I'm right to be concerned, right??

[thecaptn]

Yeah they do look old. If a LBS sold me an old tyre that was in this sort of condition I'd be very disappointed.

[jacks1071]

they must be pretty old as that rubber is perished.

Its just a dud, I've got some Ultremo's that are far older than those ones and they arn't perished.

[brett.hooker]

Love the bike stand... Got one of those in my man cave; works a treat!!!

[ldrcycles]

I certainly dont like the look of that bulge.

the urge to say "that's what she said" is strong.

+1 .

[sdnelson19]

Ultremo ZX guys, awesome tyre apart from the defects. Doesn't really reflect on their product as a whole I don't think, just a bad batch.

[il padrone]

Is it a Schwalbe Ultremo R1.1? I thought they stopped producing them some time ago so even if you purchased them in November they could be a few years old.

Tyres generally improve with age as long as they are kept out of UV exposure. I had some old Specialized road tyres that I had in their boxes from the 80s and got them out a few years ago for my road bike. They lasted very well.

[thecaptn]

Is it a Schwalbe Ultremo R1.1? I thought they stopped producing them some time ago so even if you purchased them in November they could be a few years old.

Tyres generally improve with age as long as they are kept out of UV exposure. I had some old Specialized road tyres that I had in their boxes from the 80s and got them out a few years ago for my road bike. They lasted very well.

Yeah, nice and hard.

[il padrone]

Yeah, nice and hard.

Not at all. Still supple and good grip. Folders too so any hardness would have shown up when I unfolded them.

[Mulger bill]

Now that I can see the pics...

Nope. The perishing of the red stripe doesn't look too bad but the bulge (and the fact that it seems to have partially torn the rubber directly underneath) fills me with doubt.

[biker jk]

Is it a Schwalbe Ultremo R1.1? I thought they stopped producing them some time ago so even if you purchased them in November they could be a few years old.

Tyres generally improve with age as long as they are kept out of UV exposure. I had some old Specialized road tyres that I had in their boxes from the 80s and got them out a few years ago for my road bike. They lasted very well.

Actually tyres deteriorate with age unless stored in a vaccum. The surface oxidises and can crack. By riding the tyre you wear off the oxidised layer which prevents cracking.

[uncle arthur]

For all the time we've spent in discussion, the OP could have bought, fitted and ridden to and from work twice each way on their new tyres.......

It's like we've formed a Committee.

[Howzat]

Is Schwalbe's move to Indonesia a recent thing?

[il padrone]

Is Schwalbe's move to Indonesia a recent thing?

Really not sure how much of a problem this is. My excellent Vittorias are made in Thailand, and have been for at least the past 6-7 years that I have been using them.

I still have not yet had a single penetration puncture in the various Vittoria Randonneur Cross tyres that my family has used on three different bikes. 7-8 years and over 40,000 kms for my bike (3 separate sets of tyres).

[il padrone]

Actually tyres deteriorate with age unless stored in a vaccum. The surface oxidises and can crack. By riding the tyre you wear off the oxidised layer which prevents cracking.

I did not see any evidence of this in my 25+ yr old Specialized tyres that I took out of the box for my road bike.

[sdnelson19]

For all the time we've spent in discussion, the OP could have bought, fitted and ridden to and from work twice each way on their new tyres.......

It's like we've formed a Committee.

I like the committee actually- which is why I asked the forum's knowledgeable people for feedback (and to get some peace of mind).

I have fitted and ridden on them- but can't see the point in taking them for a ride to work; I'm a high school physics teacher and it's school holidays

[outnabike]

Hi Folks, some good post and an informative thread.
I know nothing about bike tyres, but on a vehicle, a tyre should be replaced after 6 years wether or not brand new, according to the latest info on tyres perishing. And a car runs at around 30 psi.
A bike tyre running at 80 psi would probably be of better quality than a car tyre, and may have a similar life expectancy on shelf life. Bulk purchasing may come into older unsold stock items. Not sure on date stamping on push bike tyres but all vehicle tyres have mandatory manufacture dates.
Of course if someone is doing low kays in a car and not doing high speeds it may not be a problem to them. Heat and road conditions of course come into effect as well. I am always suspicious of "block lot" sales of any type of tyre, no matter who is selling them.

[RonK]

Is Schwalbe's move to Indonesia a recent thing?

Depends what you mean by recent.

Schwalbe tyres are produced by a Korean company, Hung-A, at a factory in Jakarta. According to Schwalbe (Swallow) they have had a joint venture with Hung-A for 35 years.

I think production of some versions of Schwalbe tyres first moved to Jakarta in the early noughties, and this has gradually expanded to produce of most of the range, with most recently the production of tubulars.

As far as I can determine, production of Utremo moved there around 2007. The Ultremo R was recalled in 2009 after a history of tread seperation (delamination) failures.

The company factsheet makes interesting reading. It shows that there are 100 employees at head office, 40 at subsidiaries, and around 3500 in Jakarta (employed by Hung-A).

[sdnelson19]

The company factsheet makes interesting reading. It shows that there are 100 employees at head office, 40 at subsidiaries, and around 3500 in Jakarta (employed by Hung-A).

Surely one of them can answer my email then

[RonK]

The company factsheet makes interesting reading. It shows that there are 100 employees at head office, 40 at subsidiaries, and around 3500 in Jakarta (employed by Hung-A).

Surely one of them can answer my email then

Unfortunately, none of them can speak english.