Anybody Rotate Their Tires?

[The duke]

After 6 months of ownership, I'm getting close to 1,500 miles in my first ebike. I looked closely at my tread for the first time the other day and realized that while my front tire still looks almost brand new, my rear tire looks like the nubs are more than 50% worn away.

My first thought is if I should rotate the tires. That might be more work than it's worth, considering a new Schwalbe would probably only cost $50, and my tires are filled with messy sealant and will probably be a pain to take off.

Does anyone here rotate? If I simply bought a new tire, I was thinking of going fatter....from a 27.5x2.8 plus size up to a 27.5x3.25 - more of a fat tire. I'm just curious about how it will look and if it will add any traction. Will I run into any problems running two different sized tires? Thanks EBR brain trust!

 

[Browneye]

I'm pretty new too, but riding motorized and pedal-ized 2-wheels for over fifty years.
If you want to get even wear you'll have to swap front to back.
Mine have tubes and would take mere minutes - switched them out when new, took the gravel tires off and put road tires on.

As far as size, measure your chain-stay and fork clearance width to judge fitment of a wider tire. You're basically adding a quarter inch on each side - do you have that much extra clearance from your 2.8's?

That's already a really wide tire - why do you think you want wider yet? Will not add traction. Why do you think you are short of traction?

 

[The duke]

I'm pretty new too, but riding motorized and pedal-ized 2-wheels for over fifty years.
If you want to get even wear you'll have to swap front to back.
Mine have tubes and would take mere minutes - switched them out when new, took the gravel tires off and put road tires on.

As far as size, measure your chain-stay and fork clearance width to judge fitment of a wider tire. You're basically adding a quarter inch on each side - do you have that much extra clearance from your 2.8's?

That's already a really wide tire - why do you think you want wider yet? Will not add traction. Why do you think you are short of traction?

I come from the 29x2" tire days. I was flabbergasted by how grippy a plus tire was. I'm not lacking for anything, but was just curious if i could get even more traction. And I dont knownhow much room I've got....hopefully there's a YouTube video out there that will teach me how to determine.

 

[indianajo]

Bikes don't wear the left or right unevenly due to toe-in camber or excess right turns. I see no reason to rotate. My rear wears out about twice as fast as the front.

 

[tomjasz]

Bikes don't wear the left or right unevenly due to toe-in camber or excess right turns. I see no reason to rotate. My rear wears out about twice as fast as the front.

I do rotate for the reason you don’t. Tires have date codes. I like replacing both at the same time.

 

[The duke]

I do rotate for the reason you don’t. Tires have date codes. I like replacing both at the same time.

Really? Do they expire like milk? Is it within a time frame short enough to be of concern to the rider who will burn thru a tire, front or back, within 2 years?

 

[indianajo]

I blew a 10 year old tire 2018 summer from a flea market bike. So that is too long. Cord split. I ride 2000 miles a year so the front will wear out in 3-4 years if I don't rotate it. I don't see a problem with tires under 5 years old.

 

[6zfshdb]

I don't rotate because I don't want a worn tire on the front. The rear wheel provides forward motion but most of the braking is done by the front. IMO, front traction is more important than rear.

For the type of riding I do, I generally wear out two rear tires before the front needs replacing. When I buy a set of tires, I usually buy 3. That way, I don't have to worry about matching a tire when replacing.

 

[Browneye]

8 years is about max life for tires - car and truck tires have a DOT date code. Rubber has a limited lifetime before it cracks and crumbles. If you're burning through them in a couple of years no worries.
I'll take perfectly good tires off, even new ones, for something else I like better. Bike tires are so cheap it like a fancy lunch. Get what you like!!

I haven't tried the tubeless thing yet, but it's intriguing. They're popular on motorcycles cuz you can just plug a hole and air up to get you to home or to a shop where a repair or replacement is much easier. I guess the slime process even does that for you on the bikes.

Granted I don't ride nearly as much as some, but in all the bike outings I can remember going back thirty years with the wife, I don't recall fixing a flat on the side of the road. I carry a spare tube for each tire size, a patch kit, pump, and tools - but they just never get used.

 

[drewberz]

Tradition is to rotate the old front to the back when you replace an old rear tire. Idea being you want your front wheel/tire to have the best traction because it is for steering.

Like indianajo there aren't any particular wear patterns I've noticed with tires other than the rear wearing 2x as fast as the front.

 

[tomjasz]

Really? Do they expire like milk? Is it within a time frame short enough to be of concern to the rider who will burn thru a tire, front or back, within 2 years?

Tires can sit on the shelf and be stored in less than optimal conditions. Important for bikes? At 12-15MPH, meh, why worry. But now we're running at moped and scooter speeds often over 28MPH. At which point, IMO, the rules change. An old tire could be an accident waiting to happen. As always, YMMV, but my old head isn't up for the abuse I gave it as a 20 year old.

From Schwalbe warranty pages,

"Required: The production code is stamped in white ink on the inside of the tire comprised of 5 numbers, one letter then 2 numbers. (Sample: 23107X12) This is NOT the barcode number."

Nokian/Suomi tyres.

 

[tomjasz]

An interesting disclaimer...

"The use of any brand other than SCHWALBE's "self-sealing" products may over time degrade the interior wall of tires, especially non-tubeless tires, resulting in a blistering of the tread and surface layer on the exterior of the tire. This is not a manufacturing defect but the result of an incompatibility of the sealant with the rubber compound and therefore not considered a warranty issue."

 

[Browneye]

Also, tires rated for 'tubeless' use have a non-porous lining. A tube-type tire may or may not hold air by itself.
I don't know about bicycle tires, but a tubeless-rated motorcycle tire also has a different bead that seals better.

And yes, at sidewalk speeds a blow-out might mean grinding to a halt. At 25-28mph might well toss you off the bike.

We've never bothered with helmets...well, we did in the past then got tired of futzing with them and quit wearing them after the kids grew up and left. But now at these speeds a fall from seat-height to pavement at 25 could well cause a fatal head injury. So we got pretty and nice new ones with MIPS.

I landed on my head so many times crashing motorcycles that one more time is well liable to put me in a wheelchair. I cracked a Shoei racing helmet on one of them. And why I'm still way leery of EMTB's. I would be a natural on one. A natural crashing victim.

Haibike Allmtn is on sale for black friday.