Am I going to ruin my smooth road tires by riding on rough surfaces?

Question

I recently bought Michelin smooth road tires (no tread) because I do sidewalk, bikepath and road riding. However, some roads are really rough with a bit of gravel, and my road is rough gravel rough. I love the way these tires make me fly, but am I going to ruin my tires by riding on the rough surfaces?

Answer 1

Michelin makes some really great tires.  Road tires are usually a bit iffy on gravel, though.  They have little grip on gravel and can be easily punctured.  I don't know which Michelins you've gotten but I don't think I'd want to take any of their lightweight, Pro Race tires ($50.00 each) on a gravel road!  However, some of their touring tires like the Erilium, Krylion, Lithion, Speediums are specifically designed for puncture resistance and might be better.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

You'll likely wear them out sooner, and will most assuredly suffer more flats.  If you ride on areas with a lot of gravel, a somewhat beefier tire (Specialized Armadillo, for example) is a good choice.  Basically, a 250 gram or less 700x23 tire is a racing clincher.  A 350 gram or so high quality tire will likely have more rubber, and even a bit of light tread and will probably serve you better over rough terrain.  The speed loss will be less than the time you spend changing flats.

Answer 3

We need to know the specific model of tire to answer this.  Just because there is no tread doesn't mean it is a delicate tire.  Strength of the tire's carcass, thickness of rubber, width and tire pressure you riding them at are important factors in how your tires will handle those conditions.  Also important are the combined weight of bike and rider.  I ride 28mm wide tires on rough roads from time to time.  I run them at 100psi, and I weigh 240lbs.  This will wear them faster than normal but the rear lasts 500 miles, the front lasts a little longer.