I recently purchased a new (to me) front wheel and it came with a tire on it . I noticed the tire looked new but had some cupping. Once I got it on I could see the cupping better. Is it safe to ride in the tire or does the cupping mean something is wrong with the tire? I know it's not the wheel because it checked out.

 

I can't see the cupping in the pic. Tire looks ok to me - but only as well as I can make it out in the pic.

 

Cupping can be caused from running too low air pressure, neck bearings too loose or bad wheel bearings. Since you just got the wheel from another bike, check the wheel bearings.

The thread depth looks good but check it. The DOT recommends replacing a tire once the thread dept is 1/16" or less .. or hits the wear bar.

If everything checks out ok, then Id run it & keep an eye on it. If the PSI is set correctly the tire will eventually equal out somewhat.

 

That may have been it. The wheel didn't not come with the hub. I used the one off my RC 21" wheel. Ill keep an eye on it. Thanks.

 

It is hard to see but if you look at the dirt on the tread, you can see the uneven tread wear.

 

If the date code its under 5 yrs old from what I can see in the pic it should be alright. Just in case you or any readers are not aware how to date a tire, there will be 4 #s with a circle around it. First 2 #s are the week of the year (52 weeks to a year) and the second set is the year. Example: 1411 would indicate 14th week of 2011 etc. Apologies if Im pointing out the obvious.....

 

The cupping is a result of something affecting the tire with the previous owner. You can ride it like that, but it will never give you the ride you will be happy with. Cupping can cause very aggravating vibrations in turns and as you are just driving down a straight road...depending upon the severity. Cupping cannot be reversed once it starts.

Also, check the age of the tire. You can get that info here:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=11

The older rubber gets, the harder it gets....thus the less grip it has.

 

On anything with 2 wheels ..If I even have a hint of a question on a tires integrity ... I replace it ... Period .

 

Previous owner probably either didn't know how to check air pressure, or had a cheapie air pressure gauge.

Fill the air up to specs and ride it. It's not cupped bad enough to feel..... unless you are like the "Princess and the pea"