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Tires, Care and Feeding |
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Written by Dr. Mark
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Wednesday, 18 April 2007 |
Where and how far you ride will determine what sort of tire you need for your bicycle. If you ride a few miles around your neighborhood or on a bike path or packed gravel, you do not need high pressure tires or fat ones with lugs on it.
The size of the tire and the inflation pressure is almost always printed on the side wall of the tire.
How do you tell if you need new tires? Look at the wear of the tread, and look at the sidewalls. Look for worn off rubber, and look for threads or cracking of the sidewalls. The rear tire wears out a lot faster than the front.
It is very important that the front tire be in good condition. If it suddenly goes flat, you may lose steering control and fall down. If the rear tire fails, you will most like just slow down quite rapidly but still maintain control.
If the tread is worn down, if the sidewalls show cracking or threads, get new tires. If you plan a long trip, err on the side of replacement, especially the front tire.
Get yourself a good floor pump and inflate the tires to the level written on the sidewall. Even the best of tubes will lose air over a few days, and you can not really tell by feeling with your fingers the pressure in the tire. Quality pumps have gauges on them so you can get the proper pressure.
Properly inflated tires make for safer rides, less hassle. Who wants to fix a flat a mile into a ride when your family or group is rearing to roll? Check out our website for tires and pumps .
Happy Riding
Dr. Mark |
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