Everything you should know about bike tires
What is the difference between the pressures inside and outside a bicycle tire called? The answer to this is gauge pressure. It is the relative pressure within a system, which is exactly the solution to that question. Now, if you like riding bicycles and need to get yourself a change of tires, you might want to learn more about it to choose the right tire to get. There is more to choosing a tire than just ordering some random tire you see online. Every tire out there has its own specifications and the type of bike they fit best. Below is everything you would ever need to know that will help you choose the best fit tires for your bike.
Choosing bike tires
Choosing bike tires is like choosing your favorite color; there is no wrong answer, but it is still hard to do so. There are a lot of different kinds of tires, and while that should give you a lot of options, it can be hard to pinpoint which one will work best for you. After all, you would have to consider a lot of things when it comes to choosing it, such as your riding style, the type of bike that you should be using, and a whole lot more. In this case, learning more about the different bike types along with the tires that would suit them would be best.
Different bike tires
While you might not have seen some of them before, there are actually a lot of different bike types that have been made for different types of bikes. There are ones made for climbing mountains, for off-road adventures, for your daily use, and more. However, despite them being a lot, they can still be categorized into a few categories.
Road bike tires
For people that are always on the road and want to ride quickly and smoothly, road bike tires are certainly the best there are. You get to have consistency when riding your bike on the road using these tires. It is also known for its efficiency, especially since they tend to be on the skinner and smoother side, which is why they tend to roll faster. This means that you can really maximize this and pedal faster to get where you want to be as quickly as possible, perfect for your morning rush to work or to school.
This type of tire is usually around 18c to 32c and has pressures ranging between 80 to 120 psi to get their optimum performance. And the tire itself is smooth without any texture since most of the time you are going to be on asphalt roads. However, some would have a little texture just in case you run through a paddle. The texture will give you enough grip not to slide and fall off your bike.
Urban bike tires
This one is for cyclists that really use their bike to the fullest going to places that are quite far. If you are planning to go to your campus daily, then you want tires that will be efficient and will last you some time without wearing them down. The good news is that you can quickly get this from your nearest shop. It has little texture, but it is quite wider than the average, so you get comfort when you ride it. There are also those that have a feature called puncture protection so that you do not have to worry whether you are biking through some cracked roads.
Gravel bike tires
Since gravel cycling can take a toll on your bike, especially the tires, you want to make sure that you have the right type. For people that are always going on off-road adventures, gravel tires are what you need. They are tough tires that are a little slimmer than your mountain bike tires but still textured enough to give you the grip that you need since you would not be threading through just asphalt.
This is the type of tire that has a lot of different treading patterns so that you get resistance against rolling continuously. It also allows you to use your brake easier. You will see that using tires made specifically for gravel biking is much different than your regular road bike tires. It allows you to have better handling on your bike so you can move better, especially when you are turning.
Mountain bike tires
Last but certainly not the least would be tires for your mountain bike. Because you can be dealing with loam, clay, rocks, and a whole lot more possibly different harsh conditions when you are biking using your mountain bike, the tires for this are very tough. They are normally wider than all the other bikes mentioned before, which means that they have more volume.
They are the type of tires that gives you the best grip and most comfortable ride since they tend to absorb shock. The tread patterns on them tend to be more spikey or aggressive than any other tires. This is so that it is able to help you out not to slide as you are cycling in places where it is wet. It gives you maximum control of your bike at the same time.
Choosing the right size
After knowing what type of tire you need for the specific bike that you have, the next thing that you need to do would be to choose the right size. When it comes to selecting the right size for your tire, you would have to know the width as well as the diameter of your tires. This means that testing out new tires would be a good experiment to see which one works best for you.
The good news is that you do not have to go far in terms of the diameter since most bikes have their regular-sized diameters. But it would still be good if you could figure out the width that would be most comfortable for you. Some riders would like their wheels to be on the thicker side since that would absorb more shock, while others would prefer thinner wheels since it makes them move faster and smoother.
Depending on your riding style and the comfort level that you might be looking for, the size that you want to have might be different.
Replacing your tires
There are various reasons why you might need to replace your tires, no matter how much you love them, and in case you are not aware of when to do so, here are some situations when you will have to replace them.
Damage
Whether your tires have missing or damaged side knobs, sidewall damage, casing damage, bead damage, or it is looking wobbly already, you might have to buy yourself new ones. You should also check for signs of wear for your center knobs. It is important to always check on your tires so you would not risk getting stuck in the middle of nowhere if your tires suddenly decide to give up on you.
Punctures and cuts
If there are no longer treads on your once treaded tires or you see any punctures, cuts, or gashes, or you actually see something embedded on your tires, you might either want to have it checked to see if it can still be saved or buy a completely new tire and replace it. You want to ensure that you will be safe when you ride your bike and maintaining the quality of your tires is one of the things that you can do to do that.
Tips for buying tires from your local store
Now that you know more about bike tire types and when to replace them, you should also figure out how you are going to make sure that you get the best tires wherever you decide to buy them. A few tips might be in order to assure that you will be able to do so. The first tip would be to browse through all shops before you decide to buy. You want to buy the tires that are best for your budget but have good quality. Checking on the brands and their reviews online would also be helpful. There are tires that are only available in your local store, and there are those that are only available online, so checking them out first would be ideal.
At the end of the day, knowing about the different tires available for your bike helps you to find the best one that is suited for you. Since different cyclists all have different styles and preferences, it is best to know more about them to be able to decide which is best for you. You also need to know that while there are countless tires out there, you can always try new ones so that you can find the best there is out there. Do not be afraid to switch things up every now and then.