Jump to content

Tyre wrong way


FatBoyDrunk

Recommended Posts

This may be a silly question but..

 

Can you put a road tyre on the wrong way?

 

I just put a new gatorskin on my front wheel and afterwards noticed the back one is on the otherway.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

my backwheel is backwards at the mo'.

 

bike shop said it's got more grip that way, other way it's got more speed.

 

i never thought i rode well enough to feel the difference in tyres.

the back one is a kenda nevegal, fitted backwards. was in fountains weekend before last, when it was still very muddy. the tyre just never slipped!! don't know if it was the fact that it was (a) the neveal, (b) the fact that it was wrong way around or © simply bacuse i ride that good.

 

personally i won't go with ©, though :)

 

 

edit: talking MTB tyre here ...

 

 

 

 

 

cat-i2010-02-12 14:15:51

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The speeds of a bicycle are so low and the width of the tyre so narrow that the tread pattern on a road bike tyre has absolutely no significant effect on grip and handling. So, from a performance point-of-view it doesn't matter.

 

Cyclists are notoriously picky with regards to looks, even going so far as to make sure the label on the tyre lines up with the label on the rim. From an aesthetic point-of-view, having the tread backward is a heinous crime.

 

Ps. If you look really closely at one of the sidewalls of the Gatorskin you should see an arrow show the correct direction.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think you'll break your neck, but it will surely have something to do with the way the tire displaces water, grime and then rotational resistance. Please correct me if I speak a lot of drivel guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Please correct me if I speak a lot of drivel guys.

Some drivel Wink.

 

Most road tyres have tread to channel water to the outside of the tyre and prevent aquaplaning. Aquaplaning happens when water 'piles up' in front of a moving tyre to the point that the pressure is high enough for the tyre to lose contact with the tar. This is especially a problem with cars as they have a wide, short contact patch.

A bicycle tyre's contact patch is so long and narrow that it displaces most of the water to either side and the water can't really build up in front of it. From memory, a bike would need to hit a puddle at over 120km/hr for it to risk aquaplaning.

 

Edit: here's a link: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ho-z.html#hydroplaning

The table in the link refers to aircraft tyres which have a roughly similar contact patch shape to bicycle tyres (though their's is wider, making them more prone to aquaplaning than bikes). I see that the critical speed for a 7bar tyre is actually closer to 170km/h.

Edman2010-02-12 14:26:25

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

... a bike would need to hit a puddle at over 120km/hr for it to risk aquaplaning.

 

 

 

 

 

Hmmm. Counts me out, then. What a relief...SteelyDan2010-02-12 14:26:29

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

 

Please correct me if I speak a lot of drivel guys.
Some drivel Wink.Most road tyres have tread to channel water to the outside of the tyre and prevent aquaplaning. Aquaplaning happens when water 'piles up' in front of a moving tyre to the point that the pressure is high enough for the tyre to lose contact with the tar. This is especially a problem with cars as they have a wide' date=' short contact patch.A bicycle tyre's contact patch is so long and narrow that it displaces most of the water to either side and the water can't really build up in front of it. From memory, a bike would need to hit a puddle at over 120km/hr for it to risk aquaplaning.Edit: here's a link: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ho-z.html#hydroplaningThe table in the link refers to aircraft tyres which have a roughly similar contact patch shape to bicycle tyres (though their's is wider, making them more prone to aquaplaning than bikes). I see that the critical speed for a 7bar tyre is actually closer to 170km/h.[/quote']

 

In that case I'd better check that my tires are indeed mounted the right way. My Garmin recorded me doing 156km/h the other day and I am not joking! Maybe pulling your leg a bit, but not joking. smiley36.gif

 

Untitled

 

Cycling

 

Sat, Jan 9, 2010 6:01

 

01:54:18

 

53.67

 

783

 

778

 

28.2

 

150.8

 

109

 

173

 

Sorry it is 150.8. the formatting did not copy. This comes from my Garmin. smiley36.gif Schwynn2010-02-12 14:33:07

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

In that case I'd better check that my tires are indeed mounted the right way. My Garmin recorded me doing 156km/h the other day and I am not joking! Maybe pulling your leg a bit' date=' but not joking. smiley36.gif [/quote']

Actually, now that I think about it, we live in Gauteng where every puddle is just a pothole in disguise. Aquaplaning across those puppies would be better than sinking into one at speed LOL

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Consensus is that, as long as it says 'gatorskin' and not 'niksrotag' you should be ok.

 

 

 

Clearly its eating at you. So take it off and put it on correctly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Settings My Forum Content My Followed Content Forum Settings Ad Messages My Ads My Favourites My Saved Alerts My Pay Deals Help Logout