Originally Posted by
Dean V
Squared off tyres on the front do not handle very well.
Also more likely to puncture which is less desirable on the front.
Well, the flat spot in the center is exactly as wide as the contact patch of a non-used tire. I don't know that as far as handling is concerned it would make any real difference being that it's made of rubber & held up by soft, squishy, compressible air. It'd be no different than leaving the front tire alone to age, dry out, & wear out for years through out however many new & fresh rear tire replacements. All tires wear.
Since it's the front, it also carries less weight, so the risk of a sharp bit of debris causing puncture is already low. The already low risk is unlikely to be likely be terribly increased by an amount that matters. But the extra tread thickness of the tire now on the rear means a bit of glass or whatever causing a puncture is much less likely.
Rotating tires spreads the wear around evenly & keeps the average age of tires on a bike much newer. Much like how is done on cars. A set is a set is a set.
I've lost count of how many tires have a flat center & broad sharp shoulders. It seems to me that if it negatively affected handling there would be "front" & "rear" only variants with different profiles commonly available.