The Best Bike Tires of 2021

Best Bike Tires Buying Guide & Reviews of 2020

What kind of tires fit into your bike can really make a difference to your commute. A lot depends on the choice of bike tires, including speed, performance, safety, and comfort. Therefore, it is imperative that bike tires are chosen meticulously. Choosing appropriate tires depends on a few factors that we will elaborate in this post.

Types of BikeTires

Bike tire is one of the main components of bicycles. It fits on the wheel of the bike, and it is greatly responsible for generating the force necessary for balancing, turning, speeding, braking, and propulsion. Bike tires can be used on wheelchairs, handcycles, tricycles, tandem bicycles, and more.

Choosing or replacing tires on your bicycle largely depends on the kind of bike you have and the type of riding you do. Let’s learn more about it, but before that here are a few examples of tires you will come across during your hunt for suitable tires.

Foldable Bike Tires: These tires are an expensive variety which is preferred by cyclist enthusiasts, bicycle travellers, and others. These tires are lightweight and practical. What puts them apart from regular tires is the material used to construct the bead, inner circumference of the tire that sits on the wheel. Foldable tires use synthetic fibre to construct the bead, which gives your ride greater durability and flexibility.

Tubeless Bike Tires: As the name suggests, these tires do not have tubes. They are becoming increasingly popular due to innumerable benefits. The tubeless road bike tires allow riders to ride on low pressure while avoiding pinch flats. Expect a smooth ride throughout your terrain. However, installing these tires might be a lengthy process. You will have to change into tubeless-ready tires and rims. This can be done with the help of conversion kits for standard tires and rims.

Studded Bike Tires: Sometimes regular or road tires may not be suitable to ride on slippery terrain. In such situations, cyclists use studded fat bike tires, also known as winter tires, that can be used on snow and ice smoothly. These tires have steel or aluminium studs embedded to provide better traction.

Puncture Resistant bike tires: These tires are constructed using one or more extra layer between the tread and the casing. A cyclist may experience slower speed but fewer flats.

Mountain Bike Tires: Specialized mountain bike tires are also known as MTB. Unlike regular tires, these tires are specifically designed to tread on difficult trails or off-roading. MTBs are intended to provide a greater level of cushioning, grip, puncture protection, and better traction in all types of conditions. Additionally, you can expect riding comfort and good balance even on difficult terrains.

BMX Tires: BMX bike tires are one of the most sophisticated varieties of bike tires. These are designed for racing, stunt riding and sports bicycling. There are a few different types of BMX tires that include flatland and freestyle, jump riding, and dirt bike tires.

Cyclocross Tires: It is one of the hybrid designs that are used to provide better grip in wet, wintery, and slippery terrains and racecourses.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Bike Tires

Say your old bike tires are completely worn out and you arrive at a local bike store for a replacement. The number of choices is undoubtedly going to leave you flummoxed and discombobulated. You can’t just buy any tire in the shop. A few factors will influence your decision.

Tire Size (Diameter and Width)

Bike tires come in many sizes, but only a few will fit the model you ride. While determining the tire size, tire diameter, and tire width must be determined carefully.

Tire diameter must match the diameter of the rim. The diameter varies for mountain bikes, road bikes, and cyclocross. However, it can be determined by measuring the distance between the two outer ends of the tire.

Tire width is another important dimension to determine the correct size of the tire. While it is a lot easier to measure the diameter, tire width is a tricky one. It depends on the kind of riding style you prefer. For well-built roads where you can go really fast, narrow tires are perfect. However, for difficult terrains that are not so smooth to ride on, prefer wider tires.

Wider tires provide more comfort and grip, but they are heavy and have higher rolling resistance. Meanwhile, narrow width tires have lower rolling resistance and are lightweight, but they cause a little discomfort and their grip is untidy too.

Type of Tread

The tread is the part of the tire that comes in contact with the ground. It is responsible for providing traction and offers a smooth ride. The tread patterns differ substantially for different types of bike.

For road bike tires, the tread is not so important, which is why they are called slick tires. They roll faster and have lower resistance.

Tread is most famous for mountain bikes, and it will differ from rider to rider. Tread patterns for cross country riders can have lower rolling resistance than the ones for all-mountain riders.

Pricing

Some tires might be budget-friendly and others absurdly highly-priced. Since you cannot differentiate between two tires in a minute, look closer, and you’ll know why buying cheap tires may not be the best idea.

Puncture Prevention and resistance

Finally, puncture prevention is an essential factor in choosing the right tire. If you usually take a rough path with loose gravel, it is better to opt for tires with that extra layer that promises protection from untimely punctures. This is a great idea to save you lots of money, time, and effort.

Conclusion

Whether you are a daily commuter, a mountain biker or simply an occasional rider who likes to tread scenic paths, your bike tires are of utmost importance if safety, comfort, and smooth operation is your concern. Even though choosing the right tires might be a complicated task, but it is worth the effort.