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Just got back from a ride. On my way back, my rear tire suffered from a side wall blow out. The area that went looks like it has been completely shredded.

The area feels like it's been melted, with sticky melty rubber covering it.

The tire itself hasn't done 500km, I got it last summer, but haven't been able to ride much. There really shouldn't be any reason I know that the tire failed.

The tires are Michelin Pro4.

enter image description here

Just so you know, each of those fibers had come apart completely.

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    Was the bike being carried in a rear rack? If so, did the tire sat on the stream of the exhaust? I've seen tires ruined by the heat of the exhaust. It weakens the inner threads so the rubber is left on its own but it can't whitstand the air pressure.
    – Jahaziel
    Commented Jul 18, 2015 at 18:02
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    Are your brakes badly adjusted and rubbing on the tire?
    – Kibbee
    Commented Jul 18, 2015 at 18:15
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    Then it sounds like chemical damage. It may have contacted some solvent, oil or the like, but most rubber compound can resist common paint solvents, and motor oil
    – Jahaziel
    Commented Jul 18, 2015 at 18:15
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    I had a tire blow out when I carelessly adjusted the brakes after swapping wheels. The brake block was barely rubbing the sidewall of the tire when braking, and it wore a hole though the sidewall, about 1/2" from the edge of the rim. But this hole was not that large -- not even noticed until I went looking for the cause of the tube failure.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Jul 18, 2015 at 19:53
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    I'd investigate the brake idea again or something else in the rear triangle too close to the tire. There looks to be wear all along the tire edge just above where it meets the rim. If that area of the tire was inside the rim when the tire was inflated, you may check the inside of the rim as well.
    – Deleted User
    Commented Jul 21, 2015 at 16:11

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Two common possibilities:

  1. Your brake pad is contacting the sidewall of the tire. Classic cause for a blowout.
  2. You've used something like heavy-duty engine degreaser to clean your drive train. This will chemically change the rubber and it will remain "tacky" forever. The best degreaser, that won't damage rubber is kerosene+lemon juice (or if you want to spend money, prepackaged citrus degreaser).
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