When did tires become directional?
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Hmm... If it makes you feel any better and more "off the hook" for doing it the "right" way, I haven't been into the whole road biking thing very long and have never really cared or worried about it. However, now that it was mentioned, I do think it might look a little more put together to put the labels opposite the valve stem. Just to balance out the look. I've thought about it for a split second when reading about it before and am actually slightly opposed to the whole label with the stem thing simply because I think it makes the tire look visually unbalanced.
Not everyone can be from Madison.
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I don't think that water is much of an issue on road bikes like Sheldon says because bike tires are so narrow. I run a set of Kenda 838's on my Mt. Hood during the summer months because they are smooth and roll with very little resistance for their width while still not jarring you to death. They are wide almost like a motorcycle tire and at higher speeds I guess they would hydroplane if they weren't grooved. But all the Kenda's I own are not marked for a rotation direction and say Kenda on both sidewalls.
I can imagine some tires with blocky and taller/thicker tread segments which may squirm around a little bit under extreme cornering and/or braking at some lower pressures. If they are shaped a certain way to avoid squirm going one way they may squirm a hellalot spinning the other way. If a manufacturer wants a tire to go a certain way then one should probably follow it or risk some adverse handling effects. I know with motorcycle tires if you run certain tread designs backwards the tire squirm is scary/nasty in the wrong direction.
I do like those Kenda 838's They excude stickiness in the corners right down to dragging pedals lean angles. I suppose us crazy sportbike riders shouldn't be riding bicycles like they are motorcycles
I can imagine some tires with blocky and taller/thicker tread segments which may squirm around a little bit under extreme cornering and/or braking at some lower pressures. If they are shaped a certain way to avoid squirm going one way they may squirm a hellalot spinning the other way. If a manufacturer wants a tire to go a certain way then one should probably follow it or risk some adverse handling effects. I know with motorcycle tires if you run certain tread designs backwards the tire squirm is scary/nasty in the wrong direction.
I do like those Kenda 838's They excude stickiness in the corners right down to dragging pedals lean angles. I suppose us crazy sportbike riders shouldn't be riding bicycles like they are motorcycles
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What about on a mtn. bike with knobbies? I have some tires where reversing the tread pattern look like it would decrease traction and not ride as well on smooth surfaces and maybe wear out prematurely. I always go with the direction stated on all tires. There is no apparent reason not to.
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I had a directional MTB tire mounted in the wrong direction for years. When I switched it to the correct direction, it became much quieter on pavement.
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The tire pressure thing would work for me, if only I could read it. And if I carried a tire gage. Sometimes I remember to take my reading glasses along on rides. Generally, I just mount the tire, paying no attention to labels and such. I pump it up til it feels hard to the thumb, and ride on. But then I've always been a rebel.
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My original post was asking "When did it become traditional?" Maybe it was traditional back in 1972 when I started riding but I sure didn't notice, and wouldn't have noticed one way or the other anyway. But, umm, isn't "tradition" a form of conformism?
Tradition includes steel frames with horizontal top tubes, does'n'it?
[I'm just pulling a few chains here.]
Tradition includes steel frames with horizontal top tubes, does'n'it?
[I'm just pulling a few chains here.]
As for directional tires, road tires, it doesn't matter much, although, if the tire maker puts a direction arrow on the side of the tire, and you ignore it, then when people notice it, they will think some clueless idiot installed the tires. It's common to have a direction of travel on off-road tires, sometimes it's same front and rear, sometimes they go one way on the front and the other on the rear, sometimes the front and rear tire are different, but don't have a direction of travel, sometimes they are different front and rear and do have a direction of travel. In the case of off-road, putting the proper tire on front and rear in the stated direction, can make the ride, much more enjoyable.
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I think it probably started, out of someone getting tired of hunting for flat causing objects looking at the whole tire, then they noticed that the label was a point of reference, which made it easier, and they told others, who started doing it, until pretty much everyone was doing it. That is when it became tradition, not following the tradition makes people think some clueless idiot installed the tires.
Bike mechanics might not look down their noses at you if you put your tires on "any old way" but they will look down their noses at you less if you have them installed the "traditional" way. You get a small shot of instant credibility and "belong" when they realize that you know a little something.
This goes double for the hipster kid fixie-riding bike mechanics who look down their noses at just about everyone.
We are all clueless idiots to one degree or another. Some of us are more aware of our limitations and seek to minimize them, and some of us are better at hiding them (for good or ill).
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A bike tire is so narrow that I believe Sheldon Brown estimated you would need a speed of 100+ mph for one without tread to hydroplane. So again, directional treads are just plain silly.
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#39
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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I think it probably started out of someone getting tired of hunting for flat causing objects looking at the whole tire, then they noticed that the label was a point of reference, which made it easier, and they told others, who started doing it, until pretty much everyone was doing it. That is when it became tradition, not following the tradition makes people think some clueless idiot installed the tires.
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#41
Strong Walker
And when/why did it become "compulsory" to mount them with the label at the valve stem? A directional tread at least requires the label be on a particular side (and on the right only if the manufacturer made it that way). But I see no reason for the position other than style and perhaps convenience of reading the pressure when pumping up.
(The "aquaplaning" effect encountered on cars is due to the patch -contact area between tire and road- being way bigger and way, way wider than on a bicycle, and the speed being potentially higher. A bicycle tire's patch is very narrow, it will just cut through the water, unless you reach speeds of 150+)
About the "label at valve stem" thing i don't know; possibly came with clinchers becoming more popular. Bike mechanics love those tiny details, which have no effect on the way the bike actually rides, but show it has been built with the utmost attention to detail.
Last edited by martl; 02-01-11 at 01:28 AM.
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black tie
I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and post my first rant on BF. I've been thinking about the direction this thread is taking, and I'm finding it upsetting. What ever happened to cycling for the pure pleasure of it? When did it become a matter of conformity, or tradition (or keeping up with the Joneses) to line up the tire label with the valve stem, because it might otherwise reflect poorly on one's mechanical abilities, or vanity? If I'm out there on the road with a group of riders, and one of them looks down at my wheels and thinks less of me because of where the tire label is, whose problem is that really? Certainly not mine. Now, it seems, we have to dress our bikes up in black tie in order to be accepted by the other black tie riders.
I guess this has been going on for some years now, and I've been so far out of the loop that I haven't noticed it.
I ride because I enjoy riding. Please don't invite me to your black tie affairs.
I guess this has been going on for some years now, and I've been so far out of the loop that I haven't noticed it.
I ride because I enjoy riding. Please don't invite me to your black tie affairs.
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Did you attend your wedding in ripped jeans and a stained t-shirt? How bad was your BO?
There are levels of conformity in everything. Some take it to a higher level, some don't. Why is being a reverse snob (you) better than being a snob?
There are levels of conformity in everything. Some take it to a higher level, some don't. Why is being a reverse snob (you) better than being a snob?
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I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and post my first rant on BF. I've been thinking about the direction this thread is taking, and I'm finding it upsetting. What ever happened to cycling for the pure pleasure of it? When did it become a matter of conformity, or tradition (or keeping up with the Joneses) to line up the tire label with the valve stem, because it might otherwise reflect poorly on one's mechanical abilities, or vanity? If I'm out there on the road with a group of riders, and one of them looks down at my wheels and thinks less of me because of where the tire label is, whose problem is that really? Certainly not mine. Now, it seems, we have to dress our bikes up in black tie in order to be accepted by the other black tie riders.
I guess this has been going on for some years now, and I've been so far out of the loop that I haven't noticed it.
I ride because I enjoy riding. Please don't invite me to your black tie affairs.
I guess this has been going on for some years now, and I've been so far out of the loop that I haven't noticed it.
I ride because I enjoy riding. Please don't invite me to your black tie affairs.
Last edited by oban_kobi; 02-02-11 at 02:28 PM. Reason: I've been post jumped!
#45
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I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and post my first rant on BF. I've been thinking about the direction this thread is taking, and I'm finding it upsetting. What ever happened to cycling for the pure pleasure of it? When did it become a matter of conformity, or tradition (or keeping up with the Joneses) to line up the tire label with the valve stem, because it might otherwise reflect poorly on one's mechanical abilities, or vanity? If I'm out there on the road with a group of riders, and one of them looks down at my wheels and thinks less of me because of where the tire label is, whose problem is that really? Certainly not mine. Now, it seems, we have to dress our bikes up in black tie in order to be accepted by the other black tie riders.
I guess this has been going on for some years now, and I've been so far out of the loop that I haven't noticed it.
I ride because I enjoy riding. Please don't invite me to your black tie affairs.
I guess this has been going on for some years now, and I've been so far out of the loop that I haven't noticed it.
I ride because I enjoy riding. Please don't invite me to your black tie affairs.
I'm sure everyone so obsessed with tire label placement has some whacked motivation, but maybe some of them aren't black tie.
#46
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I think we all enjoy riding for ridings sake.
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(The "aquaplaning" effect encountered on cars is due to the patch -contact area between tire and road- being way bigger and way, way wider than on a bicycle, and the speed being potentially higher. A bicycle tire's patch is very narrow, it will just cut through the water, unless you reach speeds of 150+)
SP
Bend, OR
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SP
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IIRC in most cases tubulars have the lable by the valve stem. Not much choice excet which side the labe is on. Labels on rims are to cover the joint.
#50
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I just checked the tires an all 3 bikes(two of which are vintage), and none of them have labels. That's a relief.