Tire Mystery

2door said:
Give me your theories about these weird marks on my rear tires. I have 2 Nirve Switchblades with the rear tires being a Nirve brand called the 'Fatass' which is a 3" X 24" tire. They ride well and seem to be wearing okay but no matter how well or often I clean them they quickly develope these strange criss-cross dirt patterns on the sidewalls. It wipes off easily with a wet rag but reappears after the next ride. They are on both sides of the rear tire.

It reminds me of 'wrinkle wall' drag slicks after a car has been towed through a dusty pit or return lane.
Inflation is right on, 38 to 40 psi as per the Nirve owner's manual and the inflation information on the sidewall.

What's with this? Any ideas, guys? I'm tired of people asking me about it.
"Hey man, cool bike. What's those marks on your back wheel?"

Tom
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That's the infamous "24x3 chain slap". I know it all too well. LOL
Even if you have clearance while the bike is motionless, the chain will slap the sidewall at speed and over bumps, ruts, potholes, etc.
 
miked826 said:
That's the infamous "24x3 chain slap". I know it all too well. LOL
Even if you have clearance while the bike is motionless, the chain will slap the sidewall at speed and over bumps, ruts, potholes, etc.
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I might consider that theory if the marks where greasy or chain lube,,they are dust...
 
miked826 said:
That's the infamous "24x3 chain slap". I know it all too well. LOL
Even if you have clearance while the bike is motionless, the chain will slap the sidewall at speed and over bumps, ruts, potholes, etc.
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No, it isn't. My chain doesn't touch the tire. How do you explain that those marks are on both sides of the rear tire? My engine chain is only on one side and I only pedal to start the engine.

Tom
 
2door said:
No, it isn't. My chain doesn't touch the tire. How do you explain that those marks are on both sides of the rear tire? My engine chain is only on one side and I only pedal to start the engine.

Tom
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It's obvious in your pics that have chains on both sides of the wheel. I had the exact same marks on my 24x3 tire and guess what kind of tire it was? If you guessed Nirve then you would be wrong. It was a 24x3 Electra Fatti-O. LOL
 
577-Jersey said:
I might consider that theory if the marks where greasy or chain lube,,they are dust...
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No theory needed. It has happened on 2 totally different bikes and tires. That's a cold hard fact. Choose to deny it if you will, but those are the facts. LOL
 
2door said:
No, it isn't. My chain doesn't touch the tire. How do you explain that those marks are on both sides of the rear tire? My engine chain is only on one side and I only pedal to start the engine.

Tom
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Whether the chain is spinning or motionless makes no difference cause the tire is spinning equally on both sides of it. You could try to lessen the slack in the chain if there is any. If there is no slack then you could just ignore the marks and see if it gets any worse. I just got rid of my 24x3's to my horror and disgust. I just didn't feel like rolling the dice.

It's very simple to prove. Wipe off the marks on both sides of the tire and drop both chains and ride the bike Fred Flintstone style. You won't see any marks cause there won't be anything to make them.
 
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I truly believe its static from the cords,,and the dust from the road is getting funneled across the tire from the treads and sticking to the static charge,,its a combination of maniac's and my theory together.

Its definetly not from the chain grease bro...I have a bike that gets a little chain slap on the white wall and it is totally noticeable that its chain lube,,also it does not accumulate in that X pattern like 2-Door's.

2-Door,,hope you got your Fred Flintstone wheels are stretched out and ready to go,,your gonna have to go at-least 20 MPH for a few miles...LMAO!!!!!

Good times....

:)
 
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577-Jersey said:
I truly believe its static from the cords,,and the dust from the road is getting funneled across the tire from the treads and sticking to the static charge,,its a combination of maniac's and my theory together.

Its definetly not from the chain grease bro...I have a bike that gets a little chain slap on the white wall and it is totally noticeable that its chain lube,,also it does not accumulate in that X pattern like 2-Door's.

2-Door,,hope you got your Fred Flintstone wheels are stretched out and ready to go,,your gonna have to go at-least 20 MPH for a few miles...LMAO!!!!!

Good times....

:)
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I downsized my tire to 24x2.3", increasing the distance between my chains and the sidewalls, and the "static" marks, as you call it, mysteriously disappeared. Go figure. LOL
 
The sidewalls of ALL 24x3 beach cruiser type bicycle tires are paper thin. If it is static then it's harmless. Do nothing and just let it go as it is. On the flip side, if it's chain slap, then it will eventually eat its way clean through the paper thin sidewall and into the tube causing a blowout. You will notice that long before it happens but those marks on my paper thin sidewalls scared the shiite out of me. I already have enough to deal without worrying about a sidewall blowout.
 
Different tire, different sidewall construction.

Not being argumentative but I can assure you, sir, my chains do not rub my tire. Neither chain, engine or pedal will contact the rubber. Thanks for the suggestion however.

Tom
 
2door said:
Different tire, different sidewall construction.

Not being argumentative but I can assure you, sir, my chains do not rub my tire. Neither chain, engine or pedal will contact the rubber. Thanks for the suggestion however.

Tom
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I never once said or implied that your chains "rubbed". My chains never rubbed either. "Chain Slap" only occurs when you are riding at speed, hit a bump, rut or any other imperfection in the road. It isn't caused from slack in the chain, it's caused by the lack of rear suspension and road vibrations transmitted through the bike frame and everything attached to it. My 24x2.3 tire is clear of that chain violence but my 24x3 was not.


Watch this video of me on my bike and you will see the violence that a chain goes through when riding at speed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj0mc4irlnE

Or just ignore the sidewall marks and let the static fly. I no longer have those marks on my sidewall cause I downsized my tire. I'm now static free. LOL
 
If you cant get the chain to contact the sidewall when the bike is on the bench or a stand by bending it over with the slack,,how will the chain slap of a moving bike be any different,,Im sure 2 door can push his chain over hard enough to rule that out.Plus the X marks are so symetric,,that would not happen from a chain just coming in contact with the rubber once in a while.Plus the marks are dust,,not chain lube.

I rest my case...
 
577-Jersey said:
If you cant get the chain to contact the sidewall when the bike is on the bench or a stand by bending it over with the slack,,how will the chain slap of a moving bike be any different,,Im sure 2 door can push his chain over hard enough to rule that out.Plus the X marks are so symetric,,that would not happen from a chain just coming in contact with the rubber once in a while.Plus the marks are dust,,not chain lube.

I rest my case...
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There is no case case to rest. We're not in court here. You can speculate and contemplate all you want.

I'll make it as simple as I can for you since I had the exact same "dust marks" on my tires that over time became mysteriously harder and harder to wipe off. Dust that becomes harder to wipe off over time is not dust. That's called sidewall abrasion, This isn't nuclear physics here. The closest objects to the sidewalls are the bike chains. Metal vs rubber? Metal usually wins. LOL
 
Let's give it a rest, okay? I simply asked for theories, not arguments.
Thanks again for the input but let's move along.

Tom
 
"And now for something completely different."
and-now-for-something-completely-different_2729.jpg
 
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People who already know everything can not learn anything because they already know everything.
I know just enough to get myself in trouble.
*slaps himself with chain*
See? NO MARKS!
 
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