Lawn Chair Quarterback: "The Ruined Bike Tire"

Back in my day, shit used to last.

My parents buyed a stereo around the time I was born, and it lasted at least until it was sold nearly 25 years later. Almost as good as new, it was. The 8-track player might have needed a rehab, but that's it.

If you buy a new stereo today, don't expect to milk 25 years out of it. You'll be lucky if it lasts 25 months. It's like with the last new TV that I buyed before the current set. That lemon lasted roughly a year. I replaced it with a 25-year-old set that still worked great for another year after that.

That shows just how much the quality of products had declined over the years.

On Tuesday, I noticed my rear bike tire that was only a little more than a year old was decaying. It appeared as if dime-sized holes had been eaten right through the rubber. These weren't punctures from running over sharp objects. It appeared to be outright rot on the sides of the tires. By contrast, my front tire was 6 years old, yet it had never seen such decay.

Had the quality of bicycle tires truly declined that much in only 5 years? If so, why??? I don't think the media can blame Michael Dukakis for that.

Our latest 'LCQ' explores the premature ruinment of my bike tire and other goods (rather, bads):