I know there is a excess of tire threads on here, but I think I have one that hasn't been touched on too much. I walked out into the garage tonight and thought the rear tire looked a little low. After putting it up on the center stand, I was unfortunate enough to find a nail right in the middle of the tire. I know I can plug it and get some more riding out of the tire, but being relatively new to riding, I'm not sure how many more miles I can safely put on a repaired tire. The front is due for replacement here in the month or two and I think I've decided on the conti attacks to replace the ME4's. So, question 1 is is there any problem riding with unmatched front and rear tires? The rear tire (other than the nail in it ) is still in great shape and I would rather not replace it if it can be safely repaired. And question 2 is how many miles can i expect to go on a repaired tire seeing as the tread still has at least another 3k miles before I even start thinking about replacement. Thanks for any input.
I just got a flat too, but it was on a tire less then 24 hours old! A note on mis-matching tires...it's not reccomended. See if you can get a deal on both tires. Think about it, each tire and each model has a different profile, and any tire that doesn't have a match will be in essense on different profiles front to rear, which MAY result in a weird, unsettling feeling. I know my old tires, ones which were flatspotted due to commuting, weren't really worn out tread wise, but still they were due for replacement because of the squared off shape. And, sure enough, new tires (for the short 50 miles or so that I was riding on them!) made a huge difference to my confidence of how far I can lean without fear of suddenly testing my riding gear. So, despite the cost, I would always suggest a fresh pair of tires. In a case like mine, where the tire is so new, obviously it wouldn't make sense, but by the sound of yours, I'd say even though your rear LOOKS ok, keep in mind that if it has traveled the same miles as the front, then the wear (age wise, rubber wear wise) is the same, despite what the wear bars say.
