Used bikes, and sellers' ignorance when it comes to tires.

Crom

Crom

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I have been in the market for a used bike for several months now, and I am completely shocked by how sellers consider the age of the tires on their bike to be such a trivial and insignificant detail. Most have absolutely NO clue what a date stamp is or how to find it, or they just don't care. "No idea, still good condition". The majority of the time they end up being the originals that came on the bike when it was first purchased. Ugh.

Then they act like you are being insulting by asking if there is ANY wiggle room in the price since the 7 - 10 year old tires on the bike, which they are selling at WAY over the market value, are in dire need of replacement. Not to mention for decent tires, with installation and balancing, I'm looking at just under $450 after taxes right after buying the bike.

It's driving me nuts lol. Anyone else experience this?
 
lol first time I heard of this too, my tires are over only when the threads disappear.
 
Crom said:
What? Come on. Lol.
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Don't be surprised.
I tried to look for the date stamp on my BT003 RS's and I honestly couldn't find it...
You know what, I'm going to go check again!

Edit: Found it!
My front is the 28th week of 2010 and my rear is the 9th week of 2010...
I had them installed towards the end of last season (sept/oct)

What's the limitation on tire age anyways?
 
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From the research I have done, manufacturers and highly experienced riders seem to agree on an absolute max age of 5 or 6 years. Many recommend replacing them even sooner.
 
Yeah, I did a quick Google search and it brought me to an ancient GTAM thread.
5-6 years seems to be the general consensus.
 
if demonpig was still around on the forums, he'd tell you in certainty. He has a fetish with tires.
 
My 1000 is for sale. It'll have brand new tires on Wednesday :)
Bought my trackbike last month and the owner said he just put tires on it. He didn't mention though they were 7yr old tires and he was doing burnouts with them.
 
why should the onus on the age or tread depth of the tires be on the seller anyways? he's selling you a used bike. there's going to be wear and tear.

if you luck out on fairly new tires then that's a bonus. i shouldn't have to replace the tires as a requirement just because i'm selling a car or a bike.

if u want new, either buy new tires or a new bike. that's the way i see it.

would u also want them to give u new chains, brake pads, oil, etc. ?
 
Pegassus said:
lol first time I heard of this too, my tires are over only when the threads disappear.
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Not too sure why you would have THREADS on your tires, but they should wear out pretty quickly....
 
as long its a relatively newer model of tire I wouldn't be too worried...
If its something you've never heard of then yea, I'd look into it...
 
Giddyup69, I think what the OP is getting at is that sellers are getting angry at him when he asks for a pricing compromise after noticing that their "great condition tires" are so old that their grip will have been compromised by outgass hardening and will need changing.

You're totally right that it's a used bike and it's not the seller's responsibility to replace everything that is worn. However if someone says in their ad that they put on a new chain and I come to find out it's a salvage chain that is just new to THIS bike and will soon need changing, it would probably ask for a discount too. It's about the disconnect from what the ad implies (a part that will last long) and what it is (a part that needs changing).

Here's a great article that covers how to figure out the age of your tires, and some tips on how to pick the right tire for your usage. FYI, it will tell you why a track tire may actually give you LESS grip that a road tire in some situations. http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/tires.php
 
giddyup69 said:
why should the onus on the age or tread depth of the tires be on the seller anyways? he's selling you a used bike. there's going to be wear and tear.

if you luck out on fairly new tires then that's a bonus. i shouldn't have to replace the tires as a requirement just because i'm selling a car or a bike.

if u want new, either buy new tires or a new bike. that's the way i see it.

would u also want them to give u new chains, brake pads, oil, etc. ?
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Point missed - OP is frustrated that seller is giving NO wiggle room in the selling price, OP is not asking for new tires.

If you have obviously dangerous equipment on the bike (or car) you're selling, you'd think that a logical person would try and work through such obvious hazards with the best of intentions all around e.g "You know, I can meet you halfway and take $250/$300 off the price" etc. etc.

Of course, the operative word being "logical" is potentially too much to assume...
 
I feel your pain, Just picked up a 2005, with tires described as like new, (Except they were dated coded 2004) New Ones will be here before it see's even one 1 k with me in the seat!
 
I'm surprised there's that many 5+ year old bikes out there that haven't needed new tires yet!
 
I changed the last set on my Vmax with over 20,000 k on them still lots of tread, but too old for me (three years)
 
How about when the tires are obviously worn out and they won't admit it? Went to see a bike earlier this year that obviously had only ever gone in a straight line, tires were completely squared off, wear bars showing, etc. Seller wouldn't budge, said they were fine and wouldn't need to be replaced any time soon. Ended with him saying it was "a matter of opinion" :lol:
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