I bought a pair of Pirelli P-Zero Velo tyres on eBay. The seller said they’d barely been used, and I think that’s the case. But they failed to mention that in that short period of use they’d ridden through shards of glass!
I’ve picked out the pieces but it looks like a few pieces pierced through the tyre tread and bead. I’ve stuck a patch over the inside. But when inflated the gashes really stretch.
I’ve gone from thinking they’ll probably be fine to thinking they’re absolutely toast. Is there hope that I can run these at all with the makeshift tyre boot?
by archy_bold
12 Comments
There are two things I don’t skimp on: helmets and tyres. I’d take the loss and just buy a brand new pair.
1st mistake was buying second-hand tires that had been ridden. Your 2nd mistake will be not buying new tires.
i agree with the others should of brought new
You’re inviting trouble riding a booted tire with visible gashes like that.
I’d venture to say that instead of selling it, most people will keep using a tire that’s usable, or keep it for a spare. Buying used tires is a no-go unless you can inspect them before purchasing.
Start the eBay return/resolution process for an item that was not as advertised. You have nothing to lose at this point.
Lesson learned it seems. Tires are the one thing I do not compromise on. They are the contact point between the road and your bike and incredibly important.
I always buy new tires, chains, cassettes.
If you can’t return them, use them on the indoor trainer.
Your pictures fully support a INAD claim with eBay. What a shitty seller. Ruins a pair of tires and then passes them off as “barely ridden”.
I used a tubeless GP5000 last year that had a similar gash (that I put it in) with a patch in the inside. Looked very similar to this when aired up. I had zero problems with it. You can put some rubber cement in the gash to protect the patch.
I have since found the lezyne patches that comes with a filler rod to choose the hole in the exterior.
Edit: tire was only used for training
Bulging equals casing damage equals toast, for a tire that needs to hold road pressures. (Lower PSI applications, some times of casing damage have more viable repair options).
Many people have gotten some extra life out of many used tires, so it’s not necessarily crazy. A good example for someone that works at a shop or is just in the culture in general is someone gets 2 new tires, discards the ones on their bike, the back is worn out but the front has life left and no real issues. That’s a great cheapskate source of tires. But paying money from a stranger for used tires is unwise.
I’ve bought used tyres on eBay before with success, and found it a handy way to try out different tyres without paying full price.
However, I’d be reporting the “item not as described”, and asking for a refund in this case. An honest seller would’ve taken pics of the slashes and stated that the tyres are only really suitable for indoor use.
Whilst you have them, you could try running with a tyre boot. I had similar damage on a Schwalbe pro one and it never caused any issues. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t have problems.
How much cheaper were they?
People suck