Putting a back tyre on the front - dicing with death?

[asterix]

OK, first, the word is minuscule and not miniscule. It drives me MAD when people cna't spell the simplest words..

Second, I'd always rather have more tread at the front. OK, so tread has no water displacing function on a bicycle but it does cut to some degree through slimy, rotting leaves and mud .

Third, I like putting new tyres on my bike. It always looks so much better than with the old, tatty, road-stained ones.

 

[jimboalee]

I check my tyres every day mid morning as I walk over to the canteen.
Primarily for puctures ( which unfortunately has occured today, so lunch time job is on ), but also a quick glance at rear tyre wear.

I never swap. When the rear is worn, I replace it.

Also, just in case a tyre gets a bad gash, I keep a store of tyres at home.
Ribble do some quantity deals from time to time.

 

[byegad]

I've been randomly swapping tyres from back to front and vice versa for the last 25 years without any problems!

If a rear tyre is very badly worn then I would think twice before using it on the front - I would just buy a new one, as that is the normal procedure when one tyre wears out - you buy a new one!

I'm sure most of you guys/girls are riding around on bikes worth many many £100s so what's the big deal about spending £10 - £20 on a new tyre that will last years?!? Buy a nice new 'pair' and relax!

I bet you replace inner tubes when they have more than one patch.

The 'Old Guard' never buy anything they don't have to. I used to ride with one guy whose inner tubes were 50% patches. He even used to try to patch a patch of it got a thorn through it. He once melted several patches off the inner tube on a long descent and spent an hour replacing them all before he could ride on.

I'm with you, for the cost of a tyre you avoid p*nct*res (new tyres p*nct*re less often than worn). I want to ride, not repair, and a few pounds extra per year to do that is worth it. I maybe buy an extra tyre every couple of years vis a vis the skinflints.

And YES, I replace my tubes if they have a p*nct*re rather than bother with a repair. It must cost me an average of a tenner a year for tubes and I never have a patch come off 'cos I ain't got none on my tubes.

 

[Mr Pig]

You'll probably know from your own experience that a front-end slide is a lot harder to catch that a back-end one? I know that when my bike dumps me onto the ground it's virtually always front-end first.