Bicycle tyres

High-quality bicycle tyres at reifen.com

Cyclists know that riding pleasure depends largely on the quality and condition of bicycle tyres. Bicycle tyres should be ideally suited to the bicycle. Different bicycle tyres are suitable for a road bike than for a mountain bike. The structure of the bicycle tyres is always the same, with a few exceptions: The tube lies on the rim, these two parts are usually separated by a rim tape so that the tube is not damaged by the bolt heads of the spokes. The tube is surrounded by a tyre, this is also called a casing or cover and protects the tube from damage.

How do you find the right tyres for your bike?

Basically, the tyre must fit the frame of the bicycle. The size of the tyre is given in inches and refers to the diameter. The standard size for adult bikes is 26 inches. Bicycle tyres for BMX bikes usually have a diameter of 20 inches. The width of the tyres is also given in inches.

• The narrowest tyres are one inch wide.
• Very wide tyres have a width of 2.7 inches.
• Information on the dimensions of the tyres always follows the 28 x 2.1 design. This means that the bicycle tyre is 28 inches in diameter and 2.1 inches wide.

If you want to buy a new bicycle tyre for your bike, you should check the corresponding information on the old tyre. In addition to the short designation in inches, there is also an indication in mm. This is called the nominal rim diameter or the inner tyre diameter. Tip: For a 28 inch diameter tyre, the most common inner tyre diameter is 622 mm.

The bicycle tyre – a question of material

The most common models on the market are clincher tyres. This type of bicycle tyre has wires in the rubber casing. The wires serve as reinforcement and ensure particularly robust dimensional stability. Balloon tyres are a special form of clincher tyres. These also contain fine metal wires, but balloon tyres are wider than normal clincher tyres. As a result, the driver feels less vibration and experiences a more pleasant driving experience. Folding tyres are another special form of clincher tyres, but the rubber compound does not contain metal wires but aramid fibres. Folding tyres owe their name to the fact that they can also be bought folded. However, their particularly flexible shape makes assembly a special challenge. Unlike clincher tyres, which form a round shape due to the added metal strands, folding tyres are not fundamentally round. This makes it more difficult to fit them to the rim.

The rubber compound of the bicycle tyres influences the running resistance, the durability, the adhesion to the surface and of course the wear of the tread and should therefore also be considered when choosing the right bicycle tyres. By the way, soot is added to the rubber compound so that they appear in the typical black colour. Without the addition of soot, the tyres would not be black, but white. For some models, the colouring is deliberately omitted.

Which bicycle tyre for which model?

Depending on the type of bicycle, different tyre models are suitable for use.

• For a road bike, which is used especially in track racing, it is suitable to use a tyre with as little tread as possible.
• A mountain bike, or MTB, needs tyres with a very deep profile. Such MTB tyres can withstand different surfaces due to a deep tread.

Additional information

Bicycle tyre manufacturer

• Continental
• Kenda
• Maxxis
• MICHELIN
• Schwalbe
• Vee Tire

Wheel types

• City bike
• Mountain bike
• Road bike
• Trekking bike