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My "Googling" haven't exactly yielded many results with people having such obnoxious issues with destroying tires as I do. In short, I destroy such a high number of tires that its becoming one of the most expensive "consumable" in this hobby. And these tires are of the "Most durable and expensive" ones, so I'm not cheaping out on these.

For example, sometimes a tire will last for only 3 rides like my current "minions dhr" that I just bought and destroyed (rear tire), but front tires also goes quickly. I'd say average life expectancy for a tire would be 10 rides (if I'm lucky). The tires end up having minimal wear to the threads, obviously, so I often have to bin what looks like new tires. The kind of punctures i get are those that the sealants wont fix, typically larger ruptures/slashes. I'd like to clarify, these are tubeless tires running no inner tube.

This might be a silly question altogether, but I just thought I should ask, and if someone are having similar problems...

Is it "normal" to go through a tire this quickly, or am I being unlucky/doing something seriously wrong?

I follow a lot of mtb-vloggers, and I just had to "laugh" when "BKXC"(Good YouTube channel! ^^), said he wouldn't buy Schwalbe tires as they wore out in just 3 or 4 months. Well, I'd consider myself being lucky having a set of tires past a month...

I understand that there are a multitude of parameters that can affect the longevity of said tires, but here are some to hopefully clarify things:

Rider and riding style: I'm on the heavier side, being at 215lbs(95kg), equipped. I Usually pick the cleaner lines, avoiding sharp rocks, etc. I dont't exatcly ride super hard either.

Bike type: This is a 2018 Remedy 9.8 (basically an enduro type of bike, with 160mm fork). I don't feel like I can push this bike to its limit.

The area in which I ride (Norway, near the capital -- woods with little elevation), usually has a lot of roots, occasional rock gardens, although singletrack is scarce. Also typically wet, "swampy".

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    What pressures are you running? Tyres will often puncture much more easily if they're over-pressure.
    – Diado
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 7:42
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    @Carel 65psi is insane for MTB, most of rims probably will buckle if you pump a 2.4-2.6" tire to such pressure. Even 35psi is in the pretty high range. Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 8:11
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    I've asked other guys, and those I asked are not close to wrecking as many tires as me, but of course, when I say i dont't ride "super hard", thats a personal opinion... But the guys i asked previously and rode with, rode much harder than what I typically do ¯_(ツ)_/¯, and they claimed their tires typically lasted for months. Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 8:27
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    Not sure if this is a good idea - have you considered trying inner tubes for a ride or two, and see if the tyres still get damaged ? The point is to look for scratches/abrasions/tears on the sidewalls. Perhaps its a wheel-placement technique ?
    – Criggie
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 10:27
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    @Klaster_1: I'd like to see a buckling rim from pumping up a tyre!
    – Carel
    Commented Sep 20, 2018 at 18:43

1 Answer 1

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Sounds like you are running your tire pressures WAY too low or high. If you are experiencing tire failures due to "larger ruptures/slashes" that's indicative of a pressure issue.

If too low, and you hit a root/rock too hard, the tire will deform too much and you'll strike rim, thus compressing the inside of the tire against a sharp surface and/or fold back on itself to create a weak point on the tire surface.

If tire pressures too high, the sidewalls and treads are bulging more and thus more prone to failures from rock/root hits. Also, when pressures are too high, the sealant is incapable of sealing any holes due to interior pressure pushing the sealant out too fast or possibly even evacuating all of the sealant.

There is a "Goldilocks", not-too-high/not-too-low pressure for tires that allows them to deflect enough off of roots, rocks, and trail chatter but not so much that you strike the rim on those or risk blowing sealant out. For my use, at 172lbs weight and hard pedaling; that pressure is about 21~24psi on 29x2.3 tires w/ about 3~4oz of Orange Seal inside. I will occasionally finish races with little bits of sealant visible on the tread of the tires where it experienced a small puncture and sealed as intended but not lose so much air that it affects my handling.

I race singlespeed MTB and run exclusivly Schwalbe tires with their snakeskin sidewalls (thin), and their Speedgrip compound. The current tires I installed back in May have 353 miles on them with zero flats and won my regional XC series as well as placed me 9th in USA MTB National Chapionships. I typically get well over 1,000 miles out of a set before swapping them out.

Hope this helps; best of luck.

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  • I can definitely see that wrong tire pressures can be a factor here, but my 30-35PSI isn't exactly touching any of the extremes regarding high/low pressures? I also refilled the punctured tire and currently the tire is holding air. I don't know if it would last a ride though... I usually just threw away the tires, mainly because the slashes were quite large. Might be that i've been throwing away tires too quickly? @jc allen, since you are racing, have you reused tires with multiple, and perhaps larger punctures, successfully? Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 8:36
  • Erik, most punctures in my tires are 1/8" (3mm) or less, and that's even over the gnarliest, chunkiest, protruding rocks & roots that the U.S. east coast can throw at it. I have literally heard/felt the tires "PING" off roots and rocks that I hit at a wonky angle and just kept rolling. Those are the times where I'll typically see a spit of sealant through the tread after the ride/race. Of note, PSI in any pump is a moving target. Of 3 pumps I rotate; all three will display the same pressure on their gauge, but measured/verified with a handheld digital gauge shows 3 different actual pressures.
    – jc allen
    Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 15:53

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