Tire direction.
03-27-18, 07:39 AM
#26
Senior Member
I have one set for my touring bike that specifies direction with an arrow on the sidewall. As others have indicated, if it isn't marked, I put the "V" shape facing forward. Keep in mind if you are changing sets, with the bike upside down that "V" points to the rear and it's easy to get confused and mount them backwards. (Don't ask me how I know 
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03-27-18, 07:43 AM
#27
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03-27-18, 08:33 AM
#28
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03-27-18, 08:37 AM
#29
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03-27-18, 09:06 AM
#30
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03-27-18, 11:27 AM
#32
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I have one set for my touring bike that specifies direction with an arrow on the sidewall. As others have indicated, if it isn't marked, I put the "V" shape facing forward. Keep in mind if you are changing sets, with the bike upside down that "V" points to the rear and it's easy to get confused and mount them backwards. (Don't ask me how I know )
)
03-27-18, 12:38 PM
#33
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Lots of unnecessarily detailed analysis on this thread.
For road tires in the majority of conditions, whether a tire has tread or not matters very little in terms of wet or dry traction. Rubber compound, suppleness, TPI, pressure and width are all significantly more important. Apart from looking at the tires, most road riders would never know the difference if their high end tires were installed backwards or if they had tread or not.
Some are also conflating tread with knobbies. They are not the same.
Both tread and knobbies are designed to increase traction but tread is designed to do so by removing water from between a tire and a hard surface while knobbies are designed to prevent shear between a tire and loose or semi-solid surfaces. Knobbies can sometimes function like tread and tread can sometimes function like knobbies but they are not the same and are designed for two completely different use cases.
-Tim-
For road tires in the majority of conditions, whether a tire has tread or not matters very little in terms of wet or dry traction. Rubber compound, suppleness, TPI, pressure and width are all significantly more important. Apart from looking at the tires, most road riders would never know the difference if their high end tires were installed backwards or if they had tread or not.
Some are also conflating tread with knobbies. They are not the same.
Both tread and knobbies are designed to increase traction but tread is designed to do so by removing water from between a tire and a hard surface while knobbies are designed to prevent shear between a tire and loose or semi-solid surfaces. Knobbies can sometimes function like tread and tread can sometimes function like knobbies but they are not the same and are designed for two completely different use cases.
-Tim-
03-27-18, 12:54 PM
#34
Senior Member
03-27-18, 07:55 PM
#35
Senior Member
Lots of unnecessarily detailed analysis on this thread.
For road tires in the majority of conditions, whether a tire has tread or not matters very little in terms of wet or dry traction. Rubber compound, suppleness, TPI, pressure and width are all significantly more important. Apart from looking at the tires, most road riders would never know the difference if their high end tires were installed backwards or if they had tread or not.
Some are also conflating tread with knobbies. They are not the same.
Both tread and knobbies are designed to increase traction but tread is designed to do so by removing water from between a tire and a hard surface while knobbies are designed to prevent shear between a tire and loose or semi-solid surfaces. Knobbies can sometimes function like tread and tread can sometimes function like knobbies but they are not the same and are designed for two completely different use cases.
-Tim-
For road tires in the majority of conditions, whether a tire has tread or not matters very little in terms of wet or dry traction. Rubber compound, suppleness, TPI, pressure and width are all significantly more important. Apart from looking at the tires, most road riders would never know the difference if their high end tires were installed backwards or if they had tread or not.
Some are also conflating tread with knobbies. They are not the same.
Both tread and knobbies are designed to increase traction but tread is designed to do so by removing water from between a tire and a hard surface while knobbies are designed to prevent shear between a tire and loose or semi-solid surfaces. Knobbies can sometimes function like tread and tread can sometimes function like knobbies but they are not the same and are designed for two completely different use cases.
-Tim-
03-27-18, 08:35 PM
#36
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I rode for years with labels to the left as I always leaned the bike right-side to against walls. A couple of years ago I went back to labels on the right convention. I have yet to notice any difference riding in Portland, OR.
Actually that makes sense. I gave water displacement zero thought. In line with my theory that weight only hurts when you know about it.
Ben
Actually that makes sense. I gave water displacement zero thought. In line with my theory that weight only hurts when you know about it.
Ben
03-27-18, 10:24 PM
#37
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Water dispersion is completely irrelevant for 23 or 25 mm road tires.
Maybe Jobst Brant or someone like that could tell but 99.999% of the rest of us would not know the difference between road tires with and without tread if we could not see what was on the bike, even in heavy rain.
Others on this thread should take your example. It is literally a non-issue for normal road bike tires.
-Tim-
Maybe Jobst Brant or someone like that could tell but 99.999% of the rest of us would not know the difference between road tires with and without tread if we could not see what was on the bike, even in heavy rain.
Others on this thread should take your example. It is literally a non-issue for normal road bike tires.
-Tim-
03-28-18, 01:20 AM
#38
Rhapsodic Laviathan
It just has to look right in my eyes, whether or not a bike tire sheds water, or if only the pros have the skill to make them shed water. The tread matters on cars and motorbikes, so it matters to me on bicycles. I've ridden many bikes with many tires, they all pick up water.
Maybe it's all bullspit and Vs down just makes a bike look faster.
Maybe it's all bullspit and Vs down just makes a bike look faster.
03-28-18, 06:38 AM
#39
Senior Member
Water dispersion is completely irrelevant for 23 or 25 mm road tires.
Maybe Jobst Brant or someone like that could tell but 99.999% of the rest of us would not know the difference between road tires with and without tread if we could not see what was on the bike, even in heavy rain.
Others on this thread should take your example. It is literally a non-issue for normal road bike tires.
-Tim-
Maybe Jobst Brant or someone like that could tell but 99.999% of the rest of us would not know the difference between road tires with and without tread if we could not see what was on the bike, even in heavy rain.
Others on this thread should take your example. It is literally a non-issue for normal road bike tires.
-Tim-
I'm talking about tires that have distinctive tread patterns such as the 28 Schwalbe Marathons I have on my hybrid. Again, there's a good reason why they have tread patterns. Put them on incorrectly and watch what happens when the tire rolls backwards through heavy water on pavement at speed.
03-28-18, 11:53 AM
#40
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Maybe so on 23 or 25 tires (that look completely slick, and only with a magnifying glass can you see any grooves. LOL).
I'm talking about tires that have distinctive tread patterns such as the 28 Schwalbe Marathons I have on my hybrid. Again, there's a good reason why they have tread patterns. Put them on incorrectly and watch what happens when the tire rolls backwards through heavy water on pavement at speed.
I'm talking about tires that have distinctive tread patterns such as the 28 Schwalbe Marathons I have on my hybrid. Again, there's a good reason why they have tread patterns. Put them on incorrectly and watch what happens when the tire rolls backwards through heavy water on pavement at speed.
(Your experience confirms my theory. I have never looked at the water coming off my (or others') tires in relation to tread direction. Being oblivious to the water patterns, I cannot detect the difference in grip.)
Ben
03-28-18, 12:24 PM
#41
Senior Member
Some are also conflating tread with knobbies. They are not the same.
Both tread and knobbies are designed to increase traction but tread is designed to do so by removing water from between a tire and a hard surface while knobbies are designed to prevent shear between a tire and loose or semi-solid surfaces.
Both tread and knobbies are designed to increase traction but tread is designed to do so by removing water from between a tire and a hard surface while knobbies are designed to prevent shear between a tire and loose or semi-solid surfaces.
Sometimes the word also gets used as a catch-all phrase for non-smooth tread patterns... I'm unfamiliar with it being used to specifically refer to water-shedding patterns. Maybe that's a regional thing?
The argument I see sometimes is that road tires should have very shallow fine patterns - such as the herringbone on the sides of many tires, or the small dots that Paves have at their centerline - to mechanically interfere with road irregularities. The idea being better behavior in wet conditions when the coefficient of friction is much lower.
