Bike - Tyre Blow outs - Any experience?
 

OK Having seen some car blow outs and the messy situation it puts you in I'm wondering how this goes with bikes....

I've obviously never had this before myself thankfully, even when a rolling burn out (unintentional belive it or not) took my tyre down to a wire mesh....
Are bike tyres more robust? or are modern tyres just resiliant to blowing out.
And if you do get a bike blow out, do you stand any kind of chance or should you prepare to eat tarmac...

A friend of mine was unfortunate to suffer this, well maintained back tyre, 20 years of experience, got lucky and controlled it.

Thankfully blowouts on bikes are rare, but poor maintenance is usually the cause, bikers tend to look their tyres, they know it will hurt, but it can happen. if its the back then you may have a slim chance of controlling it, but the front unlikely. Its very much the case of look after your tyres and they will look after you.

As far as I'm aware, modern tyres have a sort of glue lining which means that a full blown "blow-out" is now exceedingly rare. Those that do happen tend to be on trucks (which I'm sure someone clever then me could explain).

Rapid deflation does still happen. Usually something makes it's way through the tyre wall leaving a hole, which the air then escapes through over a few seconds, or something like sidewall damage from rubbing along a curb.

Having said that, not a lot you can do, slow braking (in a straight line) of the affected tyre if you're lucky enough to still be upright, and keeping a good eye on the tyres.

truck tyres (this spellcheck is ****, it reckons "tyre's" is correct :? ) are super expensive- never mind the amount needed. So instead of buying new tyres they remould them, putting extra rubber on the outside. So they easily fall to pieces. Mix this with the fact that the majority of trucks aren't exactly well maintained and KABOOM!!

Bike tyres are pound for mile the most expensive tyres you can get. I thought blow out went out with
inner tubes. Now they where dangerous had one go on a LC once. :shock:

I've had two rapid deflation punctures in the middle of a 60mph corner[Box of screws all over the road] Use the front brake and you get a massive tank slapper,use the back brake and it squirms all over the place. Safest is try and keep the bike straight lining and the deflated tyres will stop you.
As a matter of interest both tyrewalls will be knackered and will need replacing along with your skiddies :lol:

Or in my case a Stanley knife in the tyre....

I had a puncture in my rear tyre when i was doing 70mph++

The bike slowed down rapidly on its own (i didn't touch the brakes). It wasn't a blow out as such but left a big hole in the tyre (20p sized).

Had a similar experience, similar speed, overtaking on a dual carriageway. Bike slowed, started wagging at the back, managed to slow using engine braking only and got to the side of the road. Bit of a brown trouser moment. Luckily I was only about a mile from a friendly bike garage got new tyres fitted within the hour.

Had a mate called Frankie when I was a courier who survived a 70mph front tyre blow out.

When I say survived, he was in hospital for about a year, and when he came out he was about an inch and a half shorter from all the smashed and re-set bones, and he speaks a lot slower.

Not nice.

He's still couriering as far as I know.