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Mountain Bike Tyres – How To Choose The Right Ones

The kind of tyres you use on your bike is determined by what you are using your bike for. Mountain bikes can be used on many types of ground and for disciplines that need 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 come with a standard inner tube to keep them inflated or they are tubeless, so the question to answer is which one do you go for? 

Generally tubeless tyres have a thick side-wall that locks into a specific sealed-bed rim. These tyres can handle rough ground well so they are perfect for downhill, but the disadvantage is that they are more expensive.

The advantages of an airtight seal and a stable, puncture-resistant, low-pressure performance are balanced out by the high price. You also need a clean rim and tyre to fit them, along with a big pump to inflate them.

Clean conditions are not often available on a trail if a tyre needs to be replaced. Abd even having a large pump you’ll more than often have to make do with an inner tube until you get home to repair the tyre. Also eventhough small holes might be repairable a big hole can lead to the tyre being totally written off as well.

Tubeless tyres are also heavier, so if you want fast start times and riding speeds go for a lighter tyre. Tyres with inner tubes are usually lighter and offer greater flexibility. They are available in more designs and tread styles, so finding the right one for your riding style might be easier as well.

You can now buy kits to convert a tyre with an inner tube to a tubeless tyre. They combine a latex filling liquid and a rubber rim to seal the inside of the tyre and rim. You might have to top up the filler occassionally but the cost is still a lot less than a standard tubeless tyre.

You still get most of the benefits of a tubeless tyre but with a much broader range of rims and treads to choose from, and only the cost of the kit and latex top ups. They are also lighter but the same kind of repair problems occur sadly.

Whichever kind of tyre you choose, it is essential to replace your tyres regularly. A blow out while out riding can cause injury or cost you a competition. With proper maintenance and careful selection, your tyres will make a massive difference to your riding.