apollored

I had to have my back tyre replaced last week as it was starting to fray near the rim and had caused multiple punctures so also had to replace the tube.


It looks slimmer than the front one and is a different make, I dont know if that matters but since then whenever I turn the tyre skids and feels like its turning in on itself.


The wheel is secure as it has been checked but what could be causing that?


Cheers


apollored.

10 Wheels

Low air pressure?

apollored

It could be that, it isnt pumped up to full pressure but isnt too soft either, I could check that tomorrow when I get access to a proper track pump, and see how it goes then.


Could explain the feeling that it does feel like its twisting, thats the best way I can explain it.

Thanks for your reply

FBinNY 

A few possibilities come to mind.

The first is that you're still riding on the new tire, and haven't worn through the very thin "skin" layer which has mold release agent on it. This is the shiny surface
of newly molded tires and can be a bit slippery. When the riding surface has the matte appearance of a used tire the grip should come back to what you're used to.

The other is that you've either made a change in pressure, or changed to a tire with a harder compound.

Discounting the mold skin, tire friction varies among tires within a narrow band. Some makers using a harder compound which offers better tread life, especially on hot blacktop, and others using a softer stickier compound better suited for cooler climates and rain slick roads.

This is part of the reason that experienced cyclists (and auto drivers) tend to settle on a favorite brand of tire and stay loyal to it. It also helps to partly explain why some rave about certain tires, while others consider them the absolutely worst.

However, tire friction variations are fairly narrow, and IMO probably wouldn't account for that striking a difference, so it's either the new tire effect, or pressure, or (and I hate to say it) your imagination.

apollored

Ha lol no there's no imagination in it, the tyre definitely skids and its getting scary TBH

Here is a photo of the suspect tyre and the bike showing it just after it was fitted, dont know if they will help any

FBinNY 

You didn't mention that you were using it off road. My post was about use on pavement, off road use is a totally different situation.

The squirming or twisting you're describing is most likely from inadequate pressure. After that, simple loss of traction might be a function of the actual tread pattern and how well it's matched to the conditions, ie hard pack, loose dirt, sand, grass, mud, etc.

Other than making you're riding at correct pressure, there's nothing you can do to change the traction properties of a tire. So if pressure is OK, and you're still not comfortable with the tire, I suggest replacing it with the same as what you had before, or at least as similar as possible.

apollored

Thanks lots for your advice, I'll pump it up with a track pump tomorrow and see if that makes a difference, failing that see if it beds in ok.

I owe £10 for this tyre lol, another may be pricey but will see.

I use it on canal towpaths and on the river banks as shown there but dont do serious MTB type off road.


Just try to go away from roads and traffic

FastJake

Are you also hitting the brakes? Rear wheels are pretty easy to lock up with adequate brakes.

Not sure what you mean by "skidding." Either you have no air in the thing, or are taking corners very rapidly. I suppose it's possible that the tread pattern could be that knobby, but even so I have to be going pretty fast around corners to have even a MTB tire lose grip, and then it's usually both tires at the same time which always causes a nasty fall.

onespeedbiker

You didn't say where the tire skids; is it off road or on hard surfaces or both? Similar to what FastJake was saying, I ran into a problem using a tire with knobs like yours; when turning on smooth hard surfaces the bike would ride up on the the sidewall knobbies. The result was first you feel a shutter, then the tire starts to break contact with the surface and slides out. For an experiment I cut the knobbies down with a razor blade and it mitigated the problem significantly.

apollored

Problem solved by pumping it up hard, it actually takes a lot more air than I thought so has full pressure and hasnt skidded today.

It did skid on looser surfaces and it would actually move sideways and feel like the tyre was folding in on itself.

It actually looked slimmer than the front one but now its pumped up properly it looks the same width and doesnt feel like it wants to skid.


Thanks all