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Tire direction for Conti 4000s

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Tire direction for Conti 4000s

Old 07-04-12, 01:12 PM
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dleccord
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Tire direction for Conti 4000s

im confused which direction i should run my tires and dont want to get it backwards.

please help

thanks,
maria
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Old 07-04-12, 01:15 PM
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Look carefully on the sidewall for an arrow. There is only one
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Old 07-04-12, 01:19 PM
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im curious if it does is matter?
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Old 07-04-12, 01:21 PM
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Originally Posted by dleccord
im curious if it does is matter?
If it has an arrow why not just go with it? They are too expensive to risk ruining prematurely.
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Old 07-04-12, 01:42 PM
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It probably doesn't matter at all, but they did put an arrow on the tire. It should point forward when it is at the top, by the way.
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Old 07-04-12, 01:56 PM
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I made that mistake when I first mounted the tire. Good thing someone in the Cannondale forum pointed that out to me. It wouldn't be there if it didn't matter.

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Old 07-04-12, 02:47 PM
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Originally Posted by dleccord
im curious if it does is matter?
Doesn't matter
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Old 07-04-12, 03:08 PM
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Originally Posted by thompsonpost
If it isn't significant, why would the maker bother?
Maybe for those concerned about the insignificant?
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Old 07-04-12, 03:34 PM
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Originally Posted by bikerjp
Maybe for those concerned about the insignificant?
You just described 90% of the 41.
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Old 07-04-12, 03:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Homebrew01
Doesn't matter
Yep, according to the late great Sheldon Brown

[h=3]Road Applications[/h] With tires for road use, it really doesn't matter, since tire tread patterns serve no function on hard surfaces. Tires with "V" patterns are common for motorcycles, and are generally installed so that the point of the "V" hits the road first. This is to help "squirt" the water out ahead of and to the side of the tire contact patch, as a protection against hydroplaning . Since hydroplaning is impossible on a bicycle, there's no need to observe this custom.
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Old 07-04-12, 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted by thompsonpost
If it isn't significant, why would the maker bother?
Conti says they sell more tires if they put a tread on them. If you'll notice it doesn't actually make it to the main contact strip and is pretty shallow. It's just to make people feel more comfortable.
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Old 07-04-12, 04:25 PM
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^ +1. The Michelin site said with the footprint of a 23mm tire you would have to hit a speed of 120 mph to hydroplane

https://www.michelinbicycletire.com/m...oothtread.view
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Old 07-04-12, 04:35 PM
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by blind luck I had 3 of 4 "right". The one I had "wrong" shows no ill effects and I haven't noticed a difference in them.
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Old 07-04-12, 04:47 PM
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Originally Posted by thompsonpost
Sorry about your Cheerios.

I ride Velociraptors. It makes a lot of difference. Cornering, stopping and climbing.

Is this one of those troll threads? I didn't see a restriction for 'thompsonpost'.
Wrong forum on both accounts. This is a muesli crowd.
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Old 07-04-12, 05:03 PM
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My guess is they put the arrow on it because people kept asking them which way they went on. In reality it doesn't matter, although the decorative tread probably looks faster one way compared to the other. As we all know, looks count!

PS, I always put mine on correctly.
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Old 07-04-12, 05:08 PM
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Originally Posted by jmX
As we all know, looks count!
Ding ding ding.. Winner!! No amount of physics or testing can trump the way is "should be"! It is all about the bike after all.
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Old 07-04-12, 05:17 PM
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I put mine on backwards for my training wheels, for extra resistance. Then on race day when I mount up my arrow-forward race wheels, it's like gaining an extra 50 watts.
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Old 07-04-12, 06:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike F
Ding ding ding.. Winner!! No amount of physics or testing can trump the way is "should be"! It is all about the bike after all.
I'm willing to bet if you pay attention to the arrow they tire labels will also be on the correct side.
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Old 07-04-12, 07:28 PM
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I put mine on backwards so that the tire never wears out. The more I ride, the thicker the tread becomes. Sure, like Caloso said, the tire is faster with the arrow pointed forward. But I've not had to buy tires in over 40,000 miles. Plus, people are impressed when they see a bicycle traveling in reverse.

Last edited by Hank244; 07-04-12 at 07:32 PM.
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Old 07-04-12, 07:36 PM
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Wonder how many people here looked at their tires after reading this thread?
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Old 07-04-12, 10:59 PM
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if i ride my tires backwards and then forward and continue rotating them and then inside out, my tires should last forever, theoretically speaking.
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Old 07-05-12, 12:11 AM
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Originally Posted by StanSeven
Wonder how many people here looked at their tires after reading this thread?
I did and couldnt find any arrows!
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Old 07-05-12, 03:17 AM
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Originally Posted by dleccord
if i ride my tires backwards and then forward and continue rotating them and then inside out, my tires should last forever, theoretically speaking.
Not quite.
Its true that mounting them backwards will suck rubber back up off the road but its usually not black chilli rubber. Often its slippery michelin or puncture magnet schwalbe.
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Old 07-05-12, 08:12 AM
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What kind of resistance do you get if the front is backwards and the rear forward? Would you move at all ?
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Old 07-05-12, 08:27 AM
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Originally Posted by bassplyr
I did and couldnt find any arrows!
It is very faint. Look near the "made in germany"
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