I just started to restore a long-disused bike. It’s been at the back of my garage for maybe fifteen years. I wouldn’t re-use the old tyres, but it started me wondering what sort of shelf-life tyres actually have.

Thanks all.

They still have plenty of tread though…

Just ripped my cx tyres to pieces on my last cycle tour, they’ve lasted 11 years, done thousands of miles on and off road and were totally trashed, I think they’ve done damm well.

The main factors are how much UV light have they been exposed to and how many spiders are currently residing within each tyre.

My pub bike tyres are getting a bit bulgy where the rayon sidewalls are fraying but as it’s hard to get nice 27″ tyres I’m sticking with them.

Some old Panaracer Fire XC Pro from 2000 are still good but they spent a few years in a dark garage.

Recently got given a steel road bike from early 90s and the original Michelins on that were perished, tread surface was good but the sidewalls were cracked.

Got a 40 yearold dawes kingpin on its original tyres.

And its CEARLY had a hard life.

Continental tyres ……. 6 months 👿

I’m still using some tyres from the mid 90’s – it would appear that part of the success of them lasting so long is the storage aspect – kept inflated, out of direct sunshine, not fed after midnight etc.

My pub bike tyres are getting a bit bulgy where the rayon sidewalls are fraying but as it’s hard to get nice 27″ tyres

How nice do the tyres need to be on a pub bike?

There’s decent (Conti/Schwalbe/Panaracer/Michelin) 27 inch (630) options if you look beyond CRC/Wiggle or walk into an LBS and ask.

As for the OP, as usual the answer is ‘it depends’

It depends on how they are stored, how much use they’ve had and the original construction type. We’ve got tyres from the 60’s still going strong, and plenty that have expired, same with some from 2015 😉

It depends how far away the pub is. And it’s my only fixed wheel bike for when I want a winter blast.

If the tread is/isn’t breaking off in chunks they are too old/fine respectively.

Its hardly the landing gear on a 747 is it. Look at them. Are there holes or bits of canvas showing? If not use them . Its a bike nothing much will happen FFS especially if its a MTB

I got some old school green and tan wall Michelins for a retro build I did and they lasted 1 and 3 rides each. So less than that unfortunately.