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My bike is in need of new rubber, and although I'm on my third motorcycle this is the first time I've ever had to replace my tires.
A buddy has warned me to be careful because new tires can be very slippery. This concept struck me as being rather counter-intuitive as I was expecting new tires to stick to the road like glue. I assume that most people here have ridden on new rubber once or twice so what's the concensus, is my friend right and I should expect to slide aaround for awhile (how long?) or is he just pulling my leg?

New tires have a coating on the outside when new. Takes a few miles to scrub the coating off.

iirc the coating has something to do with being able to remove the tire from the mold.

the advice I got for new tires is just to take it easy for the first 100 miles or so and dont get crazy with lean angles

Minty, I think time also works to degrade the release compounds on the tire. Though really paranoid folks will take some sandpaper to the tread before mounting the tire.

SANDPAPER? yow.
How about a scotchbrite pad and running water?
Or a mild degreaser like simple green and then running H2O?

Mintbread wrote:But how do you scrub the tyres all the way to the sidewalls without the crazy lean angles?
This logic has always escaped me. I can understand taking it easy on the front until it is scrubbed a bit for braking reasons, but without lean angles the tyre will never be fully scrubbed in.

You just do it slowly. The center section of the tread gets scrubbed pretty quickly. The idea is to go easy on the leans, so that your entire contact patch is not coated with the new tire goop (with a high G load to boot). If you gradually increase your lean angles, you'll always have some scrubbed rubber on the ground as you scrub farther up the side of the tire.

The first time I put new tires on a bike, no one told me about the "new tire effect". I learned pretty quick in about a mile when I decided to test the grip of my new investment. I headed right back to the tire shop to complain about nearly killing myself on the first curve. The tire guy was nice enough to explain what happened. His take? "I thought everyone knew about that".

Well there's no doubt that Mintbread's break-in method sounds like the most fun, but I think I'll swipe a bottle of simple green from work today.

Thanks everybody, although it sounds like I owe someone a beer - good thing I don't mind the guy.

I am not sure if using a chemical on the tire will get the mold release compund off it or not. I've always had good luck using the method Mintbread described, but then again I've only had to scrub in three tires.

indiGO wrote:Well there's no doubt that Mintbread's break-in method sounds like the most fun, but I think I'll swipe a bottle of simple green from work today.

Thanks everybody, although it sounds like I owe someone a beer - good thing I don't mind the guy.

What is Mintbread's method? His post seems to be missing from this thread now. I'm curious, as I have ordered a set of Spitfires that I'll be riding on in a week or so.

Thanks,
JC

'Tis a long story and not one I wish to venture into.

However, my method is to simply head out to my favourite roads, warm up the tyres and gradually lean the bike further and further till you have scrubbed the tyres to the side walls.
By the end of the ride the tyres are good to go.

Mintbread wrote:'Tis a long story and not one I wish to venture into.

However, my method is to simply head out to my favourite roads, warm up the tyres and gradually lean the bike further and further till you have scrubbed the tyres to the side walls.
By the end of the ride the tyres are good to go.

Thanks for the update.

If I ever make it down to your neck of the woods (Australia is on my list at some point) perhaps I can coerce the story from you with Foster's or whatever beer Australians actually drink... I will be approaching on two wheels, of course...
JC