Winter warning! Did your tire crack?

When winter comes, some enthusiastic riders find that the tires are cracked, as shown in the figure:

Why do tires crack?
The compounds that make up a tire have physical properties that change with temperature. Especially at very low temperatures (close to or below 0°C) , tires tend to be more fragile, becoming vitrified and rigid, and that's what we call tire vitrification. In this case, even a slight bump or blow can cause the tire compound to rupture (cold tear or freeze crack of the tire).

How do we avoid this situation?
Although vitrification occurs on the tire surface, this phenomenon can be reversed! That is to say, the tire in the vitrified condition can restore the original elastic characteristics and be used normally if the temperature of the tire  is raised to more than 5°C without physical damage to produce cracks and wounds.
1) For the store and end user, it is forbidden to use and install tires in the case of tire vitrification. Deformation of tires at temperatures below 5 °C risks irreversible cracks.
(2) When the temperature is too low to cause vitrification of the tire, the installation or removal site should be moved indoors before installation and removal work. It is recommended to store the tire in a controlled environment with a room temperature higher than 20°C for several hours, let the tire warm up to restore its elastic properties, and then install it to reduce the risk of cracking caused by stretching the tire during installation. It is not recommended to ride the tires installed on the vehicle in a vitrified state. It is also necessary to put the car indoors or use a tire warmer to warm up to above 5°C before riding, and when the temperature is low, do not lift the accelerator to accelerate or brake heavily, and avoid hitting the road bumps and road stones, otherwise the tires will also be damaged.
(3) Avoid transporting, handling, stacking or deforming tires when the temperature is below 5°C or below. If there are special circumstances where the above operations must be performed, the collision or deformation of the tires should be avoided in any way (for example, when unloading or stacking too many tires, throwing the tires from a height to the ground, the impact may make the tires vitrified cracked). Please note that for storage at low temperature, the vertical stacking height of each tire should not exceed 1.20 meters, and it can only withstand stacking for a short time (up to four weeks). The common cross-stacked transport tires are also not recommended, and the tires for races even have to be transported in insulated containers to ensure the quality of the tires.

Sort by tire frost crack level
Track tires (easiest to freeze)  - street tires - recreational tires
According to the folk saying of hot-melt tires, the hotter and softer tires are, the more likely they are to freeze and crack. Therefore, riders who use track tires and street tires in winter should pay special attention to protecting the tires or replacing the low-melt street or touring tires. Tires also have storage and working temperatures. Only when the temperature is controlled within its range, can the maximum performance of the tires be exerted and the maximum safety guarantee for your travel be improved.

(Reprinted from Halo Moto)