Can this tire be saved?

[Boris]

like aged food that is no longer fit for human consumption, so to are consumables like tires that are so old and cracked.

......and lest we not forget, "Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."

 

[Archie Sturmer]

Might try franken-sewing a nylon tire with nylon thread with the right diameter (so the thread does not break), and holes spacing and landing (so the thread does not tear through at the seam), and sealing on both sides with (plastisol?) maybe two coats of Flex-Seal as suggested?
Maybe an old time shoe or leather boot repairman might have the right sewing machine or hand tool (needle)?

I have also seen examples of heavy-duty tape wrapped around tires and rims.

Perhaps also bring the same sewing thread and needle in your bicycle tool kit, for other emergency sewing, or sutures?

 

[Jeff54]

Might try franken-sewing a nylon tire with nylon thread with the right diameter (so the thread does not break), and holes spacing and landing (so the thread does not tear through at the seam), and sealing on both sides with (plastisol?) maybe two coats of Flex-Seal as suggested?
Maybe an old time shoe or leather boot repairman might have the right sewing machine or hand tool (needle)?

I have also seen examples of heavy-duty tape wrapped around tires and rims.

Perhaps also bring the same sewing thread and needle in your bicycle tool kit, for other emergency sewing, or sutures?

Yeah, Thinking the same thing, at best, ya gonna need to sew it up but not nylon B/C it's ultra violet sensitive.
However there's Vulcanizing done on Big farm tractor and truck tires. All ya gotta do if follow this Utube example but miniaturize it fer a bike tire:

 

[vincev]

As a display bike it can be used.Ace has a glue called Shoe Goo that would cover that but dont ride it.

 

[Ernbar]

As a display bike it can be used.Ace has a glue called Shoe Goo that would cover that but dont ride it.

That was my initial thought to use it on my 46 Rollfast as display next to my buddy’s 46 pickup he enters at car shows which would make a unique display. Thought about it but it’s a hassle to undo the tires off my bike so it was tossed in the trash.

 

[Boris]

That was my initial thought to use it on my 46 Rollfast as display next to my buddy’s 46 pickup he enters at car shows which would make a unique display. Thought about it but it’s a hassle to undo the tires off my bike so it was tossed in the trash.

The world will not miss that tire.

 

[Nashman]

In literature does this qualify as a short story?

Sounds like one of my replies!! Ha!

 

[mrg]

Ok, years ago in my 4X4 with 40 in tires hit a 6 pack of bottles ( in a brown paper bag ) and made a 3 in crescent moon cut all the way thru so put something called a Baja boot inside and filled the outside gap Shoe Goo, used it for a spare but that tire got many miles over the years but the patch/shoegoo still held!

 

[tacochris]

Ok can I offer a more positive response backed by my experiences?
Almost every one of my bikes is on period tires and most are dried to some degree with some cracking and crazing and I ride my bikes to the store, 15-20 miles down and back on the trails and ALL around the neighborhood and let me tell ya something, get a nice strong tube, glue the tire from the inside and rock it. I hop curbs, jumps cracks in the sidewalk, bounce off the driveway edge on my way out.....zero issue.
Hell send it to me and I will fix it and hit the road.
...and before anyone says anything, I am 220lbs so that has played no factor and I do fine.

Someone will say it cant be done, but I am actively proving it can be done and done comfortably.

Each bike below has had 30+ hard miles put on each with zero issue. Look closely too, these are far from perfect tires as well.

 

[Oldbikeguy1960]

You are joking, right??

I do get that you delight in having ancient original equipment or ancient period correct replacements that are nearly as old as the bicycle. I AM TELLING YOU THAT A TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM VISIT BECAUSE YOU HAD TO BE AN IDIOT AND CONTINUE RIDING A TOO OLD, CRACKED TIRE THAT IS NO LONGER WISE OR SAFE TO ATTEMPT TO RIDE AND YOU'LL DESERVE THE BODINE BONEHEAD OF THE YEAR AWARD. WHAT IS GONNA BE EVEN WORSE IS THE $@#% HOSPITAL BILL AND THE LOSS OF MOBILITY , AND PAIN FOR ONLY A PERIOD OF TIME, IF YOU'RE LUCKY!!!
You are smarter than Jethro Bodine!

Perhaps you can attempt to save that ancient garbage US ROYAL tire for BICYCLE DISPLAY PURPOSES ONLY!!
Exhibit Display of the Bicycle, and NOT FOR RIDING UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!
For that (DISPLAY USE ONLY), you could try a combination of both SHOE GOO -and- FLEX SEAL LIQUID RUBBER.
You can probably find both products at most Wal-mart stores.
Flex Seal is that stuff that you've seen undoubtably being hawked on television for the past five or six years with the same pitchman doing all the commercials........screen boat....and underwater patching with the Flex Seal line of products. I wouldn't even guess if that stuff would securely patch it to ride, but you'd be a D. A. if you were to try to ride that tire again under any circumstances!!( D. A. doesn't stand for District Attorney..._)
Shoe Goo has been around since the SEVENTIES and it was at one time extremely popular with Marathon runners and long distance joggers-runners in building back up the worn sole areas of their running shoes in order to save money on costly running shoe replacement. It made the soles serviceable for many more miles. Shoe Goo is relatively inexpensive at approximate $5 or so in the shoe dept at Wal-mart. It comes in a large tube bigger than a large toothpaste tube. It has very nasty fumes like the best contact rubber cement, but perhaps more so, so you want to be outside or with open windows and ventillation. The stuff is really useable to McGyver many things, such as weather sealing something or for running shoe or tennis shoe sole buildup or crack repair by spreading a glob of Shoe Goo. Though the tube is quite large, you won't get multiple uses from the tube due to the nature of the stuff. Plan a large enough work area and try to think how you'll proceed because if you don't, that stuff can get sticky and it dries faster than you'd think........be careful with the fumes or you could get higher than a kite if you don't have adequate ventillation.
My guess is that a build up of some Shoe Goo both inside tire crack and the exterior crack of tire would be the first start followed by some version of BLACK color FLEX SEAL LIQUID RUBBER on top of the Shoe Goo. You might find that doesn't work or you need to do something else, but that might get you where it is passable for Visual DISPLAY PURPOSES ONLY-----Not For Any Riding... Heck, they should pay you and put you on the dang tv commercials for FLEX SEAL if you do get a repair on that tire....... I can see the pitchman: "Hey we got this crazy kay-ber with this 1939 bicycle and its original made in usa US ROYAL tire that looks beyond repair......who the heck would dare ride this 82 year old tire repaired with FLEX SEAL down this steep hill.......look it is Crazy Stan the Looney Ancient bike man who is trusting his life to FLEX SEAL holding the 82 year old tire together.......the paramedics and Life Flight Helicopter Ambulance are standing by in case something goes wrong but hey look Flex Seal did it and Crazy Stan rode the 82 year old tire down the steep hill successfully with out any problems....we don't suggest that you trust your life to 82 year old tires repaired with Flex Seal but if anything can help repair them, you can count on Flex Seal...."

Seriously, don't attempt to ride on such cracked trash tires!!! So much is riding on those tires--------YOU!!
Just like aged food that is no longer fit for human consumption, so to are consumables like tires that are so old and cracked, even if the overall tread wear that is exhibited is minimal given the age of said tire!

A trip to the Emergency Room because someone rode a bike 5-10 miles an hour down the street because the tire blew?

You cannot be serious!

At 14 years old I decided to jump a 5 foot tall well seasoned dirt mound next door where a new house was being built. I started a block away on my Stik Shift Stingray and pedaled as fast as possible down the street and through the lot. I will never know how fast I was going when I hit the top of that mound but my friends watching said all they could see was the bottom of my bike.

When I left the mound I pulled up on my bike hard to get more distance. Instead I ended up inverted with my wheels up and head down when I hit the ground about 25 feet from the mound right in the gravel at the edge of our street.

That hurt was an understatement. I cut my head on the gravel, had multiple bruising and bleeding scrapes and small cuts over the upper part of my body. (Summer, no shirt.)
It took a minute but I stood up, wiped the blood out of my eyes and surveyed the damage. The bike lived!

My mom almost had a heart attack and rushed out to see if I lived thru that Pillar to Stupidity I had just unveiled.

Instead of doing the smart thing (not my strong suit) I wiped off my face and head with my T shirt I left on the fence and set off around the block to try again.

This time I thought it wise to refrain from pulling up on the handlebars. I made it almost to the blood marked spot where I made my first unsuccessful attempt and skidded immediately to a stop.

Except for one minor glitch. When I locked up the rear wheel, it was the last time for that Slik. It blew with a bang like a rifle shot. I still kept it under control and skidded what was left of the tire across the road and into my neighbors drive. One last skid mark, I wanted my money's worth out of that tire.

Moral of the story? There isn't one, I just like that story!

Seriously, I survived that jump and the subsequent jump/tire explosion and all ot took was a good clean and patch job in the Emergency Bathroom by Doctor Mom.

Please watch that knicker twisting, it can hurt more than a Stik Shift in the groin. Or so I've heard.