Tires and air pressure basics

They’re one of the most important pieces of your bike: your tires. When they work as they’re supposed to, they can make your ride feel like a dream. But when they fail, tires can become a nightmare.

Back to basics

There are three basic types of tires. The most common is the clincher, a tire that uses an inner tube and has a Kevlar or wire bead that hooks into the rim when inflated. The second type of tire is a tubular. Used on road and cyclocross bikes, these tires are literally glued to the tubular-specific rim and then inflated. Finally, there are tubeless tires which are most commonly found on mountain bikes, but are gaining popularity on the road. These are tires that run without a tube or glue, instead, working in tandem with the purpose-built rims to create a seal. Tubeless tires also are coated with a sealant to decrease chances of punctures.

Weigh(t) your options

All three come with pros and cons. Clinchers are the most commonly used because of their simplicity and low cost. The downside is more rotational weight and the likelihood of pinch flats. Tubulars shave weight by not requiring a tube, tire bead or lip on the rim. They have better traction since the tire and rim are completely sealed and therefore more efficient as you never have the tire slipping on the rim while braking or accelerating. On the downside, unless you have a team car behind you, you’ll have to carry an entire spare tire with you at all times rather than a lightweight inner tube. Chances are, a flat while riding a tubular means walking home or calling for a ride. Tubeless tires have the ability to be run with very low tire pressures, allowing for excellent traction and very low risk of pinch flats. The downside to a tubeless tires is setup. It takes time to ensure that tires are properly seated and the necessary sealant can be messy to work with. But tubeless tires can also take an inner tube. So if you do flat in the woods or on the back roads, it’s relatively simple to get up and running.

Feeling the pressure

The most important piece of day to day maintenance on your bike is tire pressure.  Nearly every manufacturer prints a recommended tire pressure range on the sidewall of the tire for easy reference. Generally, on every high pressure clincher, tubeless or tubular tire, you want to check your air pressure every other day depending on how often you ride. On a low pressure clincher tire, such as what you have on your mountain bike, you can usually get away with checking a little less often – once a week is a good place to start. On the road, a higher pressure is a benefit as the firmer the tire, the less rolling resistance you get. On rough terrain, higher pressure can actually be a detriment as you bounce over obstacles rather than rolling, but running tires too low can greatly increase your risk of getting a flat.

If you’re riding just for pleasure, stick to a clincher tire. For ease of use and affordability, they can’t be beat. If you’re racing, look at what your priorities are. Do you want reliability or performance? How technical are you? What is your budget? If in doubt, ask your local bike shop. They’ll be familiar with where you’re riding and can make recommendations based on the type of riding you do.