Are there any tips of how to tell that an MTB tyre needs replacing?

Sure when there is no visible tread it’s definitely past it, but are there any other signs that they aren’t gripping as well as they could?

For example on car you have tread wear indicators to help plus the guidelines to recommend changing at 3mm and 1.6mm the legal limit.

Rounded off tread blocks are a pretty good indicator ime. That and the fact that they aren’t gripping as well as they used to. People tend to rave about how good their new tyres are, but part of that you have to think, is that their old tyres were knackered, so you’re not really comparing like with like.

What he said, also applies to brakes, forks etc.

Square edge on knobs is king, once that’s gone, then tyre is on its way out.

Signs are you being on your ass in the middle of the trail instead of on your bike.

Rode a Magic Mary on holiday that had low mileage, but not been ridden in 18 months. Last run of the day noticed that it had slightly delaminated – area around some of the centre knobs looked puffy and you could press it in and feel the tyre carcass underneath.

Obv not a usual situation but if you had just looked at the tread you would have said it looked spot on.

When it appears to have turned into basically a slick. 😉

When a daft wee bit of glass causes a DH casing to puncture. RIP Highroller Semi.

The good thing about tyre wear is overtime they turn into fast rolling summer tyres. Swop the fronts first and enjoy the tailslides till the front gives up.

Some tyres keep going til they’re barely treaded, others go off much faster. Tyres with clever sipes and shapes especially tend to suffer if they lose them (I remember my old Kenda Nevagals basically stopped working as soon as the central sipe wore out as the centre knob acted a little bit like 2 smaller knobs up to that point). If it feels OK it probably is but if you’re not sure you can always get a new tyre, try it out, then if you don’t feel that much difference change back and keep going on the old one til it dies

Nobeerinthefridge

Subscriber

Square edge on knobs is king, once that’s gone, then tyre is on its way out.

For some tyres- most schwalbes, hans dampfs especially- that’s true. But not so much for others, minions frinstance.

Sharp edges are much more important on the front than for the rear. I always try to run the same front and back – when the rear is getting too slick a new tyre goes on the front, the part worn front goes on the rear.

bizarrely I have squeezed nearly 4000 miles out of a Nobby Nic on the front of the bike (and lived through winter!) – it still seems to have a load of life left too!

Not to hijack the thread….but how do you know when it is time to replace a road tyre?

but how do you know when it is time to replace a road tyre?

Increase in punctures.

Or a close examination revealing lots of pock marks, little splits and general poor condition. This becomes quite noticable with the poor surfaced roads I ride along.

Also many have wear replace marks. My Continentals have two little holes in the centre of the tread, when the rubber wears to that level they’re done.

Also if they have noticeably ‘squared off’.

It depends what you mean by “need”.

Anywhere from rounded off edges to bald, it’s up to you. I’m closer to the former, but a few of my mates more the latter. I do remember one of them having a very slow first lap at ten under the ben this year due to no front end grip though…