[Closed] Quick poll: Changing tyres. Do people really bother? Seriously?

I don't change unless they wear out or are damaged.

same tyres all year round, they seem to wear down to 'summer tyre' in time for summer anyway.

i'm fairly shit at riding a bike, so i don't think my tyre choice makes a lot of difference.. if they're not prone to going flat, they will do. (2)

I tend to change mine from time to time but it's generally just from a summer trye to a winter one once the local trails become really muddy.

Only takes a few minutes so i'm happy to do it. I guess if you run tubeless its more of a faff.

Same tires all year round.

i tend to keep the same front tyre all year round and only change the rear tyre to a thinner semi-mud tyre over the winter months.

another reason for my lack of changing is that i run tubeless and sometimes find it a hassle to chage over easily.

Where I ride, its muddy and boggy all year round 🙁 so there's no reason to change tyres

use em till I ruin them, varies from half a ride to a couple of years then change em. Having winter and summer tyres makes sense but I go with singlespeed/summer bike instead 🙂

I tend to use bonty mud-x during the winter and some Intense system 5's in the spring/summer/autumn.

certainly less motivated to change tyres all the time sinc eI went tubeless...

I use the same tyres all year round until they wear out then change them for whatever I can get cheap.

This makes me sound like a right tight bastard.

I keep the same tyres on and they're the ones that came with the bike at the moment. I might consider several sets if I could afford several sets of wheels to leave them on!

Think I've only ever changed my tyres when I did the Manchester - Blackpool a few years back, changed to slicks.

Though I did change my tyres for the Alps to dual-ply.

Race wheels get changed all the time. If I ride on my race wheels I just use whatever's fitted.

Normal wheels don't change much, maybe a winter/summer swap.

Yes, twice a year, where I ride the benefits of switching to say a bonty mud x tyre in the autumn/winter months outweighs the faff, I'll even rotate the tyres from bike to bike, I've got quite quick now, pedro tyre levers have helped. Don't find changing as tedious as slow mud tyres in the dry months, unless you've discovered the perfect all rounder, not tried Advantage myself.

high rollers on the stiffee, nevegals on the norco six. been like that for years too.

Are there really people out there (on here) who have a selection of tyres, and can honestly be arsed to change them depending on conditions or particular destinations?

Quick answer to quick poll - yes.

Long answer - I put something ultra grippy on the front when its wet & muddy, but the rest of the time I can't be bothered to carry all that weight & drag around, so I put on a light & slim fast roller.

I do change mine. I never used to, but then I discovered summer tyres like Small Block 8s, and I like them..... But I change them for winter.

Same all year round, regardless of where I am riding.

I use different bikes with different tyres as i am not cheap like HTS

I dont actually care just one bike has crossmarks on it and I wont ride that in the mud as it is lethal I do have mud tyres but dont use them

I change summer and winter, but it tends to be dry and hard in the summer and wet and slippery in the winter here. When I was in the UK it was the same tyres year round becuase there was less variation between the seasons ie muddy all the time 😈

I don't change tyres, instead I have near identical wheels on my full sus and hardtail. I run faster, lighter tyres on one set, slightly burlier, grippier ones on the other. And I occasionally swap them around or use different combos depending on where I'm riding and sometimes who I'm riding with... It doesn't take very long. I couldn't really be bothered with swapping individual tyres though.

But if folk want to change their tyres around, that seems reasonable enough to me. I don't think I have any particular right to question their behaviour, though I know that on STW, black and white thinking is de rigeur and I should collapse into a seething fury at the idea of anyone choosing to behave differently from me. This place does seem, increasingly, to be suffering from some sort of collective personality disorder... 😉

I never used to bother, until I started riding DH more. As I got quicker I started to realise just how much of a difference different tread patterns/rubber compounds made. I now tend to have an prefered tyre depending on how muddy, gravity dependant or pedally a ride is. Whether I get round to changing tyres before the ride or not is a different matter though...unless it's a race 🙂

For an awful lot of riding it probably doesn't make that much difference.

i'm fairly shit at riding a bike, so i don't think my tyre choice makes a lot of difference.. if they're not prone to going flat, they will do. (2)

This sums it up for me

Went through a phase of trying different tyres and I think it really does make a difference:
Love Ignitors, Purgatorys, Cinders and Advantages, hate High Rollers for example.

Bought a Crossmark to try for the Summer. It's ok, but no better than a worn Ignitor it replaced.

Ended up with a Minion Supertacky DHF last year, can't believe how grippy it was in the winter, so that will go back on shortly, massive confidence booster.

They all get used 'till they're worn out, eventually, but I quite enjoy experimenting if I can get them cheap.

Just between winter and summer, and if I'm racing.

The dilemma of only having one bike for doing everything. I'd wager a lot of people on here have different bike for different purposes, so can just pick the appropriate bike already shod with the appropriate tyres for the conditions 🙂

I might change them for winter if what's on them is having a particularly hard time of it.
I'll change them for the Alps (though I've not bothered to change them back this year yet).
Will change them in the rare event of racing/honc etc.

I generally use only one set of tyres, especially since converting to tubeless.

If it's really cak in the winter, then I will generally have mud tyres on the wheels for my Inbred & will use them on whatever bike I am riding.

When my bike & pairs of wheels stock consisted of the number 1, then it would generally be a pair of tyres in the summer and then change to mud-specific come winter time and use them until about mid-march/April time.

Dual ply for DH, single for trail...

Tyres are one of the biggest things you can do to change how the bike handles, so why wouldn't you try a few out?

I run two sets, a spring, summer and autumn set and then a winter set.

For the money, one of the best things you can buy for a bike.

Same all year till they wear out. Although just riding a bike would be nice at the moment.

Night ride next week Lowey?

[b]Yes.[/b]

Local to me (Bedford) side of field/Chicky XC, Woburn, Bridleway, etc:
Conti Speed or Mountain Kings.
Because: Fast rolling for the miles I do, whilst still offering up to 3 season grip on hardpack, loose stuff, etc

Away day rides/ The Peaks, Wales, North Downs, etc.
Conti 2.3 Vertical Protections
Because: More of a knarly grippier all season tyre for the big stuff.

Winter Slop on the HT:
Panaracer Trailrakers:
Nothing beats them in the really bad thick gloop imo.

It's the reason I don't do tubeless (tried it once and got 2 punctures in the North Downs that had to be repaired with inner tubes!!)... though friends of mine that do go tubeless tend to run 'overkill' tyres all year round such as Hi Rollers.

S!

Just checked:

Spares are a couple of High Rollers, a Minion, Crossmark, Cinder and an Advantage.

Pair of knackered Ignitors on my bike and a knackered Cinder & Purgatory on hers.

Think we'll be fine for a couple of years yet!

Cheers mate.. I'll txt you to let you know. Work is hectic at the moment, but at least the kids have gone back to school to the routine is back!

Maxxis all year round: 2.4 Advantage for summer (so about 3 months), 2.1 Medusas for the rest.

Wouldn't be without winter tyres in winter. They're the difference between making a muddy climb and slipping out, between actually enjoying a muddy decent or merely surviving it.

It's about the right tool for the job.

i'm fairly shit at riding a bike, so i don't think my tyre choice makes a lot of difference.

If you're think you're fairly shit, you need all the help you can get. If you're anything like my mates, you might find using proper winter tyres in winter is a revelation. You can use them all year round if you don't mind them being a bit energy sapping in the dry.

The difference tyres can make shouldn't be underestimated.

Since I put Hutchinson Toros on one bike I haven't bothered changing them.
Maybe I should get a set for the other bike. It usually has Larsens on it, but they're rubbish in the wet, so get changed for Mud-x or Medusas.

Just stuck some Maxxis Advantage tyres on, to replace the Panaracer Cinders which are rubbish when its not dry.
I'll change to trailrakers in the winter, and then my ghetto ice-spikes if it goes cold enough. then reverese the pattern towards summer.

I change my car tyres too.

I've a couple of sets of summer and winter tyres.

Just put some Michelin Hot-S on the singlespeed to cope with the mixture of conditions round here at the moment.

High Rollers on the Pitch, it generaly stay's home if it's properly shitty and they work OK in most conditions.

DH tyres (big, dual ply, supertacky) for hollidays,

Specialized Storms for the propper mud.

Tubeless doesn't make changeing tyres much more work, tyre off, pour sealent into cup, new tyre on, top up cup with fresh sealent, re-inflate. Might even be quicker than tubes??

If you're think you're fairly shit, you need all the help you can get. If you're anything like my mates, you might find using proper winter tyres in winter is a revelation. You can use them all year round if you don't mind them being a bit energy sapping in the dry.

I find mud tyres absolutely hopeless on hard dry trails, energy sapping and nowhere near the grip of a propper summer tyre.

Changing tyres is fun 😀

I brought some ridiculous super tacky Maxxis Minions, wire beads and all one winter when I was struggling with wet roots. I keep meaning to change them for some kenda nevagals I brought in a sale, but it's been two years. Reckon they've just about worn in by now...

One day I'll change them for something more suitable and it'll be like getting a new bike!

I find mud tyres absolutely hopeless on hard dry trails, energy sapping and nowhere near the grip of a propper summer tyre.

Yes,but only the front one

EDIT how sh1t must some people be at changing tyres if they CBA to take the 5 minutes it takes to do the job....lol

surely the pattern is: new tyres in autumn for the mud. use em all winter and spring and by summer they have worn enough to be good summer tyres. use them all summer to wear them out and get a new set in autumn?

the pikey version of this is to put the front on the rear and only ever buy a new front tyre?

i`ve buggered my self up as i can only get a skinny rear tyre in my frame so i have to make do with a part worn front this winter.

I went through a few different tyres* until I found something that I was comfortable with in all conditions: Maxxis Advantage 2.1 (62a and 70a)

Saying that I have a set of 2.3" WTBs on the big bike as they were heavily discounted, and they proving to be a nice dry condition and trail centre combo. I have doubts about the rear tyre (ProwlerXT) in slippery corners and may put an Advantage 2.1 on there.

So, yes and no.

*
Panaracer FireXC pro 2.1 (good, but clog up a bit too easily)
Panaracer Trailblaster 2.1 (fast as f, but don't brake hard)
Panaracer Mud 1.8 (ouch, my back!)
Panaracer Fire FR (grippy but slow)
Maxxis HR 2.35 Stick-E (very slow, but grip was amazing!)
Maxxis HR 2.35 Maxxpro (good esp. at cornering, but still a little slow)
Continental Mountain King 2.1 [puncture-tastic and scary in corners]

[i]So, yes and no[/i]

I agree

OI! Van Halen! who you calling pikey?

I've just put some MudX's on the 'spare' wheels. I doubt I'd bother changing tyres when packing the wheels is so much more convenient.

I change them when they wear out ,every 3 or 4 years

HR all year unless i do the uplift i change the front to a super tacky but thats on another rim so no tyre change

I change them when they wear out, then buy another good set...

I have a selection of tyres and wheels, for various bikes from monster truck big through to weight weenie xc race stylee, although I now have enough bikes that I just take whichever is suitable for the ride I'm going on.

I like tyres and I'm on the constant quest to find the holy grail of rubber that is light weight, grippy and happy to play with stans. Rocket ron 29ers in at under 530g for the tubeless versions are ace!

Sorry tazzy your opinion doesn't count as you ride nichewhore wagon wheeled, sandals with socks bikes.

Same tyres all year for me, I just lower the pressures slightly if it's going to be wet. Generally use them til the centre is fairly slick. Been using a Specialized Clutch SX up front for the past few months and I don't think I will buy another Maxxis tyre, this is just as grippy, bit cheaper and way lighter.

lol at kudos

[img] ?psid=1[/img]

see any wagon wheel nichewhore bits here do you? hmmmmm? no, I thought not. I'm no niche whore, you sinister sellout! 😆

Same all year round (Advantage front, Crossmark rear, tubeless) although I tend to avoid riding trails that have claggy mud.

same tyres all the time and can't even tell you what they are. one is a continental something. one is something else. they have nobbly bits and work. that's enough. most tyre and equipment chat on here is a pile of shite if the standard of riding i normally see is par for the course.

@tazzy No just a bike that fell out of the ugly tree, hit every branch and gnawed on the root 😛

As I was boxing up the sinister I had a moment of panic. I couldn't bear the thought of not having it and was one step away from refunding the guy and keeping it. 🙂

I use something fastish, like a Fast Trak or Race King at 45psi all year because I think rolling resistance is more important than grip.
I don't find myself at a disadvantage because of it when I'm racing. If it's muddy, everyone is sliding around, whatever tyres they've got.

I have 4 pairs of wheels with different tyres set up on them and then use the wheels that are most suitable for the conditions.
Continental Twisters/Fast Fred
Continental Race Kings/Racing Ralphs,
Continental Speed Kings/Rocket Rons,
And Schwalbe Black Sharks if it's completely gopping!

I do change the tyres around Spring and Autumn so I have appropriate ones if I need them.

the pikey version of this is to put the front on the rear and only ever buy a new front tyre

😳

I was a one set of tyres all year round person, and I still might be, but dont know yet, as this year I tried a set of kenda small block 8's, which dont look like they'd be the best over winter, but I'm tempted to leave them on until I fall off because of them.

I've previously tried loads of different tyres, and couldnt really tell much difference between them apart from the high rollers, which I hated because they made cornering feel wierd.

I've tried :-

Specialised enduro pro (dont make them any more under this name - Great tyre , quite cheap too

Continental rubber queen black chilli - Great tyre but expensive and
not better than the specialised.

Maxxis high roller - very poor IMO, cornering was all or nothing.

Some michelin downhill tyre - pretty good downhill, not so good uphil (no surprise there)

Kenda small block 8 - so far a great tyre, but I've only had them on for the summer, so I suspect they're not going to work too well over winter.

Overall I reckon the specialised takes some beating, and am tempted to swap back to that and stick with it through all seasons, but I might try some more different tyres first.

Nope. I went through the tyre swapping thing then looked at how much it was costing me. Waste of bloody dosh. So, now i buy anything with a spesh logo for 20 quid and for the past three years that has meant fast predictable tyres.

Three bikes, two have the same tyres (spesh eskars)

The third has skiny commuter tyres on it.

iDave - Member
most tyre and equipment chat on here is a pile of shite if the standard of riding i normally see is par for the course.

Eh, what's that got to do with anything?

I ride like the Venus de Milo, but I can tell the difference between tyres I like and those I don't.

I only change bikes when they break or get stolen (I've had 2 in 11 years), so playing around with tyres give me the opportunity to faff about for little cash outlay.
They all get properly used and wear out eventually, so what's the problem?

I change my tyres when they're worn out or if i'm going to the alps. Highrollers for the win and fatter highrollers for the alps win.

I do change from wet conditions to dry, but only for a single ride if it's a race. Otherwise now, I'll stick to the bonty mud x's until spring.

Summer or winter tyres, not much else inbetween. That means fairly light XC tyres for the summer and Mud tyres for the winter.

Tyres are one of the biggest things you can do to change how the bike handles, so why wouldn't you try a few out?

For the money, one of the best things you can buy for a bike.

I quite agree but to save changing tubeless I have three wheelsets for two bikes:-

Mavic 819s with 2.35 UST Nobby Nic and some old Conti thing for the Alps and northern rocks;

Stans Olympics with 2.1 Racing Ralphs for racing in dryish or dry conditions;

Stans Crests with 2.25 N Nics for damper conditions.

I find mud tyres absolutely hopeless on hard dry trails, energy sapping and nowhere near the grip of a propper summer tyre.

Try Bonty Mud X you'll be surprised.

Tyres really matter but as I can't predict what the weather and thus ground will be like, plus I'm not a fan of faffing with gear, I've tried to find a tyre with the right balance of compromises for me and my riding, run them tubeless and then just vary the pressure to suit the conditions.

I've loads of tyres and loads of wheels, all tubeless.

Usually aim to have whatever tyres will work best on my bike - 10 mins spent usually pays back in spades over the days' ride.

Currently, Front - Ardent, Rear - Larsen

i run high rollers all year for riding in the peaks and change to a dual ply ardent on the rear for riding places like snowdon or the lakes but to be honest its a bit of a faff when you use tubeless

back when I regularly raced DH I always carried 3 different types of tyres, dry, mud and intermediates with 2 sets of wheels for ease of switching I'd sometimes change tyres 3 times in the one day and was very particular about pressures for type of course.
Despite still having a shed with over 30 useable tyres to chose from at any one time, now that I no longer ride competitively I only ride one particular dry tyre combination per bike no matter how wet it gets, never change from that combo and ride exactly the same pressures all year round.

now that I no longer ride competitively I only ride one particular dry tyre combination per bike

Yup ,same here.
When I used to race ,I would fret about every detail,now all my racing is age related ,so I don't give a toss.
It's not that hard to adapt your riding style to suit tyre/conditions,when every second doesn't count 😀

Just back in from the garage and I have 19 tyres!! I do swap tyres for conditions and have even changed tyres mid race (D2D) to suit.
Normal practise is, training tyres / race tyres and summer / winter tyres.
Also on both bikes, so fair bit of swapping but IMHO does make a difference.
Gives me something to do whilst the wife is watching 'come dine with me', 'location, location, location' etc..............

Erm.. yeah I change my mtb tyres twice a year too, summer and winter for me. I've found the summer tyres stay on way longer than the winter ones (thankfully) The winter 2.3's have about 3mths use max, then the summer 2.1's or 1.9's go back on until they're worn out (which is normally about Xmas time when the winter jobbies get slung on. I'm much happier when the summer light ones go back on though, all that weight and vrrrr vrrrr vrrrrrrrrrr from the winter ones is so bloomin noisy. On the roadie, erm no... same all year round.

on the Orange - Rampages all yr

on the Rock Lobster - Nevegals may-sept, trailrakers rest of the time

I'm still running the tyres I put on at the beginning of the year in Spain, Michelin Mud tyres! They've stayed on all summer and are now pretty bald and slipping a bit on the wet climbs. Time for a change I think.
I don't see what all this tyre fuss is about myself.