Dry tyres and grips

Any way to look after NOS tyres to stop them drying out? I have that white film on mine but as soon as I mount them and pump up they crack on the edges of the knobs...

My grips also but they have softened up with the warm weather and some use.

Are we all doomed as rubber deteriorates or can we still have our old rubber when they were made in Japan last?

Re: Perishing Rubber

I was wondering the very same thing the other day.

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... p;t=384922

Interested to hear any thoughts. I'm going to take the Pepsi challenge, on the next old tyre I can forsake. I think I'll give everything a go, from g-techniqe c4, to peanut butter oil, see what happens.

M

Re:

I don't know of anything that will bring a tyre back from the dead, but I use silicone spray on the sidewalls and that kind of rejuvenates them for a while.

This problem is similar than the one the collectors of vintage watches have, mainly in rubber-resin straps like old school casios.

The best way to avoid is to control the enviroment.

Watch collectors use silicone to protect rubber straps. I usually buy in modeling or RC shops. You cover the strap and wait for few hous, them you cean it. A tire perhaps need days.

I don´t know if this works with tires, but with not very bad watch straps works fine and the straps looks much better. Perhaps the silicone protects from the enviroment and avoid further damage in watch straps.

In tires I haven´t tried, I don´t use old tires in my bicycles but if the tire is ruined, you can try and tell us how it works.

Re:

Always store my original tyres laid out flat in a cool dark cellar. Keeps em mint. Dry sidewals can be restored to some degree by painting on pure natural latex rubber and leaving it to cure for a few weeks. If the sidewall casing is worn/frayed from use and splitting its best not to risk riding it but you can restore it so it looks ok for display.

Re: Re:

M-Power":2dk9lfwl said:

Always store my original tyres laid out flat in a cool dark cellar. Keeps em mint. Dry sidewals can be restored to some degree by painting on pure natural latex rubber and leaving it to cure for a few weeks. If the sidewall casing is worn/frayed from use and splitting its best not to risk riding it but you can restore it so it looks ok for display.

Click to expand...

The problem most of us have with this is deciding which cellar to use.

Re: Re:

Hotwheels.":6zwpwt0b said:

M-Power":6zwpwt0b said:

Always store my original tyres laid out flat in a cool dark cellar. Keeps em mint. Dry sidewals can be restored to some degree by painting on pure natural latex rubber and leaving it to cure for a few weeks. If the sidewall casing is worn/frayed from use and splitting its best not to risk riding it but you can restore it so it looks ok for display.

Click to expand...

The problem most of us have with this is deciding which cellar to use.

Click to expand...

We're getting into the the realms of cellars, dungeons and latex now, hope I haven't asked this question of the wrong forum!?

Personally, I'll use the cellar where the coveted 2014 Tescos own Chianti resides!

Re: Re:

Trialsmeister":mkg1pe6y said:

Hotwheels.":mkg1pe6y said:

M-Power":mkg1pe6y said:

Always store my original tyres laid out flat in a cool dark cellar. Keeps em mint. Dry sidewals can be restored to some degree by painting on pure natural latex rubber and leaving it to cure for a few weeks. If the sidewall casing is worn/frayed from use and splitting its best not to risk riding it but you can restore it so it looks ok for display.

Click to expand...

The problem most of us have with this is deciding which cellar to use.

Click to expand...

We're getting into the the realms of cellars, dungeons and latex now, hope I haven't asked this question of the wrong forum!?

Personally, I'll use the cellar where the coveted 2014 Tescos own Chianti resides!

Click to expand...

You forgot the trapped spirits !

first, please do not use 'silicone based' sprays*. I know this might sound silly, but bear with me: those sprays often use a lot of other ingredients which will actually harm your tire.
note: not all rubber is natural rubber, the lower you go on a product tree the more butyl it will contain. the more butyl you have, the porous (and the cheaper) your tire is but contains lot less natural oils from the rubber. now if you spray something on your natural rubber, there is a chance the dissolvent evaporates together w/ some of the tire's original oils thus leaving cracks behind. the same happens when those oils meet with sunlight (UV-rays) this is why most of you store tires in dark cellars.
*obviously, you can look for 100% pure silicone, and spray it to your precious rubber parts, but that's not easy to find.
so instead of looking for something that's 100% silicone oil, look for glycerine. it will leave some residue, which obviously attracts dirt, that's a drawback - you might want to wipe it down thoroughly after application. but it mixes with water, and non-toxic, easy to apply. usually, glycerine is used as a vulcanizing medium while producing the tire.
you can get them at your local drugstore, just do not forget to mention that you need it for rubber care. in my local drugstore, I can get 100ml at once. and it's super cheap aswell.