Bicycle Tyres

A bicycle tire is a tire that fits on the wheel of a bicycle or similar vehicle. These tires may also be used on tricycles, wheelchairs, and handcycles, frequently for racing. Bicycle tires provide an important source of suspension, generate the lateral forces necessary for balancing and turning, and generate the longitudinal forces necessary for propulsion and braking. Although the use of a pneumatic tire greatly reduces rolling resistance compared to the use of a rigid wheel or solid tire, the tires are still typically the second largest source, after wind resistance (air drag), of power consumption on a level road. The modern detachable pneumatic bicycle tire contributed to the popularity and eventual dominance of the safety bicycle.

Begin by ensuring the tyre is unfolded (if you have folding tyres) and appropriately shaped to go on the rim.
If the tyre is not brand-new, now is a good time to check its condition and the condition of the rim.

Replacing a worn-out tyre or damaged rim tape is key to safe running and for preventing future punctures.

If you’re replacing a tyre after a puncture, ensure you find the culprit (the object that caused the puncture) and remove it before patching or replacing the tube and reinstalling the tyre.

If the tyre is brand-new, it’s a good idea to ‘massage’ the tyre into a vaguely round shape because this will make getting the first bead on much easier.

With the tyre properly shaped, install one bead of the tyre onto the rim
If your tyre has a directional tread, be sure to install it in the correct orientation for optimum performance. This is usually marked on the tyre sidewalls.

It will usually be possible to get the first bead onto the rim without tools, using the palms of your hands (rather than your thumbs) to lift the whole tyre over the rim edge, though a tyre lever can be used to pull it over in exceptional circumstances.

Installing tyres with the name label located centrally above the valve not only looks good (in our opinion), but it also locates key information, such as tyre size and minimum/maximum inflation pressures, above the valve where it can be easily viewed while inflating the tyre.

Install the inner tube or tubeless valve
If using an inner tube, add a little air before installing it. This will help prevent the tube being pinched by the tyre bead while installing the tyre.

Avoid adding too much air, however, because this will make the tube take up too much space inside the tyre and prevent the tyre beads from falling into the deepest part of the rim’s central channel. Enough air to give the inner tube some basic shape is plenty.

Bonus pro tip: if you’re using latex inner tubes, a light dusting of talcum powder on the inner tube will help prevent it from sticking to the tyre or rim walls, or getting caught under the tyre bead. This can further reduce the likelihood of pinching the tube during installation.

Begin installing the other tyre bead onto the rim
Start opposite the valve and slowly work your way around each side of the rim, leaving the last bit of unmounted tyre located centrally around the valve.

As you go, ensure both beads of the tyre fall down into the central channel of the rim.

With tubeless tyres and rims, the newly installed bead will sometimes sit on the rim shelf, instead of falling into the central channel, decreasing the amount of slack in the bead. Simply push the tyre bead into the channel using your thumbs.

Install the final part of the tyre bead onto the rim
As you get to the final part of the bead, use the palms of your hands to pull the whole tyre up and roll both sides of the bead over the rim edge bit by bit.

While it can be tempting to use your thumbs to push the bead over the rim edge, if the combination is very tight you’ll likely just end up with sore thumbs.

If you’re using very thin or wide tyres, which make it difficult to grab the whole tyre in the palms of your hand, you may have to resort to using your thumbs to push the tyre sidewall over the edge. In these instances, it’s advisable to wear protective gloves.

If you’re struggling, go back around the rim and double-check all of the installed parts of the tyre beads (on both sides) have fallen into the rim's central channel. This is absolutely crucial to getting the last part of the bead on with the minimum of fuss.

It’s best to install the remaining tyre bead without resorting to tools, if possible, as incorrect use of tyre levers and other similar tools can potentially damage the rim, inner tube or rim tape.

If it’s not possible to install the remaining tyre bead by hand, however, careful use of tools can help you pull the last bit of a tight tyre bead onto the rim. We’ll talk more about that soon.

Check the tyre is correctly installed, then inflate
Go around the rim and check the inner tube (if you’re using one) is not being pinched or squashed under the tyre bead. If it is, simply lift the tyre up in that area to release the tube and allow it to rebound back into the middle of the tyre.

If using tubeless valves, with tubeless-ready tyres, make sure the tyre beads are sat on either side of the valve, and be sure to add the valve stem retaining nut onto the other end of the valve.

While it may seem complicated, it's actually fairly intuitive how tread patterns affect how a tire rides. This is mostly about when and where you trade rolling resistance for traction.

Side lugs provide support and traction when your turns are laid over aggressively. Big blocks of consistently spaced knobs here will provide a lot of cornering grip but won’t affect straight-line efficiency too much. Siping, or small slits, on the side knobs can increase traction but reduce longevity. Tires with fewer side lugs are effectively trading cornering ability for decreased weight and rolling resistance.

Center block patterns are pretty varied, but generally, there are variations in the size and spacing of those center blocks. Ramped knobs also trade some grip for increased rolling traction. These knobs affect how the bike rides when it’s going in a straight line or while braking. They’ll also wear the fastest since it’s where the tire spends the most time connected to the ground.

Additionally, the size of the center blocks allow the tire to bite through softer terrain like loamy or muddy trails. Smaller blocks are more efficient on hardpack terrain where you may only have a thin layer of sand or dust over hardpack to bite through.

As for in between shoulder knobs - there’s a good deal of variation here as well, but these knobs affect how the bike rides when cornering less aggressively where you’re steering or trimming into your turns. While having less blocks here can decrease rolling resistance, they can also create a “dead zone” where traction is questionable when transitioning to a hard lean.

Ontrack was created in 2009 with firmly committed to the progression of more people riding bicycles by engineering and producing quality, long-lasting bicycle tires that are attainable by the masses.