allen254

SO i was wondering how you guys do it i usually. what i usually do is rotate my tires so i can get an even tire wear but, i've never tried moving the front to the back and replacing the most worn tire with a new one. Which is best ??

MrCharlie

Always put the tire with the least wear in front. When a rear wears out, put a new tire on the front and put the old front on the rear. Seems counterintuitive since the rear wears faster, but the idea is that its much safer to have a blow out in the rear as opposed to the front. This is pretty standard advice.

ILUVUK

Typically, when wire bead appears in a spot or three or four on the rear, I move the front to the rear and put a new tire on the front. rinse and repeat.

dr_lha

As I'm lazy I just replace the tire that's worn. Honestly do whatever ritual makes you feel good. It really doesn't matter.

Machka 

My wheels rotate when I ride.

Homebrew01

Ditto,

kbarch

I usually replace both at the same time, regardless. If I were more thrifty, I would do as others above mentioned and replace a rear tire with one that had been on the front, but I'd never replace a front tire with anything but a new one.

rpenmanparker 

And since the old front tire is very close to new as far as tread wear is concerned, the one-way "rotation" scheme (it really isn't, is it) is a very good plan. As said above, it is very standard advice. I have been doing that for years. Of course, I only ride one type and size clincher tire, so I never have a problem with a mismatch. That would be gauche!

By the way that rotation scheme is not quite so desirable for tubulars. I mean who wants to remove a perfectly-well glued on front tubular to move it to the back. That is just asking for trouble like rims that need glue cleaned off, underside tire tape coming off the tire, etc. In the case of tubulars I think that leaving the front in place and just replacing the rear makes more sense. Or replacing both tires to switch to a different brand, size, or model. After all it is important to preserve that matchy-matchy.

datlas 

I also move front to back and put new one on front. It makes the most sense.

mapeiboy

I usually replace the rear tire once a year and the front once every 2 years . No rotation here .

kbarch

Matching is just a bonus. I haven't had too many occasions to replace tires, but a laceration or the appearance of wear bars has come as a convenient excuse to upgrade the pair.
A similar topic (but more contentious) in the moto world is whether it's ok to have tire of different types/tread patterns front and rear. I don't imagine anyone who ever rides a knobby tire would consider running a slick on the same bike, but other than that, tread really isn't an issue for us road cyclists, is it?

surgeonstone

Never say always. Have cycled safely for 45 years replacing only tire that needed it where it was needed.
Rotation is not bad but is unnecessary.

CliffordK

Hmm, I'm trying to think if I've ever blown through the tread of a tire. I did blow a rusty wire bead off of a trailer tire once. Of course, I've had a few ordinary flats in my life

I don't go out of my way to rotate tires. But, if I do happen to have both front and rear tires off at the same time, I may choose to put the one with the least wear on the rear. Or visa-versa, depending on my mood.

I'm not a stickler for matching tires, but will periodically go with a matched pair.

Tire wear seems to be a combination of tread depth wear (quicker wear on rear), as well as an accumulation of small cuts (happens to both tires), and if mileage is low, also age (happens to both tires).

I've been working on getting my current pair worn down to the threads. I've had the "close" feeling for the last 2000 miles

andr0id

I do the front to back transition also. Been doing it for many years.

Clipped_in

Me too.

f4rrest

Sometimes I just replace the rear.
Sometimes I rotate front to back.
Sometimes I replace both.
Sometimes they don't match.

Doesn't matter.

StanSeven

This. I can't imagine why someone would ride where the tire gets thin enough to blow out. The tread must be like paper.

ptempel

And you don't want a front tire with a flat worn out section in the middle. It affects steering in a bad way. Ask me how I know...

surgeonstone

See this really makes no sense to me. Why put the worn tire from the front on the rear where most of the wear and tear is.

surgeonstone

And now for the expert opinion.
Tire Rotation

Phil_gretz

I replace when a tire begins a pattern of regular flatting. It signals when the tread isn't thick enough for the routine conditions.

I've flatted three times within a week on my commuter's rear tire. All punctures through the tread. Time to replace it. Tires ordered this morning...

On rotation, as others have said, the front gets the better tire.

rpenmanparker 

It is supposedly for better steering and control as well as some better protection about flats and blowouts that could be catastrophic if they occurred on the wheel that contributes to steering. No matter how you approach it, you still have the same amount of rubber between both tires to wear down on the road. There is no gain or loss of tire life doing it one way instead of the other.

Also for some folks the front would get really old being used up so slowly. If you ride a rear for a year before using it up, you might ride a front (barring any road hazard destruction) for five years. That is a long time for a tire to be exposed to the elements, especially ozone. It is not uncommon for a dedicated front like that to show signs of ozone attack, cracking, drying out, etc. The rotation scheme assures that both your tires are relatively fresh.

surgeonstone

Yeah but it's a pain in the ass so I don't do it. I see the reasons. I just hate prying tires off the rim and do so only with absolute necessity.
Can't be that important having ridden for so long not doing the rotation and never having problems as such.

Square Wheels

Sadly I've never worn one out. I usually get a big whole ripped into them long before they are worn.

ptempel

That used to happen more often whan I started commuing into the city. I think it can be mitigated by learning all the nuances of your route (sidewalk seams, potholes, goatheads, etc). I could never get away from tiny pieces of glass or rock. But they won't kill the tire, either. I also had a spectacular blowout rolling onto the sidewalk from the road once. My rear wheel slipped on the metal edge of the curb in a driveway since I was riding in at an angle and I think it was wet out. It ripped a huge hole in the sidewall. So I now either take it at less of an angle and/or more slowly (especially in or after a rain).