Motorbike tyres,

cerastes

Where is a good place to get tyres in west dublin? bike shops or specific motor tyre places? Anywhere in or near Dublin is a viable option as can go to them easily enough,
cruiser type tyres, What brands or models are recommended?
Looking to price some, not sure how much it will set me back, Im happy enough on the current tyres as they seem ok in the dry but dont feel confident on them in the wet.
Id like to wear them out, but dont know if Im doing enough mileage on them (125 miles/week) or they just dont seem to be wearing out (Dunlops).

KTR1C

Cotters in Ballymount.

BlackWizard

Cotters is probably your best option in west dublin.

Sometimes it's not the tyres fault at all. You just might not have confidence in the wet. Try play around with the rear brake in the wet and discover how much grip they have before it locks up. But be careful

You could also clean the rear tyre. It might be dirty at the sides.

125 miles a week.. maybe in 10 weeks time you will visibly see a difference.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Cotters

cerastes

Looks like there is no option, I'd have been willing to travel within a reasonable distance,
I'm aware of cotters, got an odd vibe off them before, still, bit mad there are no other options, are they OK on price?
The tyre seems fine in the dry, it probably is my concern in the wet when cornering.
Thanks for the replies.

blade1

cerastes wrote: »

Looks like there is no option, I'd have been willing to travel within a reasonable distance,
I'm aware of cotters, got an odd vibe off them before, still, bit mad there are no other options, are they OK on price?
The tyre seems fine in the dry, it probably is my concern in the wet when cornering.
Thanks for the replies.

You need to shop around if you are looking for the best price for tyres.
One week a shop will have a deal on one brand of tyres, next week a different shop will have a deal on a different brand.
Also check online.
Pneus and oponeo are two online shops for tyres.

Get someone to have a look at your tyres to see do you even need new ones.
A good allround tyre is Michelin pilot road 3 or 4.
Take into account cost of getting them fitted.

Hotblack Desiato

Check pressures.

I am presuming the tyres have legal tread depth (1mm, but more is better) and aren't squared off? - flattened in the centre and unworn at the sides - a squared off tyre will feel odd when cornering in the dry but if you are lacking confidence it will feel even worse in the wet.

Is the rubber old and degraded? There will be a 4 digit week/year code moulded into the sidewall, usually inside an oval shape. If the tyre was made more than 5 or 6 years ago it will probably be past its best no matter how much wear is left. Dry grip falls off but wet grip falls off much more. (NCT does a fail advisory on tyre age even if tyre condition is fine)

cerastes

blade1 wrote: »

You need to shop around if you are looking for the best price for tyres.
One week a shop will have a deal on one brand of tyres, next week a different shop will have a deal on a different brand.
Also check online.
Pneus and oponeo are two online shops for tyres.

Get someone to have a look at your tyres to see do you even need new ones.
A good allround tyre is Michelin pilot road 3 or 4.
Take into account cost of getting them fitted.

Not aware of those, I'll look them up.
With so few providing tyres for sale, I dont think they will be inclined to fit tyres I provide myself. Im not really interested in trying to fit them myself, although Ive read elsewhere that people do it, even though I do most tasks for anything I need to do, I cant imagine its that handy doing bike tyres?? Ive too many other things to do anyway, plenty of other jobs I can graze my knuckles on and swear at :pac::(

edit, just looking I see they have a find a fitting station heading

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Check pressures.

I am presuming the tyres have legal tread depth (1mm, but more is better) and aren't squared off? - flattened in the centre and unworn at the sides - a squared off tyre will feel odd when cornering in the dry but if you are lacking confidence it will feel even worse in the wet.

Is the rubber old and degraded? There will be a 4 digit week/year code moulded into the sidewall, usually inside an oval shape. If the tyre was made more than 5 or 6 years ago it will probably be past its best no matter how much wear is left. Dry grip falls off but wet grip falls off much more. (NCT does a fail advisory on tyre age even if tyre condition is fine)

The tyres arent worn and have a lot of tread depth left, and dont have any distorted or uneven wear. I didnt measure it but looks like about 4mm. I did look for an age on the tyres but cant see an identification mark, circle or shape which contains anything resembling a date code, I didnt look as thoroughly as I could as my knee was in a bit of pain from something else and I was checking by rolling the bike back and forth.


edit, my tyres are tubed, the wheels are spoked and if I recal right it says it on the tyre sidewall too, should the tubes be replaced at the same time as the tyres?
I'll enquire at cotters about prices but I'll keep in mind the online places mentioned above too.
I would prefer to buy at bricks and mortar and would even if they were slightly dearer but if there is a huge gap in the cost of the same tyres, I'll buy online.

blade1

[QUOTE=cerastes;9504231
I'll enquire at cotters about prices but I'll keep in mind the online places mentioned above too.
I would prefer to buy at bricks and mortar and would even if they were slightly dearer but if there is a huge gap in the cost of the same tyres, I'll buy online.[/QUOTE]

That's exactly my thinking aswell!

Hotblack Desiato

If the tubes haven't been replaced since you bought the bike, you don't know what condition they're in.

Some years ago a friend of mine was killed when a tubed tyre blew out, it was a bike he'd bought a few months before but unknown to him the front tube was full of patches.

Personally I avoid riding on tubed tyres at all, tubeless tyres are far far safer, they deflate rather than blow out.

cerastes

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

If the tubes haven't been replaced since you bought the bike, you don't know what condition they're in.

Some years ago a friend of mine was killed when a tubed tyre blew out, it was a bike he'd bought a few months before but unknown to him the front tube was full of patches.

Personally I avoid riding on tubed tyres at all, tubeless tyres are far far safer, they deflate rather than blow out.

I didnt think I could put tubeless tyres into a spoked rim?

Hotblack Desiato

Not unless it's a BMW, no.

Wonda-Boy

Another place to keep in mind is CROSSANS in Newry, maybe not at the minute with the sterling etc but they do deals alot of the time and free fitting some months. Plus its nice to have a look around the bikes they have and lids etc.

Also no VAT on the helmets.

cerastes

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Another place to keep in mind is CROSSANS in Newry, maybe not at the minute with the sterling etc but they do deals alot of the time and free fitting some months. Plus its nice to have a look around the bikes they have and lids etc.

Also no VAT on the helmets.

A new lid would be next in line, I could really be asking for opinions on that too. I'll have to watch sterling, I heard its not a good rate at the moment but I havent checked to see how bad, but a good idea for a place to keep an eye on.

Steffano2002

cerastes wrote: »

A new lid would be next in line, I could really be asking for opinions on that too. I'll have to watch sterling, I heard its not a good rate at the moment but I havent checked to see how bad, but a good idea for a place to keep an eye on.

EUR down ~8% against the GBP in the last 3 months... Took a bit of a hit alright!

KTR1C

How hard is it to fit your own tyres ?? My wheels are expensive so dont fancy handing them over to Cotters to man handle and damage and the dealer would probably rape me on the price of a set of OEM rubber.

blade1

KTR1C wrote: »

How hard is it to fit your own tyres ?? My wheels are expensive so dont fancy handing them over to Cotters to man handle and damage and the dealer would probably rape me on the price of a set of OEM rubber.

Dirty enough job.
Helped a friend a couple of weeks ago change a 21" tyre.
It was some bàstard getting the last bit over the rim.

CJhaughey

It depends on how you approach it, if you have good levers, tyre soap, rim protectors and a stand to keep the wheel up so the discs don't get mashed its easy enough.
Its technique like anything else.
I leave the new tyre in the sun or a warm place for a while as well, makes it a lot easier to manipulate it.
and always remember that to get the bead over the rim the other side has to be in the middle of the rim.

nemoisback66

Need a new set of tyres what's your opinions on the Metzler Sportec M7 RR?? I heard great reviews but not spoke to anyone that has used them. Also if you have any suggestions much appreciated. I have an 01 R6 if that helps.

Mesrine65

I haven’t used the Metzeler Sportec M7 RR for track-day use, but if you’re looking for a solid performance on wet or dry roads, it gets a knee out and a thumbs up from me.

Good grip on wet & dry roads with excellent water dispersal & good mileage for a sport performance tyre IMHO

I'm a Metzeler fan though, I have to admit.