RecumBum

When I purchased the Burley Django last year, the previous owner told me he’d put around 600 miles on it. I thought at the time that it was considerably more than that, judging by the condition of the tires, particularly the sidewalls, which appeared dried out and ragged.

Since then, I’ve put another 2100 miles on the tires, so I estimate that the tires have around 3000 miles on them.

I purchased new tires in March, but hadn’t put them on until now, since the old ones were still working fine. However, with a big trip coming up, I finally sat down and put on the new rubber.

The front tire is a Primo Comet (20″x1.35″ (37-407), 100 PSI). The rear tire is a Primo Racer (26″x1.25″ (32-559), 100 PSI). I wasn’t sure what tires were best to replace them with. I read some reviews, and considered various brands, but in the end I just ordered the same Primo tires. They were inexpensive ($18 each), and are light and fast. I suspect that they’re not as rugged as other brands, but I’ve never had a flat, so they must be good enough.

As I prepared to change the tires, I realized just how worn the tread on the old tires was, particularly on the rear tire (on the right in the picture below). And as I got the old tires off the rims, I discovered that the outsides of the sidewalls really were rather dry and crumbly (though the inside of the tire was still supple).

I managed to get the old tires off, and the new tires on, without too much trouble, even though I’ve never done this before. I replaced the rear tube, but kept the front one (I thought I had one on hand, but it was the wrong size). I may replace it later, or I just may keep the old one as long as it’s holding air.

The new tires have black sidewalls (compared to the old tire’s “natural” sidewalls), which I think looks pretty snazzy.

Tread Wear on Old Primo Tires

Old Primo Sidewalls

New Primo Racer Tread