Enough with the flat tires already!!!

[OakLeaf]

Not all bici tires have wear indicators. The GP4000 is the first tire I've used that has them. I don't know about the rest of the rest of their line. On those, it's just two little sunken dots kind of offset from each other, one closer to the centerline and one closer to the sidewall.

(The other thing about the GP4000 is that they have directional tread, but the difference in the tread pattern is subtle, and the arrow on the sidewall is really hard to see. They've gotten installed backwards more than once after a roadside flat, both by "helpers" and by myself. If I remember, I write over the directional arrow with a silver Sharpie when I install a new tire. Again, I'm not sure whether all of their road tires are directional or not.)

[azfiddle]

Tire update... the new front tire is doing just fine.

Today, however, today the back tire went flat as I neared the end of a ride. I couldn't find any sharp objects or obvious cause but it has a few nicks and cuts than I remembered. I'm just going to retire it today, especially as my DH alerted me to the fact that there is a brand new tire just hanging in the store room, waiting for a friendly rim.

[PinkBike]

really coincidental you should bring this up. DH and I were commenting about all the flats we've had recently and I have my own theory. They seem to have heightened since the Big Haboob, and I think a lot of stuff was sent into the street from the desert.

[azfiddle]

Pink Bike, the general consensus in Tucson is that the monsoon tends to wash a lot of junk into the streets and flats are more common. I am looking forward to a nice, flat-free period now with 2 brand new tires.