A Not So Comprehensive Guide to Tire Selection
Swapping the tires on your bike sounds like such a simple proposition, however, when you start to explore the options and compatibilities, replacing tires can quickly become time-consuming at best, and confusing and frustrating at worst. So, we wanted to create a guide to tires to help clear up some of the confusion.
Considerations for Selecting Road Tires
Tubeless (TL) Tires
Tubeless tire setups use specially designed rims and tires, specially designed valves, special tubeless tape used to tape the rim to seal the spoke holes off to create an airtight seal, and sealant designed to plug any leaks or holes that may develop. Tubeless tires help to eliminate flats caused from small debris since you have sealant that can plug any small holes that may develop. Additionally, a tubeless setup eliminates the risk for pinch flats (flats as a result of the tube being pinched by the tire), and they allow for lower riding pressures which can make for a more comfortable, faster ride. The big deterrents or drawbacks of a TL system include the (sometimes) finicky or difficult set up, which often requires an air compressor or air reservoir to get tires seated. Tubeless sealant also occasionally needs to be replaced or topped off as it can dry up over time.
Clincher v. TL Tires
Along with narrow tires, tubular tires (or glue-on tires) have been largely phased out due to advances in clincher and tubeless (TL) technology as well as the ability for riders to maintain clincher and TL set ups themselves. So, our conversation will focus on clincher and TL tires. I’ll forego most of the compatibility considerations and decisions and just say, for simplicity’s sake, if you want to go tubeless, it’s best to have tubeless tires and tubeless compatible rims. However, even with TL tires and rims, you can still opt to run tubes if you want. The decision on whether or not to run tubes is largely a personal one and comes down to your comfort dealing with a TL system.
Tire size
The cycling industry has seen a big shift over the last few years to wider tires, gone are the days of 21mm and 23mm wide tires, and in their place, the industry has ushered in 25mm, 28mm, and even 30mm tires as the norm for road bikes. This is for a couple of reasons, namely for rolling resistance and comfort (as well as other reasons we won’t dive into here). To simplify it, a wider tire has more ground contact area and allows for lower pressure to be ridden (by spreading the load over a higher volume), which creates a softer tire that’s better able to deform and smooth out road bumps, making for a more comfortable, faster ride. The other consideration with tire size is frame clearance. In the simplest terms, frame/tire clearance is the largest tire size that a given frame can accept without rubbing. Many manufacturers have started to publish this information so you may be able to find this info for your bike in your owner’s manual or online. Let’s look at an example to show why tire/frame clearance is important. Let’s say you’re riding an older model road frame with a 25mm tire clearance, but you really want to ride 28mm tires. If you were to run 28mm tires, it’s possible the tires will rub your frame and wear through the frame, or if the tire is really close to the frame or fork, if you pick up debris it could become lodged and stop the wheel, leading to a crash. It’s typically recommended to have 3-4mm of clearance between the tire and the frame/fork, but some manufacturers recommend more clearance, so defer to your frame manufacturer’s recommendations whenever available. When selecting tire size you have to balance the performance and comfort features you want with what your frame is capable of accepting.
Other Factors to Consider
Tires are typically a balance of a few factors including durability (life span), puncture resistance, weight, rolling resistance, and grip/traction. Unfortunately, tire technology doesn’t currently allow for a tire that’s the best of all of these domains in one tire, so, for now, you have to pick what is most important to you. Typically, if you want a durable, puncture resistant tire, you’ll have to make sacrifices in weight and rolling resistance. On the flip side, if you want a flat-out fast tire, you’ll have to make sacrifices in durability and puncture resistance. Plenty of tires sit somewhere in the middle with a good blend of all of these factors, but your selection will depend on what’s important to you.
Considerations for Selecting Gravel Tires
Clincher v. Tubeless
The same debate applies here as to road tires, however the benefits are even greater for gravel riding, where the lower riding pressures possible from a TL system can drastically improve comfort and traction. Not to mention the durability benefits that come with a TL setup with respect to sealant being able to patch small punctures from debris.
Tire width
Again, like with road tires, tire width is an important consideration for stability, traction, and comfort. Wider tires typically provide more stability, traction, and comfort, but at the cost of weight and rolling resistance. For many of today’s gravel bikes, a happy balance of factors tends to be the 35mm-40mm width. However, you may want narrower or wider depending on where you do most of your riding.
Tread Pattern
Tread pattern, like tire width, can make a big difference in stability, traction, comfort, and speed, and you want to match it to your riding conditions. If you’re riding in muddy or wet conditions a lot, you may want to look at a more aggressive and mud-focused tire that’s shaped to shed mud from the treat and also (typically) has larger tread to bit into dirt. Doing a mix of dry and wet/muddy riding? There are good all-around or mixed terrain tires for that. Sticking strictly to dry and dusty riding? Look for tires made specifically for drier off-road conditions with smaller lugs; you’ll often see these with very fine, small center tread and larger side lugs for traction when cornering.
Tire Pressure
While tire pressure doesn’t dictate which tire to get, it is an important consideration in getting the most out of the tires you’ve painstakingly selected.