[Brandad]

For those of you that have faith in patching tires, what do you think about patching this one? Is there a risk of this splitting further? Sorry for the lousy phone pics with the flashlight, I wasn't really prepped for a photo shoot. The cut is about an inch long. Embedded in the tire was a chunk of glass kind of triangle shaped, about 1/4 inch at the thickest point. This is a rear Pilot Road 2CT with about 85% tread left.

Apparently some douche-bag broke a thick liquor bottle on the street in front of my driveway last night. Since I leave for work while it's still dark, I never even saw the glass. Found the flat when I tried to go home. My wife had to tell me about the glass all over the street when I called to grovel for a ride home. Nothing like stylin' from the passenger seat of the minivan and watching the Wednesday night group ride going the other way.

I'm pretty sure it's new tire time. I'll be limping the bike to the shop for professional opinion tomorrow.

 

[RayOSV]

I usually vote in favor of patch/plugging a simple puncture, but your damage looks to be too severe. Time for a new tire.

 

[Veefer97]

New tire time

 

[locosurferdad]

Agree. New tire time. Blowout on a bike would be disasterous and a lot more expensive than biting the bullet and buying a new tire.

 

[jim schmidt]

Can't be properly fixed. Well, I'm sure there is some cool aerospace glue that we'll have access to someday, but you couldn't get a patch to hold air for very long over that slice.

 

[Brandad]

Thanks all. Yeah, I thought it was a goner. Just so bummed to replace a tire with so much tread left. The guy at the shop said it didn't look like I had all that much tread left anyway. At first I thought, WTF? Then I realized he was probably just trying to make me feel better about replacing it. Got a brand new PR2CT to scrub in now.

 

[serpentracer]

if it didn't leak air it was fine.
. that happens a lot to tires. I've seen that kind of thing on probably 40% of the tires I've had.

 

[jim schmidt]

if it didn't leak air it was fine.
. that happens a lot to tires. I've seen that kind of thing on probably 40% of the tires I've had.

You may have missed, "...found the flat..." But otherwise, I agree with you.

 

[Skaz915]

I'm still a noob to the street but if I was still riding on the dirt that would be a patch no question asked BUT blacktop hurts a lot more. I would never chance a plug/patch no matter how minor. If you have to ask, your obviously seconding guessing it, if your second guessing it better get a new tire...

 

[serpentracer]

I don't know why so many of you think a tire is going to rip itself apart so easily.
tires are though as nails.
try cutting one apart once and you'll find out there's no way a normal small puncture will hurt a tire. other than letting the air out.

I rode with this thing in my tire for I don't know how long. It could have been the whole 4 hours I was out riding. at some points I was hitting over 80mph.

a tire isn't just a soft round hunk of rubber. it's made up of nylon and steel belts. which is what holds the tire together etc. just because you puncture through the tire with a nail etc doesn't mean it's going to self destruct. as a matter of fact it would be impossible.
that tire sees more abuse from getting mounted.

 

[RayOSV]

I don't know why so many of you think a tire is going to rip itself apart so easily.
tires are though as nails.
try cutting one apart once and you'll find out there's no way a normal small puncture will hurt a tire. other than letting the air out.

I rode with this thing in my tire for I don't know how long. It could have been the whole 4 hours I was out riding. at some points I was hitting over 80mph.

a tire isn't just a soft round hunk of rubber. it's made up of nylon and steel belts. which is what holds the tire together etc. just because you puncture through the tire with a nail etc doesn't mean it's going to self destruct. as a matter of fact it would be impossible.
that tire sees more abuse from getting mounted.

Agree about a "small" puncture. The OP's case was a fairly large slit that leaked air.

Below is the result of a plug that I put in on the side of the road after getting a flat. I rode on that tire for a bit before getting it replaced.

WHOA!! I just noticed your pic has the nail poking through the sidewall. NOT fixable.

 

[serpentracer]

yeah all the way through. and on a tire that was about 2 weeks old.

oh well. what can you do.

 

[maxpat82]

it a large slit in the rubber part...but the puncturer itself might be just as small or smaller then a nail puncture.

patch it(patch from the inside if you worry...and only a cord you you're not) and forget about it.