[John_V]

Well, I was concerned about the two holes shown in the photo so I called the Continental USA support line and emailed them the above photo. I was told not to worry about it, those are wear indicators. When you no longer see the holes, it's time to consider replacing the tire. I would never have guessed that.

I also asked them about patching the tire to use as a spare and they said that a patch would be OK and if I wanted a little more reassurance over the patch to put a small piece of ...... wait for it ..... duct tape over the patch. Go figure.

Edit: I might add, he empathized that using the patched tire as a spare should only be done for a day or two and with lower tire pressure than what is recommended.

[ben]

That's great, wear indicators. Makes sense. I guess really we do learn something new everyday. Thanks for sharing that. Of course they said to fix it with duct tape.

[John_V]

Originally Posted by ben

That's great, wear indicators. Makes sense. I guess really we do learn something new everyday. Thanks for sharing that. Of course they said to fix it with duct tape.

That's what I thought too. I have friends that use duct tape as a patch over small holes in a tire and I thought they were nuts for doing so. Apparently, it works because of the fibers weaved in the tape that keeps it from tearing. I still have my doubts about the duct tape.

[katz]

It bothers me that the guys at the LBS did not know that these are wear indicators. Did they not read the memo...?

Also, to me those "holes" represent a weak spot in a tire that is already super thin & prone to easy flats. I don't need the company to "tell" me when to change my tires. I personally don't care for this feature of wear indicators. Some ideas are best left to automobile tires, IMHO.

I will be looking out for these on future tire purchases that I make. Hopefully all the manufactures don't get the same idea.

[Merlincustom]

What am I missing? Continental is saying both that it's fine, they're just wear indicators, but if you put a patch on it with duct tape you need to lower the pressure and use it only for a day or two? It's early and I might be dense.

[John_V]

Originally Posted by Merlincustom

What am I missing? Continental is saying both that it's fine, they're just wear indicators, but if you put a patch on it with duct tape you need to lower the pressure and use it only for a day or two? It's early and I might be dense.

Merlin,

I may have posted it with a little confusion. The wear indicators and the slash I got in the tire are two different things. After the flat, I looked at the tire and saw those holes and thought that they were the cause of the flat. I took the tire to the LBS and they said it was probably from the manufacturing process as the other Gatorskins they have in stock also have the two holes in the exact location. It wasn't until the guy at the LBS really looked at the tire that he found the glass cut that was the cause of the flat. I had missed the cut in the tire because I concentrated on the two holes rather than continue looking for other causes.

As for the wear indicators (the two holes in the photo), there is nothing to do for them. As for the slash I got from the glass that is where he told me that if I wanted some extra support when using a tube patch, I could put a small piece of duct tape over the patch. I didn't ask him, but I was assuming that the patch he was talking about was one of the self-adhesive tube patches. I don't think the duct tape is a good idea, even though some friends use it to patch their tires and ride on them until they need replacing. None of them have had a problem with it so far, but they don't ride as hard or as much as I do and I don't want to take the chance.

So after talking with the customer service guy, I stopped by an auto parts store and picked up a tire patch kit. Yes! They are still around. After applying a patch to the inside of the tire, I took some of the adhesive used for the patch and, using a toothpick, put some adhesive in the cut on the outside of the tire. I took a 25 lb. barbell weight and put it on a dumbbell handle and placed the weight over the patch and let it sit overnight. Checked it this morning and the patch is on there for good and I doubt it is going anywhere. Also, the adhesive sealed the cut in the tire to where you can't even tell there was one there.

As for the lower tire pressure, I'm not sure what he meant as I didn't ask after he came up with the duct tape idea. However, the Gatorskin's recommended tire pressure is 95 psi with a max of 120 psi. I ride them with 90 psi front and rear. Maybe he meant use them at 85 or 90 psi. Can't say for sure. Their customer service may have some wacky ideas, but at least they do speak English.

I think I feel pretty comfortable in using this tire as a spare for a day or two, if needed. It's like driving your car on one of those little doughnut tires. It may not be 100% reliable, but it's something I can use until I get a new tire on the bike.

[wild]

I thaught from your post that the hole went thrugh the tire. Thay put ware holes in all raceing tires but thay don't go all the way thrugh. If it does not go thrugh the caseing of the tire,Ride it is what I would do, and you can put some shoe gooe in the indents if it makes you feel better
My ¢¢
I see from your last post what it is about the cut not the holes, we must have bin typeing at the same time.

[John_V]

Wild,

The two holes do not go through the tire as the photo might make it appear. They are only in the outer rubber shell and not into the casing itself. When I first saw them, I thought that I had run over some sort of staple or something similar because they were the same size holes and are in a straight line. When I took the tire off, I looked behind the indents and couldn't see where it had come through. What made it worse was that after I took the tire off the wheel, I placed the valve stem of the tube where it was aligned with the tire, and the hole in the tube lined up to the indents on the tire. So that was another reason why I thought those holes were the culprits. Turned out the cut in the tire was the same distance away, but on the other side of the tire. I was so fixed on those holes being the problem that I never bothered to check if there was another spot on the tire that was cut or punctured. The guy at the LBS found the cut. My bad for getting fixated on something and not checking the rest of the tire. A lesson well learned.

[Merlincustom]

I get it now, thanks. The mind completes the circle. You see holes and make the assumption. That shorthand is right most of the time, sometimes it can lead to overlooking things. From the description of your patch job I'd say you can ride that tire until it wears out, or until you see the tube start to protrude through the sidewall.

[giantcfr1]

I've done it, and it never failed on me. If you want to be extra safe, maybe put some superglue in the holes on the outside too.

edit...How about putting a Mr. Tuffy in?