As a rider probably, you will come across this situation multiple times in your lifetime. As your tires go through hard riding conditions that include broken glasses, gravels or too many rough road conditions, your tires give up and start having small cracks on them. These are not the cracks but generally a thin cut on your tire’s most outer layer. The cracks sometimes will be very light and other times they will be too broad. So the question comes how deep is it? Shall I continue riding with it? Is there any fix for it?
Let us answer this question for you.
Are these cracks or cuts
There are two situations, sometimes you could find cut due to gravel or glass on the road but other times, your tires might be poorly made. The cracks are a sign of poor quality material or very old tire that has not been sold previously. In most cases the cuts are often seen then the cracked tire. Hence whenever we mention a crack we mean that tire is cut due to the road conditions
When the cracks are too small and deep
In his scenario, you might find the crack/cut to be very less visible however you might find gravels being stuck in between which will lead eventually to reaching the tube section of the tire. Hence you would find the puncture situation often. You can continuously check the crack after each ride to remove the gravel or glass stuck inside it to avoid that.
When the cracks are too broad but not deep
This is another scenario where you don’t have to worry about the tire condition, though you can be cautious of the condition. The broader cut will eventually disappear as your tire reaches its life.
When the crack is too broad and deep
You have got a checkmate here. It’s the worse condition to have and it identifies that you have nearly killed your tire while riding. But there are always cure to the situation.
You can fix your crack/cut tires but you have to be a little more specific to the solution whether you need it or not.
1) Check the cut often
As I mentioned, you should check your tire condition often, in case anything is stuck in the cavity, should be removed immediately.
2) Put inner support
As a rider, you probably know the puncture kit. The patch which comes to repair your tube can be used on the tire. But make sure you have the thinnest puncture patch or you can make it thin by using sandpaper. In case of a deep cut or broad and deep cut, you can use the puncture patch inside the tire (please note, I said inside of the tire). The patch has to be tightly placed, with no space on the edges, else it will create friction on the tube inside.
3) Puncture patch on the tube
It’s a little difficult though, you can use a puncture patch on the tube at the same location where your tire has a crack (though you have no puncture on the tube) That implies that anything that can damage your tube will have to go through another layer of protection. it’s not necessary if you apply point no 2.
4) Change the tire
In case of poor quality tires, or the tire has lasted its lifetime, you should immediately change the tire. A frequent puncture will be more expensive and time consuming for you than buying a brand new tire.
I hope this will help you to recover faster from more flats on the road and even save some bucks on your tire purchase. If you like the content, share your views about it.
