Tyre rotation, why should I do it?
This customary rambling introduction can safely be ignored. Jump to bold text and below. Video to drop in a few days.
Most vehicle tyres tend to wear at different rates and bicycles are no different. Front tyres tend to outlive rears by a significant margin due to two main factors:
1. Gradual steady wear due to the rear being a drive wheel, so any acceleration produces a small amount of abrasion, the greater the change in acceleration the higher the rate of wear.
2. Weight transfer in braking. Both accelerating and braking produce abrasion at the surface of a tyre due to friction between the tyre and road. The greater the forces involved (hard braking, sprinting acceleration) and hence the greater the difference between the limit of tyre adhesion and the rate of acceleration or deceleration, the more slip will occur between the tyre and road surface.
An extreme example is when one locks up a rear brake causing the bike to skid and paint a black line on the road. This can produce a significant flat spot and in extreme cases even wear through the carcass of the tyre.
tl;dr: your rear tyre will wear out before your front, so you can either throw away the old one and replace with a new one, or rotate your tyres when you still have tread left on the rear and replace the whole tyre set as one.
The latter option is beneficial for the following reasons:
1. You will practice replacing tyres and tubes under controlled conditions, which should stand you in good stead when out on the road on a rainy winter's night trying to get home.
2. If you wish to change tyre model without throwing away one good tyre or having mismatched tyres.
3. If you wish to check the condition of the tubes and rim tapes on your wheelset, or change your inner tubes to a lighter tube, this is a perfect excuse.
Video on technique and what to watch out for to follow.
Topics to cover:
Technique - correct tyre removal and installation, changing tubes, mending punctures, different types of tubes available.
Most vehicle tyres tend to wear at different rates and bicycles are no different. Front tyres tend to outlive rears by a significant margin due to two main factors:
1. Gradual steady wear due to the rear being a drive wheel, so any acceleration produces a small amount of abrasion, the greater the change in acceleration the higher the rate of wear.
2. Weight transfer in braking. Both accelerating and braking produce abrasion at the surface of a tyre due to friction between the tyre and road. The greater the forces involved (hard braking, sprinting acceleration) and hence the greater the difference between the limit of tyre adhesion and the rate of acceleration or deceleration, the more slip will occur between the tyre and road surface.
An extreme example is when one locks up a rear brake causing the bike to skid and paint a black line on the road. This can produce a significant flat spot and in extreme cases even wear through the carcass of the tyre.
tl;dr: your rear tyre will wear out before your front, so you can either throw away the old one and replace with a new one, or rotate your tyres when you still have tread left on the rear and replace the whole tyre set as one.
The latter option is beneficial for the following reasons:
1. You will practice replacing tyres and tubes under controlled conditions, which should stand you in good stead when out on the road on a rainy winter's night trying to get home.
2. If you wish to change tyre model without throwing away one good tyre or having mismatched tyres.
3. If you wish to check the condition of the tubes and rim tapes on your wheelset, or change your inner tubes to a lighter tube, this is a perfect excuse.
Video on technique and what to watch out for to follow.
Topics to cover:
Technique - correct tyre removal and installation, changing tubes, mending punctures, different types of tubes available.
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