Friday, August 21, 2009

Mountain Bike Tyres - How To Choose The Right Tyres

By Tabetha Luquin

The kind of tyres you use on your bike is determined by what you are using your bike for. Mountain bikes can be used for a number of different terrains and disciplines that require different skill sets as much as different tyres. Get the right mountain bike tyres and they will improve your riding and increase your safety.

Tyres either have an inner tube that keeps them inflated or they are tubeless, but which one sort should you choose?

The majority of tubeless tyres have a thick sidewall that fits into a specific sealed-bed rim. These tyres can handle rough ground so they are perfect for downhill, but the flip side is the cost.

The benefits of an airtight seal and a durable, low pressure performance are outweighed by the cost. They also require a clean rim and tyre to fit them, and a big pump to inflate them.

If a tyre has to be replaced on a trail clean conditions are usually unavailable. Even with a CO2 cartridge pump you'll probably have to use an inner tube to get you home, where you can the repair the tyre. Although large holes can mean the tyre has to be written off, even though small holes can often be fixed.

Tubeless tyres are heavier than tyres with inner tubes so if you are looking for fast start times and riding speeds choose a lighter tyre. Inner tube tyres also offer greater flexibility as you can get them in a wider range of design and tread styles.

You can now get kits to convert a conventional tyre with an inner tube to a tubeless tyre. These combine a latex-based filling liquid and a rubber rim strip to seal the inside of the tyre and rim. You will probably have to top off the filler now and then, but the cost is still much less than a standard thick wall tubeless tyre.

You still get most of the low pressure advantages of a tubeless tyre but with a much bigger choice of rims and treads, and with only the initial kit cost and latex top-ups to pay for. They are also lighter although the same repair problems on the trail apply unfortunately.

Whichever sort of tyres you use it is really important to replace them regularly. A blow out could cause injury on a trail or cost you a competition. By making the right choices and with regular maintenance your tyres will help your riding massively.

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