Tires, Tubes, & Wheels

 Whether you’re a cyclist by profession or just a passionate hobbyist, you must take careful consideration for your tires, tubes and wheels. For one, your bike will be useless without those components. Understanding your bicycle’s tires will require that you know their different types and parts. When it comes to bike tires, the most popular are the clincher tires or the wire-on. The bike parts of the clincher bike tires are as follows: bead, fabric and rubber. The steel bead is known as the backbone of the tire, and is in charge of attaching the whole tire to the rim. The fabric is sewn into the two steel beads and forms the body of the tire. The most popular materials used as tire fabric are the nylon cords and polyamides. Air is pumped...   more

 Whether you’re a cyclist by profession or just a passionate hobbyist, you must take careful consideration for your tires, tubes and wheels. For one, your bike will be useless without those components. Understanding your bicycle’s tires will require that you know their different types and parts. When it comes to bike tires, the most popular are the clincher tires or the wire-on. The bike parts of the clincher bike tires are as follows: bead, fabric and rubber. The steel bead is known as the backbone of the tire, and is in charge of attaching the whole tire to the rim. The fabric is sewn into the two steel beads and forms the body of the tire. The most popular materials used as tire fabric are the nylon cords and polyamides. Air is pumped inside the fabric. The actual shape of the tire develops after doing so. Rubber is placed on top of the fabric as form of protection. The protrusions of rubber that are seen on a tire are called treads. Another type of tire is the tubular tire or the “sew up”. They are distinct from clincher tires because they don’t have any beads. An advantage of the tubular tire of the clincher tire is that it is lighter and it provides better traction. Bike tubes are also less prone to pinch flats than clincher tires. However, tubular tires are more expensive, less easily repaired and harder to replace. No matter what kind of tire you decide to purchase, make sure to buy from trusted brands like Kenda, Panaracer, Vittoria and BMX.