I'm on tour and today I didn't notice that the back wheel was slowly loosing air… at some point I stopped and realized that the back tire was pretty soft: it was at 9psi, 56psi when I started 3 hours earlier. It's a Vittoria Mezcal; the stripes weren't there in the morning. Is it just "aesthetic" or could this cause some major damage? Should I find a replacement asap?
by leon66613
4 Comments
No, these look fine.
Just keep the pressure at the appropriate level and you should be fine.
They’re fine.
Looks like you have the 120 tip casing, so you have a high quality, lighter weight tire. Less rubber in the sidewall to lower the weight and give a more compliant (less stiff) feel.
Low pressure causes the sidewall to bulge out as it is compressed on the ground.
All you did was fatigue some of the rubber , but the casing is still a-ok.
Long term riding with too low pressure will eventually cause the casing to fray and you get nylon “whiskers “ .
When you see the fuzzy little nylon fibers fraying, you have compromised the tire.
But, you have not ridden nearly enough miles in low pressure for that to have happened.
Ride on.
It’s fine. But 1- You definitely shouldn’t be running 56psi in that tire. And 2- You need more sealant.
If you start weeping sealant without remedy it is time for a replacement. Otherwise you are fine.
56 psi in a MTB tire is super high unless your system weight is like 150kg I guess? 9psi is obviously very low but you knew that 🤪