So many tire options, so little time. With the wide variety of mountain bike tires available to buy, it can be confusing to know which ones will be best for you, your bike and your riding style. Read on for the most important considerations when picking out the right MTB tires for you.
What to consider when choosing mountain bike tires
Tire width
The width of your mountain bike tires has a big impact on how much grip they have. This is because the wider a tire is, the larger a contact patch it will have with the ground.
Wider tires will have more grip compared to thinner tires assuming everything else about the tire is the same.
Tire widths tend to vary by the type of mountain bike you have and the trails you ride.
Cross country tires will normally range from as small as 2″ or so up to around 2.25″.
Trail bikes, used for a wide variety of riding, have tires that are a bit wider and typically range in width from 2.25″ to 2.5″.
Downhill tires are wider still than those found on most trail bikes, and will usually be around 2.5″ in width, or sometimes even more.
Beyond just providing a larger contact patch with the ground for better grip, wider tires also help to keep you on top of soft surfaces as opposed to sinking in. No tires demonstrate this better than fat tires on fat bikes. They provide a flotation effect on top of softer surfaces like snow or sand.
Tread patterns
Mountain bike tire tread patterns can be very different from one tire to the next.
Bigger knobs are better for more aggressive riding, and are favored most often by riders who do a lot of downhill, enduro and all around trail riding.
Smaller knobs are usually best for cross country tires because they strike a good balance between providing traction on the trail with maintaining efficiency, lower rolling resistance and faster rolling speeds.
Rubber compounds
Different MTB tires use differing rubber compounds, which make a difference in the performance of the tires. Harder rubber compounds tend to last longer and provide superior rolling speed, while softer rubber compounds are a bit grippier usually, but wear out more quickly.
Many mountain bike tires are made with multiple rubber compounds in them, allowing tire manufacturers to optimize the hardness of the rubber for different locations on the tire, such as a harder rubber compound near the center of the tire, while having softer rubber compounds around the outer corners of the tire for more traction while cornering.
Tubes vs tubeless tires
Whether to ride tires with inner tubes or to go with tubeless tires is always something to consider when choosing the right mountain bike tires for you.
Why tubeless
More experienced mountain bikers will often prefer tubeless tires, for a few reasons. First of all, riding tubeless tires eliminates the risk of pinch flats that can happen with tubes.
Pinch flats occur when riding with relatively low tire pressure and the inner tube gets pinched, puncturing it and causing a flat tire. Riders who’ve used inner tubes for any considerable length of time for mountain biking will most likely have experienced this unfortunate situation.
By removing the need for an inner tube, tubeless tire setups allow you to run lower tire pressures, which gives you more traction and also helps to make your ride feel smoother.
Why not tubeless
Some of the downsides of riding a tubeless tire setup include the initial time and effort required to set them up, the potential for messy repair because of the tubeless sealant used in such setups, and the ongoing sealant maintenance required.
Despite some of their inconveniences, many riders still prefer tubeless setup and its ability to run lower tire pressures over having to deal with the inconvenience of a pinch flat mid-ride.
Where you ride
Where you ride and the types of trails you typically ride should play a big role in helping you choose which mountain bike tires are right for you.
If the only trails you ever really ride are quite flat and cross country oriented, thinner, less knobby, firmer tires will probably suit you best.
If you only ride downhill, you should get wide, knobby tires designed to grip into a variety of surfaces.
And if you do a bit of everything, you should still get fairly large, knobby tires, but maybe a little smaller than if you rode only downhill trails. You’ll want to have something that is able to roll efficiently for when you’re riding flatter terrain.
Riding style
How aggressively you ride should also factor into your MTB tire choice. If you ride more aggressively, you’ll generally want to stick to aggressive tires, meaning wider, and with large knobs.
If you take it easy out on the trails, you can get away with less burly tires, and may prefer something like a thinner cross country tire with less rolling resistance.
Wire vs folding bead tires
Both wire and folding bead bike tires can both be good options for your mountain bike. The main thing to remember here is that folding bead tires will normally be much easier to get on and off your wheels. You can get high quality tires with either wire beads or folding beads.
Frequently asked questions
The amount of tread you need and size of knobs you need for your mountain bike tires will vary depending on your riding style and the trails you ride, as well as personal preference. Generally, the more aggressively you ride and more downhill riding you do, the more you’ll need aggressive tread patterns on your tires.
Tubeless tires are preferred by many experienced riders because you can ride with much lower tire pressure, allowing for better grip and a smoother ride. Not everyone prefers tubeless, however, because they do require more work to set up and maintain compared to tires that use inner tubes.
Yes, tubeless tires have built in protection against punctures in the form of their sealant. A small amount of sealant sloshes around inside tubeless tires, and quickly fills any relatively small punctures that occur while you ride. Larger punctures can still result in flats though, but this is quite rare on a tubeless setup.
Conclusion
Choosing mountain bike tires doesn’t have to be complicated, the most important things to keep in mind are the tire width, tread pattern and to set your tires up tubeless or with inner tubes. Make sure you keep your riding style and the trails you frequent top of mind when considering each of these factors.