Yep he can risk his life on old tyres, I certainly wouldn't, having seen the INSIDE of the casing that let go at 7 years old it was cracked up like safety glass, that's where the seal is and everything that holds it together doesn't matter the brand I have seen this with Michelin AND Pirelli, you cant see the inside unless you dismount the tyre, - and if you dismount the tyre you may as well replace it with something much newer! - I used to work at a place called Cycletreads in NZ (And apart from the owner being a king sized A hole) I met and talked to several distributors and manufacturers reps for various brands tyres and (All) pretty much said You shouldn't race on them (And I have a feeling there is a regulation in NZ about racing on tyres and wearing helmets older than 2 years where you cant race) I don't see how the majority can be wrong on this and yes storage definitely comes into it, - but having seen the damage caused by a sudden delamination at speed (And the tyre looked mint, and actually was only 5 years old) I personally would go for safety regardless of cost, - but that is me. I was told when I asked why this happened and the manufacturers rep said that the steel used in the casing corrodes due to ALL rubber being hydroscopic to a degree (Where it absorbs water) and is helped on its way by temperature differentiations even though the air is trying to force it in the other direction (Cue 1PSI drop in tyre pressure per month) AND you can also say a lot of newer tyres have kevlar bands that are not steel, but I don't know which - do you? and I don't have x ray vision (Anyone have Superman as a personal friend?) Anyway I wish you all safe travels on your bikes and just use common sense regarding tyres.
