Road bike tyres

Racing bike tires

Road bike tires have a considerable impact on drivability of your bike. They are the only points of contact between you and the ground. The rubber compound and the tread of your road bike tires determine their road holding. However, more grip often means more rolling resistance. This means, the perfect tire must provide the perfect balance between grip and rolling resistance. Tires have a great impact on the drivability of a bicycle!

Treads and rubber compounds

When your bike needs new tires, you have to be clear about the intended purpose. Are you going to ride your bike on wet grounds? Do you need excellent cornering abilities under difficult conditions? What about light folding tires with minimum rolling resistance for racing use? Manufacturers like Continental offer a wide range of tires with different treads and rubber compounds. There are tires for specific fields of application but also true all-rounders, performance oriented models, and tires for comfortable use.

The technical specs: Diameter, designs, and the correct pressure

The diameter of a bike tire is measured in inches. Unlike mountain bikes, road bikes are equipped with 28-inch tires. A distinction is made between folding tires and clincher tires. Folding tires are of higher quality, since they don't have wires in their flanks and can easily be folded and put into a backpack if necessary. Clincher tires are cheaper and not as thin. Manufacturers often use them as OEM tires. The diameter of a tire determines its pressure. Smaller diameters like 23 mm are filled with up to 10 bars of air pressure. Diameters of up to 30 mm only require 5 to 6 bars, which makes a road bike more comfortable to drive. However, thin and hard tires have the lowest rolling resistance on slippery grounds and in road traffic. Tubular tire are used as road bike tires as well as for cyclo-cross, and constitute a quite special type of tire. They are glued to specifically designed rims.

Inside a tire: Tube or no tube?

A spare tube and a bike pump should be part of your standard equipment on every road bike ride. However, many tires can also be used without a tube. In this case, your good old tube is replaced with a different technology. It requires the insertion of a special rim tape into the rim base, a sealed valve, and a special sealing fluid that guarantees absolute impermeability. In contrast to tube systems, tubeless systems save weight and guarantee flawless drivability. Moreover, they provide better protection against puncture than conventional systems.

Conclusion

Choosing the right road bike tire improves the drivability of your bike significantly. For a longer durability of the bike, tires should be chosen with great care. Tires are availably for each and every purpose and requirement.