Why would it only last till 2017? That sounds like corruption to me.
 
D-Man said:
Why would it only last till 2017? That sounds like corruption to me.

Booming war, oil development, construction industries and farmers growing stuff for ethanol production have created an increased demand for heavy equipment tires. The bigger the tire, the more carbon black they consume.
Even the increased demand for passenger car tires in India and China can can put a sizeable dent in the pile.

I'm guessing that by 2017 the demand is expected to taper off or production to catch up. Maybe all the topsoil and oil will be gone by then? I don't know.
 
See! only $5.00. There isn't no shortage of carbon black rubber! Think maybe Zoot should remove is radioactive hat. :roll: :lol: I guess it keeps his brains warm.
 
D-Man said:
See! only $5.00. There isn't no shortage of carbon black rubber! Think maybe Zoot should remove is radioactive hat. :roll: :lol: I guess it keeps his brains warm.

Go tinkle.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20081030/bs_prweb/prweb1542564:

"Driven mainly by steady expansion of global rubber market, demand for carbon black is expected to register healthy growth. Most of the demand for carbon black arises from tires as compared to non-tire rubber products. Global carbon black market is expected to reach 12.2 million metric tons by 2015.

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) October 30, 2008 -- Tires and rubber products represent the major end-use applications, accounting for about 90% of global carbon black market, as stated by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Developing economies in Asia Pacific, Middle East/Africa and Latin America emerge as the largest and the most lucrative markets in the upcoming years. Increasing level of disposable personal income in these regions is expected to generate healthy demand for automobiles and other consumer applications thereby translating into higher demand.

Asia-Pacific represents the largest market for carbon black in the world, with a strong hold of 37% share. Developed economies such as the US and Western Europe are expected to display flat demand though use of specialty blacks is likely to pick up fastest in these regions. Consumption of carbon black in tires is expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 3.6% during 2001-2010. The U.S. market for carbon black is estimated at about 1.6 million metric tons.

The virgin carbon black industry is likely to come under increased pressure from governments and environmental groups, as this product is a significant greenhouse gas emitter. Demand for carbon black in paints and coatings, and inks is expected to show an increase over the next five years. "

You can buy the whole report for ~$4000.
 
nashbar can have some great deals, but sometimes the screaming deal is on something pretty strange. Good place to look for closeout lycra stuff.
 
D-Man said:
Well I just got back from the dumb bike store. Those damn tires are now $30. They use to be $20. Thats a 50% increase. What in the hell is going on!!! More like wtf! Bastards. Thats fine raise your prices on everything. You'll just sell less and go out of business. Bastards!!! I only bought one. (ordered) That will teach them.

If the tires are imported (almost a certainty), the very weak dollar probably has more to do with the price increase than carbon black.. IMHO.
 
Well, I'm still waiting for the tire... Anyway I thought maybe I'd try to patch it. So I put a patch on the inside of the tire and it looked ok. But when I aired it back up and still bulged. Mmmm. Maybe if they made thread reinforced patches it would work right on a tire but obviously not on a tube. I ride it around but don't feel too comfortable with it for long range or unseen big objects.
 
D-Man said:
Well, I'm still waiting for the tire... Anyway I thought maybe I'd try to patch it. So I put a patch on the inside of the tire and it looked ok. But when I aired it back up and still bulged. Mmmm. Maybe if they made thread reinforced patches it would work right on a tire but obviously not on a tube. I ride it around but don't feel too comfortable with it for long range or unseen big objects.

What you need is a "boot".
Use a piece of sidewall cut from an old tire to reinforce the area around the tear. You don't have to glue it as the tube will hold it in place.
It will be lumpy but it won't allow the tube to deform in the area of the hole.

My road repair kit includes a section of tubular tire for just such an eventuality.
 
Yeah, I was thinking of doing that but don't have a spare bicycle tire around.
 
Rats. Just found out I could of ordered the tires straight from Trek online. You couldn't before but now you can. Would of come out to the same price with shipping though.
 
A great boot material is sold at auto parts stores - rubber gasket material. It comes in various thicknesses, I always buy gasket in 1/8" thickness (0.125) which resists deformation from the tube very well. Use rubber cement on the tire carcass and on the boot and don't wait real long for the glue to dry, as the pressure from an inflated tube makes for a stronger bond - sorta like vacuum bagging. BTW, kevlar tires are not the be-all and end-all we assume them to be. Kevlar abrades very easily ( ask sailors), and a single thickness of fabric is next to no protection from a determined shard of glass.
 
Interesting. I was just looking at a used up squeeze bottle of sun block lotion. It looks like vinyl. I bet that would work as a "boot" if you took a piece and sandwiched it between 2 patches with glue. Was going to try it but decided to call the bike shop again. The guy said he "forgot" to order the tire. Then he says: "We haven't ordered a whole lot from Trek recently." Ah ha! The real reason. Everyone's trying to pinch a dollar. Next time we won't deal with bike shops anymore. Its all "quota" and "numbers." Business first, customer 2nd. :roll:
 
Here's an old picture of the same type of tire damage on the same tire. It didn't pop the sidewall but did take a good whack at it. Sidwalls are kind of thin on the tire.
 
Wow, these guys just gave me the best tire from Trek/Bontrager! Look how straight it is and un-smashed. I'm sure it will run real true with no wobble! Those dummys!!! What a joke!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: Well, at least there is no hole in it. I'll put it on and see if it straightens out.
 
Well I be damn. It all straightened out and spins pretty straight. Not perfect. But acceptable. Got new brake pads for the rear.

On a side note, one time I ordered tires from "Airbomb" and they took the tires (schwalbe big apples) and put them in a box so small that I thought to myself "My schwalbe's couldn't possibly be in that box!" Sure enough, I opened the box and the wire- beaded tires were formed into figure 8's and then folded again into a small circle. Unbelieveable that they would do that to a tire. Only one of them runs true, the other one has a small wobble. That tire is on the rear. I have heard other horror stories online from that place.
 
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D-Man said:
On a side note, one time I ordered tires from "Airbomb" and they took the tires (schwalbe big apples) and put them in a box so small that I thought to myself "My schwalbe's couldn't possibly be in that box!" Sure enough, I opened the box and the wire- beaded tires were formed into figure 8's and then folded again into a small circle. Unbelieveable that they would do that to a tire.

Folding wire bead tires is a perfectly acceptable method of storing them in a restricted space. In the days before kevlar beads that's how you'd carry a spare tire when you're touring. It's a good trick to know in case you have to carry new tires home from the LBS.

http://www.rideyourbike.com/tirefold.html
 
That must be how they get the cheapest price online. Use the smallest box. Save a couple dollars in shipping. Even if its ok to fold a tire like that, I still think its a bad idea. The rubber was really being torqued sitting in the box for 7 days.
 
D-Man said:
That must be how they get the cheapest price online. Use the smallest box. Save a couple dollars in shipping. Even if its ok to fold a tire like that, I still think its a bad idea. The rubber was really being torqued sitting in the box for 7 days.

If you're going to leave tires sitting around for a few years, it's strongly recommended to wrap them plastic cling wrap.
The attic or garage is the worst places to store tires. The basement where temperature fluctuations are more gradual is an ideal long term storage environment. Wrap them and hang them on a peg. Keep them away from electric motors. Protect rubber from ozone, UV, freezing and extreme heat.

Yeah anyway, folding tires doesn't hurt them.
You're not likely to tear a casing and if it looks like the wire bead is going to crimp, back up and start over. You folded it wrong.

I'd guess that 80% of my tires have been folded for transport on a regular bike rack.

I once used a 27X1 1/4" tire that had resided folded inside a pannier untouched for at least two years. No problem.

It blew my mind too the first time I saw somebody fold a tire it but it works well enough to still be useful, and still blow minds, today.
 
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