Ah, the mountain bike tires. They are probably the most critical components of any MTBs. Without them, you’re obviously unable to go anywhere and your bike is like a useless thing. Tires are also considered one of the easiest and even the cheapest to improve your mountain biking performance. See also:
- Top 9 Best Cheap Mountain Bikes Under 500$/1000$ Reviews (2020 Update)
- Top 9 Best Hardtail Mountain Bikes Review In 2020
- Top 9 Affordable Road Bikes Under $500/1000$ Reviews In 2020
- Top 8 Best Mountain Bike Helmets Reviews In 2020
So, why not spend some time to learn some must-have features on your MTB’s tires for better choice later. It’s guaranteed not taking you more than 5 minutes. Let’s get started, shall we?
Table of Contents
Top 10 Best Mountain Bike Tires Reviews 2020
Continental Gatorskin Bike Tire – DuraSkin Puncture & Sidewall Protection, Road Bike Replacement Tire (23c, 25c, 28c, 32c)
Continental GatorSkin DuraSkin Tire 2-Pack
- Handle excellently on both loose and hard surfaces
- Deliver perfect traction around corners
Combining with the superior puncture protection, this tire is arguably the most durable and versatile option on the market. It especially impresses during the winter training rides – a thing that other trail tires can’t hold up. With a wide range of tire sized provided, even available for 650c Road Bikes and MTB, it’s worth the title of “The Most Versatile Tire of The Year”. That’s why I particularly listed this 2-pack set here as a highly-recommended option for heavy trainers or long-distance riders in the worst case. Since packing them along doesn’t take as much space as other unfolded tires, right?
Bell Mountain Bike Tires in Standard or Flat Defense
Continental Ride Tour Replacement Bike Tire – Extra Puncture Protection, E-Bike Rated City/Trekking Bicycle Tire (12″, 16″, 20″, 24″, 26″, 27″, 28″, 700c)
Continental Grand Prix 4000s II Cycling Tire, Set of 2 Tires
Maxxis Ignitor Mountain Bike Tire
Goodyear Folding Bead Mountain Bike Tire, 26 x 2.1, Black
Schwinn Mountain Bike Tire (Black, 26 x 1.95-Inch)
Schwalbe Hans Dampf Snake Skin TL-Ready Mountain Bike Tire 26 x 2.35, 27.5 x 2.35, 29 x 2.35
Continental Mountain King II Wire Bead Mountain Bike Tire
The Ultimate Guide To Choosing Best Mountain Bike Tires
1. Riding style
No tire excels at everything so, it’s essential to classify your riding style and focus on attributes which tires are the most suitable for that. Basically, there are three styles of mountain biking:
- Downhill riding
- Trail riding
- Cross-country riding
- All-mountain biking
For the first style, a set of burly, tenacious tires is highly recommended because they can handle stick landings, abuse, as well as claw their way around turns. Trail riding, on the other hand, requires you to maintain a moderate level of durability, traction, and speed. Hence, a set of all-around tires really makes sense. If you’re a cross-country rider, climbing efficiency is now overweighing than extra durability and traction. That’s why lightweight, fast-rolling tires are on top of choice. Plus, choosing for more densely spaced lugs with smaller size will be more helpful. Last up, is the all-mountain biking style. To ride to the top, you want to pick grippier and wear-resistant tires with bigger side lugs that when taking turns at speed, they can withstand outer impacts.
2. Size & Width
Actually, tire width and bike type have a close connection:
3. Tread
On a knobby MTB tire set, the knob or lug design usually varies widely. So, to match them to your riding style, it’s essential to understand how each of them affects the biking performance.
4. Thread
When it comes to threads, there’re just two options: Lower thread and high thread. It influences on how stiff and durable of a tire as well as its low-rolling-resistance ability. If your biking style requires lower rolling resistance and more supple tires, choosing higher densities of threads is ideal. But at the same time, less puncture protection is something you need to trade off. That’s why this kind of bike tire is usually used for light trail and cross-country riding. On the contrary, lower thread makes the tire stiffer and more durable with good balance for all-mountain, heavier trail, and downhill tires. To classify whether a tire is a high thread or low thread, they use TPI (stand for Threads Per Inch). It is the carcass of a tire that’s made out of parallel threads, oriented at a 45-degree angle from bead to bead and coated with rubber. High thread is usually within 67-127 TPI while a low thread is from 60-67 TPI.
5. Material
Now, if you’re wondering what effects on the flat resistance, ride quality, and weight of a tire, it’s sidewall construction. And the feature itself is determined by how many plies of the carcass are wrapped by any inserts in between the layers and around the tire bead. These inserts leverage the structural integrity, or puncture protection, or both. Usually, the breaker layer is dense strips of Kevlar, nylon, or Aramid. They all have two similarities – pliable and lightweight – to provide good protection whereas affect minimally ride quality. With downhill and all-mountain tires, butyl inserts or thick nylon are utilized for extra stability and pinch flat resistance, at the weighted expense. Conversely, thinner, lighter tires take advantage of higher air pressure to satisfy those two elements. In terms of cross-country tires, usually, there’s little to no sidewall protection due to smooth path nature. This is a big bonus because it helps to save lots of weight.
FAQs
1. What size mountain bike tire is best?
Tires, like wheels, come in three major size options: 24”, 27.5”, and 29”. It’s impossible to find one size fit all, but dependable on the wheel type you’re using. Hence, to figure out what tire size is the best, consider your wheel size first.
2. What are the best Maxxis Tyres?
The Maxxis Ignitor Mountain Bike Tire is my pick of all the time in loose surfaces. It allows me to ride smoothly through such challenging terrains whereas not slowing down the speed. Not to mention to the terrific cornering grip and braking traction. A well-worth choice ever I’ve made!
3. What is TPI in mountain bike tires?
TPI which stands for Threads Per Inch is the carcass of a tire that’s made out of parallel threads, oriented at a 45-degree angle from bead to bead and coated with rubber. If you have no idea of choosing whether a need thread or high thread, kindly consult my Buying Guide section above. It surely helps!
4. How wide are mountain bike tires?
The width range is dependable on the mountain bike type, which I’ve already explained detailly in the Buying Guide section. Take a peek here for more information!
Conclusion
So, I do hope that with this very detailed review of the best mountain bike tires, you can find a bit of help. But on top of that, let figure out your needs and requirements carefully to identify the most suitable. Bike tires might be something that needs to stock regularly that you can make a sound choice, a choice wise will save lots of bucks for your riding investment in long terms. Thanks for reading!
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