Fitting the right mountain bike tires to your bike is absolutely fundamental to getting the top performance out of the bike. You can possess the hottest and greatest bike in the world, but if your tires are not up to the work, then forget it.

Simply take a moment to think. Your tires are the one and only points of contact you have with the terrain. The entire tire does not touch the ground, only a small part of it. This small contact governs how well to corner, how fast you go, how quickly you stop, and how well you stay in contact with whatever surface you’re riding on. Knowing this, your confidence level can be related to your tire “comfort”. You will feel a lot more confident if you know the tires will do the job. Your bike will perform great and you will also.

Whilst mountain bike technology is constantly evolving, mountain bike tire technology is evolving even faster. Tires are now being made in different sizes and with different and new materials. This has resulted in much more variety when choosing mountain bike tires that are right for you.

Even today all tires are made from rubber only, but with a different type and grade. This takes into account the different types of surface, with each new surface now capable of being related to a specific rubber grade. Typical examples would include trail tires, all terrain tires, and XC tires. It is now becoming quite a cult sector and is developing its own unique terminology structure including “brand” names such as: Fast Fatties, Black Chili etc.

The “knobs” on mountain bike tires are designed specially to give the best performance on many surfaces.
For instance dry terrain tires would have low “knobs”. Low “knobs” can penetrate the surface grit to grasp the hard surface below effortlessly. Where conditions are muddy, then the high “knobs” of muddy terrain tires are preferred. The increased height permits the “knobs” to penetrate through the thick depth of mud and get a grip on the hard surface below.

The profile and spacing of the “knobs” is also very important. First, to prevent mud from packing in, they are spaced sufficiently. Secondly, the “knob” profiles are specifically designed to ensure maximum contact performance when the bike is presented at an angle to the terrain. The profile of all terrain tires are a combination of the best attributes of both wet and dry, put together to offer the best balance. A half way house as it were, but in name only, not in performance.