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New Tyre Placement Options/Benefits...

(10 posts)
  • Started 11 years ago by TractorFactory
  • Latest reply from crowriver

  1. TractorFactory
    Member

    So, another morning, another puncture, has spurred me toward shop to pick up a puncture resistant tyre for the front as I have on the back.

    This leads me to the choice of placement and what benefits.

    Do I put it on the front where with it's fresh tread, may provide a bit more grip in our elongated winter weather? Would indeed more grip be gained having more of a tread on the front tyre than the back?

    Do I swap the back slightly worn (7 or 8 months down the commute line) to the front and put the new one on the back wheel which seems to wear quicker being the driving force of the bike thus creating a more even wear over time?

    Thoughts?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. Min
    Member

    I think it is best to put the new tyre on the front for the aforementioned tread reasons. The back tyre may wear out quicker because it has your weight on it but the front tyre is what takes most of the braking power and is the one that is most important. How much difference it actually makes in real life I am not sure but if nothing else it will mean you only have to change one tyre and not two. ;-)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. Instography
    Member

    Change two Marathon Pluses when you can get away with one? (Three if you include getting the back one off and putting it on again). Not likely.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I think there's a Sheldon article that advises against swapping tyres around.

    I'd go with what Instography says - why change 3 tyres when you can get away with 1?

    I wear out rear tyres significantly quicker than front, I assume due to more weight on the rear and that being the wheel where the power is going through.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. wingpig
    Member

    "...slightly worn (7 or 8 months down the commute line)..."

    Don't forget the huge mussel-shell hole. My rear tyres are usually dead or dying after seven months - not allowing puncturing but down to the fabric in a few places and with sharp-object-damage gashes starting to gape. Once or twice my replacement-timing allowed me to rotate the front to the back when the back died but that depended on being able to be bothered to remove and replace two tyres when only one was dead.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. crowriver
    Member

    Just had to replace the rear tyre on my wee bucking bronco folding bike. I was adjusting the chain tension by fettling with rear wheel bolts (chain came off, twice, last week: chain stretch) when I noticed the original tyre had a few wee tears and the fabric was showing, near the rim. The sidewalls were starting to bulge around the tears so rather than risk a blowout on a fully laden descent, I replaced the rear tyre.

    Had a couple of lightly used Marathons in the garage, formerly on the Raleigh Swift. Picked the least worn (from the front), which was nearly as good as new. My, what a beggar to get on! Ooya! Does depend on the rim, but on this one what a struggle. Straight away I realised that popping the other Marathon on the front was going to wait until my original front tyre shows signs of imminent destruction.

    So, non-matching fromt/rear tyres, but rear is rolling well, and my thumbs have a chance to recover.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. TractorFactory
    Member

    Hehe, I think I shall go for just putting new straight to the front wheel. I did expect the Marathon Plus to be harder to put on but I guess my rims are quite compliant with the tyre as I've not had any major issues getting the back one on or off.

    I suppose in the end, the real world merits of either approach are probably negligable against each other.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. gembo
    Member

    @tractorfactory

    Maybe you have very strong thumbs?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. Charterhall
    Member

    This video provides some good tips.

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Flash Video

    One more is that I always start from opposite the valve, so that for the last bit I can use the valve to push the tube up inside the tyre. This ensures that the tube is well away from the beads and in no danger of getting nipped as I force the last section of bead onto the rim. (I have been known to resort to a lever to help at this point.)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. crowriver
    Member

    Yeah, seen that, done it, got the t-shirt. There seem to be two issues (possibly more) with Marathons (whether Plus or some other variant):

    1. "too big" for the rim, always coming off as you work around (cable ties required to keep tyre on)

    2. "too small" for the rim, nearly impossible to get the last bit of the wire bead over the rim (cable ties required to stop tyre pinginging back as you knead it with thumbs, lever with tyre irons, etc.)

    I had problem no.2 yesterday, more usually it's problem no.1.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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