I have been advised by my local bike shop to rotate my tires back to front and front to back to get the longest life out of the tires. I have read that this is not really a good idea. Does anyone have input?? Thanks.
Think the guy worked in a auto shop b4 the bike shop.
if you’re wicked strong like I am, you’re probably burning out your rear tire really fast and it would help to rotate. If you’re a mere mortal though, no worries and don’t rotate them.
I do wear out my rear tire twice as fast as the front tire. Don’t know if I would deem myself as “wickedly strong” but I do have strong legs and my rear tire does wear fast.
I wouldn’t recommend doing it with tubbies, but go ahead if yu have clinchers. Just dont wait untill the rear has a totally flat profile.
Do you ride on a trainer?
No, you do not rotate bicycle tires. It is most prudent to have your best available tire in the front. What you can do is buy one new tire at a time. Mount the new tire on the front wheel, then mount the (presumably only slightly worn) tire that was on the front wheel on the back. Then throw away the (presumably worn) rear tire.
I agree.
I replace a rear tire when it is worn and never rotate it to the front. I also go through 2 rear tires per front tire.
jaretj
As others have stated, do not put a rear tire on the front. Either change the rear 2x per front or even 3x per front.
Or save the worn tire to mount for trainer season.
good article here http://www.biketechreview.com/tires/tire_wear.htm
Quote
Tire wear is proportional to rider power output, which is typically proportional to rider weight. The mechanism of tire wear (weight loss) is that small particles of rubber are abraded from the surface of the tire. Force per unit area grinds off the rubber, so higher rider power and lower contact area increase the rate of wear. For a given amount of power dissipation, lower speed (e.g. when climbing hills) means that the tire will wear faster because that amount of power is not spread over as large a total tire area in a given period of time. Higher tire pressure results in a smaller contact patch and faster wear.
Because power dissipation is mostly through the rear tire, most wear occurs on the rear tire, far more than can be explained by F/R weight distribution. Unless there is a LOT of heavy front wheel braking, a front tire can lose minimal weight due to wear, even after thousands of miles. Front tires may thin a little due to “cold flow” of the rubber on the casing. Front tires “age” due to environmental exposure, and so wear much faster if they are subsequently mounted on the rear. If a front tire accumulates significant mileage and is then moved to the rear, it will show about 1/3 faster wear than a new tire mounted on the rear.
Thanks. Excellent information and I appreciate the link!!
Another vote for keeping a good front and wearing out the rear replacing it more often. A good tire isn’t too expensive so just replace it once you’ve beaten it up, but keep it for training since you must have at least a few sets of wheels to interchange, right? Also, if you rotate a worn tire to the front I would think logically that it will flat easier since your front hits rocks/glass/etc first usually (no data or double blind tests to back that up!)
No, you do not rotate bicycle tires. It is most prudent to have your best available tire in the front. What you can do is buy one new tire at a time. Mount the new tire on the front wheel, then mount the (presumably only slightly worn) tire that was on the front wheel on the back. Then throw away the (presumably worn) rear tire.
Yep, that’s the way I’ve been taught for decades.
A blowout on the front at speed can be far more dangerous than a blowout in the rear. It’s a good idea to keep your newest rubber on the front.
I have been advised by my local bike shop to rotate my tires Does anyone have input??
Yeah. Rotate to a new shop.
When in doubt, replace both and then keep the worn but useable tire for indoor trainer season.