Choosing The Right Tire For Your MTB

One of the most important components on your mountain bike is your tires. They grip the ground and provide the traction you need on different surfaces. Most mountain bike riders look for light weight, strength and traction in a tire and many advanced riders even have multiple sets of tires for different riding conditions.

So what tire is right for your mountain bike and riding style? With so many different manufactures and models to choose from which one is right for you? These are not easy questions to answer so hopefully we can provide some insight to get you moving in the right direction. Mountain bike parts are not cheap and you want to make the right decision.

Tire Construction:

Consider a Kevlar bead or folding tire - A Kevlar tire weighs an estimated 60-80 grams less then a conventional none folding tire. It does not sound like much of a weight savings but multiple that number by two and then consider the rotating weight. For an extra couple of dollar, in my opinion, it is worth spending the extra money.



Terrain and Tread patterns:

Determine where you are going to ride and how you are going to use the bike. As an example will you be riding on the local trails that are hard packed dirt or on slick rock?


* For hard packed terrain consider a narrower and smooth tire. As an example a tire that is 1.8 to 2.0 wide.

* For hard packed terrain with a good mix of rocks you might want to consider a wider and smooth tire. As an example a tire that is wider then 2.0.

* For loosely packed terrain consider a knobby tire. Choose a tire with a really aggressive pattern as this will help you gain maximum traction in the dirt. You might also want to consider tires that are designed for the front and rear of the bike.

* For muddy terrain consider a narrow tire. Narrow tires will reach the bottom of the mud and create less resistance when turning making it easier for you to move forward.

* For all terrain tires there are so many choices to consider. Many of the major tire manufacturers make very good tires that are great for all conditions.


Riders Body Size:

Consider your body size. If you are heavier you might want to consider a wider tire.

Where to buy:

You can buy your tires at a bike store, order them from an online website or from an individual sell tires posted on a mountain bike classifieds website.

The information above is a rough guide on what to consider when buying new mountain bike tires. Many bikes stores that have bikes for sale and bike parts can also give you their opinion. Talk to your friends and read online forums to see what other riders like and don’t like. The more information you have the better.

See you on the trail.

Road Bike & Mountain Bike. Whats The Difference?

Serial Number locations

1 - underside of crank
2 - headset
3 - rear stays
4 - seat downtube next to crank
5 - top of crank

Bikes are one craze among the boys which they really fall for. Many men are especially fond about the custom built motorbikes. There are many kinds of bikes, and some of the most famous kinds of bikes are road bikes and mountain bikes, they are known for their specialization of their particular task. Road bikes are generally built in such a way so that they enhance the speed, and provide better mileage whereas on the other hand the mountain bikes are built to cater to the stability task. This is the major basis of differentiation between a road bike and a mountain bike. The following four areas will help to identify a better differentiation between a road and a mountain bike.

Design: Road bikes catering to the service of providing higher speed are designed in such a way that the rider’s position is present much closer to the top tube. This hunched position enables the rider to get more power from your legs and the negative impact present in this posture is that it causes much strain on the back. There is a difference present in the handle of both the bikes. On one hand mountain bikes possess wide handle bar offering more control to the rider as against the bent handle bars in the road bike. The handles in the road bike are lowered thus designed to offer more energy which in turn offers greater speed.

Mass: Heavy weight as a known fact imposes greater constraint on the speed .To move down through the mountain it is important that you go down slowly, thus it becomes a necessity for mountain bikes to use heavy weight materials so as to reduce the speed of the vehicle. With a view to make the mountain bikes heavy they even have wider tyres and they even possess many suspension systems so that the ride down the mountain becomes more manageable. As far as the road bikes are concerned, good road bikes are designed with a view to reduce the weight of the bike, they utilize materials like titanium and carbon fibre which allows strength as well as they facilitate the function of reducing weight.

Tyres: Mountain bikes have traction. These are wide and they are closed with a covering material like rubber, which increases the surface area. These features permit the rider to get more control as they are riding down the mountain. The tyres of a road bike are thin and smooth. As far as the maintenance of friction in a road bike is concerned this depends on the surface of the rubber and the skill of the rider to maintain the friction between the bike and the road.

Suspension: Road bikes are built with a sole purpose of providing greater speed; they do not possess this feature, although they have certain materials which absorb the shocks of the uneven roads. Whereas in a mountain bike, there are features like front shock absorbers and rear suspensions.

To conclude you can get a cheaper bike at a price of $200 whereas on the other hand if you are looking for custom made bikes, they can cost you more.