Choosing a bicycle tire
By Dennis Thomasson Not too many cyclists consider
the real importance of a quality tire. Rotating mass, road adhesion,
tire pressure and water manage- ment are some of the things to consider when purchasing a new tire. Rotating mass is very impor-
tant if you are racing or cycling long distances, the lighter you can keep your tires, the easier it will be to pedal. Consider if you had a crank at- tached directly to a wheel and the wheel weighed 20g or 20kg which would be easier to keep in motion. Better to save 10g on the wheel than to save 1kg on the bike. Road adhesion
or ground adhe- sion is the ques- tion. To get better grip on pavement a slick (remem- ber drag racing) is better than a tire with lots of treads. The more surface contact the better. How- ever, if you are going mountain biking then a slick is not for you, you’ll want a tread pattern to give you grip. On off road (such as a hybrid) then you may want a combination of both, what is called a “semi-slick”. Tire pressure helps in reduc- ing rolling resistance. The higher
36 ottawaoutdoors
the pressure the easier it is to roll down the road. The higher pressure will also reduce “pinch” flats. The exception to this rule is in mountain biking, a higher pressure tire doesn’t grip as well as a lower pressure tire and “bounces” off rocks. The problem with low pressure mountain bike tires is pinch flats, this is where the tubeless mountain bike tires shine.
and not slip out from under you while cornering, road rash for “roadies” is sometimes all too fa- miliar. Again a tire that is mostly slick for great road adhesion, but, with groves to manage any water that is trapped under your tire. If you are a mountain biker, you want your tread pattern to elimi- nate any sticking wet mud and shed it. Again if you know your route, is it mainly rocks, slippery
A tubeless tire (those are springs)
A good rule to follow is if you
are cycling more than 1 hour walking distance from home, bring a repair kit for your tubes along with you. A seat bag, with tire irons, patches, spare tube and a pump can be wonderful thing. Water management is impor-
tant for both road and mountain bike tires. For a road bike you want the tire to stick to the road
clay based, or gravel? There are specific tires made for moun- tain bikes that are “rock specific”, “mud specific” etc. Watch our site for an exceptional list of quality tires, coming very soon. ~Dennis Thomasson is the
owner of Fresh Air Experience, 1291 Wellington Street West
www.freshairexp.com/ottawa.
www.ottawaoutdoors.ca
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