zabarnss

I just bought a 2020 Surly Straggler off CL. I noticed that the tire rotation arrows point to the back of the bike when rotated to the top of either tire. Were these tires installed backwards?

Steve

fietsbob

IDK cant see from here ... change it if it matters..

zabarnss

Sorry I wasn't allowed to post a photo. If it is backwards, does it matter?

fietsbob

Point towards the force.. stopping is one way accelerating is the other.... which matters most for you?

Generically it does not matter ,

Iride01 

It probably only matters if you use the tires in conditions that keep them at the edge of their design limits for operation. If you just ride dry dirt and/or smooth pavement at the speeds of the typical amateur, then no big deal.

But it's an easy fix if it bothers you.

tyrion

Yep. They're backwards. Tires could explode if you run them backwards.

zabarnss

Just the "helpful" reply I would expect from someone name Tyrion...

Davespix

They may not channel water away properly if they rotate in the wrong direction. The arrow should point down in the front. Not a problem if you are a casual rider.

Pop N Wood

According to Swalbe the direction arrows really only matter for treaded tires.

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/profil

Some tread profiles grip better in one direction than the other, some actually mount differently on the front (grip during braking) vs back (grip during pedaling). Smooth tread tires it doesn't matter, but Swalbe says they add the rotation arrows for "aesthetic considerations"

70sSanO

Depending on the tread design, some people will reverse the rear to get better grip climbing on loose dirt. It is usually more desirable to have the front correct for better rolling.

John

zabarnss

I got a reply back from Surly customer support. They say:

" the Knard’s tread pattern is not directional, so either way, there would be no disadvantage to running the tires “backwards”."

hokiefyd 

I agree that the Surly Knard's tread does not appear directional. I wonder why they'd go to the trouble to mold in rotation arrows on this tire.

The Continental Speed Ride is similar. The tread appears to be non-directional and, yet, there's a rotation arrow on one of the sidewalls of each tire. Weird!

Darth Lefty 

So the labels look right for photos

Bill Kapaun

A "chevron" pattern may be installed to "plow" loose dirt away from the center of the tire to reach "firmer" dirt.
One direction for rear traction and the other for front braking.

gsa103

That doesn't matter for bike tires. The rotation arrows are more for traction and rolling resistance. The shape of a bike tire inherently channels water.

79pmooney

I break this rule all the time. I ride a fix gear with a flip-flop wheel. Often leave the house with two cogs a tooth apart and flip to the one the feels best. The label and tread pattern just end up where they end up. I've never noticed a difference.

For years I ran my label non-drive side since I always lean the drive side against walls. Never noticed an issue nor saw any change when I switched to labels on the drive side. Not with Vittorias (pretty symmetrical tread) or Paselas (which have a V shaped tread so it should make a difference).

Ben

70sSanO

I have one front mtb tire design that doesn't have direction arrows, It is not a chevron, but there is a definite in-to-out or out-to-in pattern. What you say does work better in sand over hard pack.

John

sweeks

THIS ^^
If the tread pattern contains a "chevron" aspect, forward rotation has the "V" of the chevrons contacting the pavement with the point of the "V". This in theory channels the water from the center of the tire to the outer edge, and "backward" rotation would do the opposite.
But as noted, it doesn't really matter for bikes, as they cannot hydroplane according to Sheldon Brown.

Rogerogeroge

Continental has acknowledged that their road tires aren't directional. They simply added them because consumers asked about them and figured they were missing something 'optimal' if the tires weren't directional.

I get to watch Trek/Bontrager product knowlege/training videos. They claim that the direction of the casing layers below the tread determine the optimal rolling direction.

canklecat

Yeah, occasionally I've mounted Continental SpeedRide (file tread and vestigial side knobbies, non-directional), Sport Contact II (shallow file tread, non-directional) and Ultra Sport II (slicks with cosmetic treadlike arrow doodads along the shoulders) "backward." I usually don't worry about it.

Some tires, like the Ultra Sport II and GP Classic, have arrow shaped shallow tread that helps indicate the preferred direction of travel. The GP Classic has a rotation marker on the sidewall but it's hard to see so I go by the direction of the chevron hashmarks.