Bike Tire Tips

Here are a few tire tips and safety recommendations gathered from riding experience. Leave your thoughts if you have any good tips to share.

Tips

*Proper mounting of tires and tubes is critical for safety. If you have not changed your bike tires and tubes before or do not feel fully capable of doing so, you should ask a bike mechanic for assistance.

* On your first ride with brand new tires, take it easy around corners to avoid wipe-outs. New tires, Michelin in particular often have some mold-prevention compound still on them from the manufacturing process, making them slicker than they will be once broken in.

*Clincher tires, all of the tires that aren’t tubulars, require hooked rims. The term ‘hooked’ refers to the ridge on the inside of the rim the holds the Kevlar bead of the tire in place. Most contemporary rims are ‘hooked’. If you have doubts, refer to your rim’s specifications.

* When you return from a ride, wipe down your tires with a rag and inspect them for imbedded glass and debris. Objects imbedded in the tire will gradually penetrate the casing, causing flats on future rides. Let some air out of your tires and pump them back to full pressure before your next ride.

* Dust your tubes with baby powder before installing them to help them seat more easily.

* It is not safe to rotate tires by swapping the front and rear. We suggest discarding a used rear tire, moving the used front tire to the rear and then putting a new tire on the front. The front wheel is responsible for most of your traction when cornering while the rear supports most of your body weight and facilitates the power transfer caused by pedalling. Rear tires wear faster and front tires need traction.

*Tires with black treads will generally last longer than any other color due to their carbon content.

* If a road hazard damages your sidewall while on a ride, a folded dollar bill or ProBar wrapper can be inserted between the tube and the tire as a makeshift tire boot.

* If you’re having difficulty mounting a new tire, try using a little hand dish detergent on the tire bead to make it a little more slippery and easier to slide over the rim.

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