Thanks LtR - the shop I normally deal with finally got them in on Saturday. I've got my new front tire mounted and a spare for the rear.

I'm used to the MC world, where everyone knows that a tire that's more than about four years old is just dangerous. Even if there's no visible dry-rotting, the compounds get hard and won't stick to the pavement. So maybe I'm over-reacting, but when I buy a tire, I'm paying for traction.

Now granted, the visibly dry-rotted front tire that I just replaced is the same one that threw me over the bars in December , so it obviously had as much grip as it needed, then, at least in the center of the tire. I don't know about the sides ... I don't consider myself a super-aggressive cornerer ... although I just had it pointed out to me on the club ride yesterday that I carry more corner speed than any of the toughguys. But IAE, that tire was only two years out from manufacture, too.