New tyre, front or back?
07-15-10, 03:28 PM
#26
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07-15-10, 04:11 PM
#27
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Sheldon Brown says no. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-rotation.html
It is common for a front tire to outlast a rear tire by as much as three to one. Rear tires have more weight on them, and also have to deal with drive forces.
This disparity in tread life is exacerbated in the case cyclists who rely on their rear brake (you shouldn't! See my article on Braking and Turning.)
Well-meaning cyclists, even some mechanics who don't know any better, sometimes try to deal with this by swapping tires, putting the less worn front tire on the back wheel, and moving the worn-but-usable rear tire to the front. The idea is to equalize the wear on the two tires, but this is a serious mistake, don't do it!
The only time tire rotation is appropriate on a bicycle is when you are replacing the rear tire. If you feel like taking the trouble, and use the same type of tire front and rear, you should move the front tire to the rear wheel, and install the new tire in front.
The reason for this is that the front tire is much more critical for safety than the rear, so you should have the more reliable tire on the front.
If you have a blowout, if it is on the rear tire, you have a very good chance of bringing the bike to a controlled stop. If your front tire blows, you can lose steering control, and a crash is a real possibility.
This disparity in tread life is exacerbated in the case cyclists who rely on their rear brake (you shouldn't! See my article on Braking and Turning.)
Well-meaning cyclists, even some mechanics who don't know any better, sometimes try to deal with this by swapping tires, putting the less worn front tire on the back wheel, and moving the worn-but-usable rear tire to the front. The idea is to equalize the wear on the two tires, but this is a serious mistake, don't do it!
The only time tire rotation is appropriate on a bicycle is when you are replacing the rear tire. If you feel like taking the trouble, and use the same type of tire front and rear, you should move the front tire to the rear wheel, and install the new tire in front.
The reason for this is that the front tire is much more critical for safety than the rear, so you should have the more reliable tire on the front.
If you have a blowout, if it is on the rear tire, you have a very good chance of bringing the bike to a controlled stop. If your front tire blows, you can lose steering control, and a crash is a real possibility.
07-15-10, 07:01 PM
#28
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I'm afraid, it's not an assumption, but a fact. A fact, proven several times through experience. And it's true, for both kind of bike tires: road, or MTB.
07-16-10, 10:23 AM
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Both a new and a lightly used good quality tire will have more than enough traction to use on the front of a bike without problems. I think the main issue is that used tires have thinner tread and may be more suceptible to punctures... and a flat tire definitely has less traction than an inflated one.
On dirt or gravel, though, a new tire likely will have more traction than a worn one... and some tires may have significantly less traction than others, such a semi-slick tire compared to a full knobby, when used in loose dirt... putting a lower-traction tire on the front in this type of situation may cause poor cornering... but if the tires have roughly the same amount of tread then there will not necessarily be much difference or problem caused.
On dirt or gravel, though, a new tire likely will have more traction than a worn one... and some tires may have significantly less traction than others, such a semi-slick tire compared to a full knobby, when used in loose dirt... putting a lower-traction tire on the front in this type of situation may cause poor cornering... but if the tires have roughly the same amount of tread then there will not necessarily be much difference or problem caused.
07-16-10, 10:55 AM
#30
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Edit: Er, this gets a bit more complicated with front and rear specific tires as found on mountain bikes. In this case, you cannot put the front on the back, just replace the back (and I suggest inspection of the front as well).
07-16-10, 11:17 AM
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Sorry, that's not good enough.
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