Generally, when describing the characteristics of mountain bike tires, it can be roughly divided into several directions:
Rolling resistance, grip, road feel, wear resistance, explosion-proof, weight, price.
In addition to this, there are two other characteristics that are often overlooked but are very important: power transmission and build quality.
1. Rolling resistance
When the wheel starts rolling, you want it to keep rolling and not slow down, which of course is impossible because of wind resistance and other resistance. In terms of the resistance of the bicycle itself, a small part of the reason is the resistance of the hub bearing, and the other main part is the "rolling resistance" of the tire. The smaller the rolling resistance, the easier it is to maintain the speed, in other words, the faster you pedal with the same effort. Needless to say, the less rolling resistance the better.
2. Grip
When you are cornering or braking, the last thing you want to happen is skidding. At this time, the "grip" of the tire is the key. Even straight-line acceleration requires grip when the force is strong. The grip is the bigger the better.
3. Road sense
When encountering uneven roads, some tires will make you feel very bumpy and make your whole body uncomfortable, some tires are stuffy and you don’t feel anything, and some tires make you feel changes in road conditions but not bumpy. These feelings are collectively referred to as "road sense". You want to have a comfortable road sense, not a road sense that makes you feel uncomfortable.
4. Wear resistance
Generally speaking, bicycle tires are expensive. If calculated by the amount of rubber required per unit, they are many times more expensive than car tires. So of course you want such an expensive thing to last a little longer, which is the responsibility of the tire's "wear resistance". The better the wear resistance, the longer the mileage you can use.
5. Explosion-proof
Broken tires can be said to be the most common faults encountered in cycling leisure sports, and the tire skin is often only a thin layer for lightweight, and it is not easy to withstand the puncture of stones, glass, and branches. Most tires for outdoor use have an "explosion-proof" design to prevent foreign objects from piercing the mesh cover.
6. Weight
Maybe you are a member of the pursuit of lightweight, any spare parts on the bicycle, you have to care about the tens or twenty grams. Undoubtedly, the inner and outer tires are also lightweight targets, and the weight of one car can be as much as one or two hundred grams. Regardless of the effect of reducing the weight of the tires, just seeing the weight reduction on the book of the whole vehicle may make you obediently spend your money to buy lightweight tires.
7. Power Transmission
If you are like me, if you have ridden the granulated tires of mountain bikes and then replaced them with slick tires, you will feel that the acceleration is more obvious with the same effort at the start, and it becomes lighter when climbing the slope. This means that the "power transmission" of the tire has become better, or it can be said that the "rigidity" of the tire is better. Tires with poor power transmission, as if the tread is sticking to the asphalt road, stepping on it with great strength seems to be stepping into the mud.
8. Manufacturing quality
Some tires add different colors for visual effects or other reasons, but have you ever noticed that the junction of colors is crooked? After installing some tires on the rim, take a look around. Have you noticed that it is not a "perfect circle" and has deviations up and down? Even the manufacturer should not be happy to see these unpleasant places in the product, but it may be that the quality control fails to meet the requirements or the sacrifice made in consideration of cost.
9. Price
The price of tires also varies greatly. A lightweight racing tire may cost two to three thousand yuan, but a training tire may cost less than five hundred yuan. There are certain tires with outstanding characteristics on the market, such as extremely lightweight or super high tire pressure. It often depends on how much you are willing to pay for these characteristics, and these paid-for characteristics may make you ride Feel the joy of driving, or take the race to the next level.
In addition to the price, it is almost possible to take into account all the features, depending on the design ingenuity and industrial technology of the manufacturer. However, often after adding the cost and selling price factors, a compromise will arise.
