Are my tyres the right way round?

hakko

Sorry, this may be a bit silly. :oops:

I've bought a pair of Continental City Ride tyres. Is their a right way round to fit them? I think I've put them on the wrong way, tread is <<<< instead of >>>> facing the front.

Brains

You should see >>>>>>>>> on top so that <<<<<<<<< hit the ground

attica

Most tyres have an arrow on the sidewall telling which way around they should go. (if they are direction specific)

Worth a look perhaps

always_tyred

For the mosts part, tyre treads are a bit of a token gesuture. I defy anyone on road tyres to tell the difference when you swap the wheel around. (Unless its the rear wheel.....)

hakko

Thank you for the advice.

I was wondering if there was any point to the trea direction, as the best tyre would be complete slicks for the road.

Belv

The point is probably marketing - it gives them something different that people can recognise.

Off-road is a different story, of course.

Give this a read: http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#direction

Psy43

Hmm, don't fully agree with everything in that link. Removing water from underneath the tyre is still important on a bicycle. You may not have enough speed to actually aquaplane like in a car, but less water between the rubber and the road is always gonna equal more grip.

Hence, if your tyre has a >>> tread pattern it should be orientated so that the centremost part of the tread hits the road first.

Belv

http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#hydroplaning

Psy43 wrote:

less water between the rubber and the road is always gonna equal more grip

True, but 'tread' cuts away the rubber so less is there to be in contact with the road anyway.

psychle

Psy43 wrote:

Hence, if your tyre has a >>> tread pattern it should be orientated so that the centremost part of the tread hits the road first.

Assuming you are travelling in a forward direction.
There are an increasing number of fixed wheels out there.