Originally Posted by Trevtassie

Incidentally, on any tire that has a directional tread, like the Mondial, ET etc etc, I always reverse the front tire direction so the point of the arrow is pointing forwards on the ground. It improves braking a heap when on gravel. Instead of the tread pulling gravel under the middle of the tire like it does with the aesthetically pleasing arrows pointing forwards on the top of the tire, with the tire reversed the tread now tends to clear gravel away from under the tire under braking giving a much more stable feeling. I guess there is a small risk of the tire maybe disintegrating because the lay of the casing is the wrong way, but it hasn't happened to me yet , though thinking about it, reversing the tire duplicates the same force you input to the rear wheel when pedaling, so go figure.