Anytime the discussion of if you should rotate your tires comes up either with bikes or cars, the dad in me feels forced to make the classic dad joke "Rote tires? Don't they rotate when you ride?"

I now return you to your regularly scheduled bike discussion.

(Also no, I don't rotate mine. When one wears out I replace both. But that's more because I'm OCD than because there's a real need for it. I alos just like new tires. Bike tires. Car tires. Whatever...new tires are fun.)

nice joke, lol

I think the real joke is everyone that says they don't rotate... then proceeds to post that they move front to back and put new on front.

Isn't that rotating the front to back?

In fact....it is!

As a matter of technical English, arguably. However, common use of the term "rotating tires" means switching positions of the existing set of tries without replacing any of them. Nice try though.

Just replace them both imo

+1

I rotate the tires on my commuting bike just, like others have said, to even out the wear so I can replace at the same time. I typically replace long before the tread is gone. My other bikes seem to wear front/back evenly so I don't bother with them.

Negative.

As the progression is in one direction, from front to back, there is no rotation. This is fully a linear move as the back tire is not being put on the front.

I have done linear tire swaps in the past, always keeping the newest on the front. As I have been running tubeless for several years and replacing multiple tires at a time can sometimes become a PITA [especially when dealing with rim tape], generally I will replace only the tire that is worn out.

If you are cheap and just want to buy one tire at a time, just buy a new tire for the front and move the current front tire to replace the rear.

I do, but it's not front-to-back rotation. I rotate my more durable but regrettably stiff and slow tires onto the bike at the onset of Winter, and then my lighter, more fun tires in the Spring. Best tires go on front.

I use a larger tire on the front of my 2 road bikes, I do not rotate as the front tire will not fit in the back.

I'm not pulling off a well-glued tire unless it has to be replaced.

scott s.
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I just throw out the rear tire and swap the front when it fails inspection or gets old. Age is always relative to use, conditions, storage method, etc. I don't swap them around or rotate them.

Dammit. Came here to make this joke.

I think that you might get some of the benefit by throwing away the rear tire that has a flat area, and putting the old front tire in the back. Then install a new front tire. Best tire in front? Check. Good tire, with non-flat section in back? Check. Bad tire, with flat section discarded? Check.

At least that's what I've done.

I'm not sure that you need the best tire in front as long as you have a good tire in front. Best tire in front is ideal, of course. The front tire steers and does most of the braking. But the best of two worn and poor-condition tires in front is still a bad setup. As long as your front tire is good, your rear tire can be new, or used but good. As long as the rear tire is in decent shape, it doesn't have as much effect if your front tire is good.

Consider that new tires can fail too.

The little worn, but proven, front might be more reliable than a new front with slightly more tread.

I don't rotate tires but replace each when needed. The tires I use wear fast and are replaced proactively, before they are completely worn. It really doesn't make sense to rotate them.

As another said, I have better things to do with my time. This is especially true for the tubeless tires on a gravel bike.


-Tim-

Rotate my tires? Don't I rotate them every time I ride?

Yep!

I'm kind of a lightweight rider and ride mostly on good pavement, so my rear tire doesn't wear out as fast. I've been getting a year's worth of riding out of each set of Gatorskins. I change them every October, before my annual cross state ride. However, if during the year, one tire fails, I will replace both and keep the best one for a spare.

I wear them out at a 3:1 ratio, so I don't rotate them. Also, why break down a clean build and chance a tube pinch? I just replace the rear and move on. Given that the rear wears more quickly you can lose your mind constantly swapping tires from front to rear.