Tyre direction

[Zakalwe]

For some of us, vanity is all we have.

 

[gaz]

Then small knobs or siped treads would be an advantage to grip as they offer more surface area for deformation and more angles to hook up to road imperfection.

Off road on loose surfaces, yes. On the road, no.
The imperfections in the road are so small that the knobs on an off road tyre do no deform into them. Even if they did, the knobs are not rigid, they flex and as such would not give you any benefit for traction.

 

[Cyclist33]

Off road on loose surfaces, yes. On the road, no.
The imperfections in the road are so small that the knobs on an off road tyre do no deform into them. Even if they did, the knobs are not rigid, they flex and as such would not give you any benefit for traction.

1. How would a knob offer improved traction on a loose stone? Surely it would just flick it away? I thought the idea of the knob was that it "bit" through the loose surface to find grip and hard angles to hook onto below.

2. That's arguable, but at any rate the knobs on a semi-slick tyre or eg Kenda Small Block Eight are smaller than most road surface pattern crevices. You must live in a very strange area to have velodrome-smooth roads.

3. Surely if slick tyres deform to produce grip, then knobs that flex would be better than knobs that are rigid, as they too would deform and provide grip?

Stu

 

[gaz]

1. How would a knob offer improved traction on a loose stone? Surely it would just flick it away? I thought the idea of the knob was that it "bit" through the loose surface to find grip and hard angles to hook onto below.

2. That's arguable, but at any rate the knobs on a semi-slick tyre or eg Kenda Small Block Eight are smaller than most road surface pattern crevices. You must live in a very strange area to have velodrome-smooth roads.

3. Surely if slick tyres deform to produce grip, then knobs that flex would be better than knobs that are rigid, as they too would deform and provide grip?

Stu

1. it doesn't, I didn't say it did. I implied as you described in the second part.

2. No. Take a good look at the tarmac. Your tread, serves no purpose and is only put there because the masses are wary of buying slicks.

3. No.

 

[Cyclist33]

1. it doesn't, I didn't say it did. I implied as you described in the second part.

2. No. Take a good look at the tarmac. Your tread, serves no purpose and is only put there because the masses are wary of buying slicks.

3. No.

Fair enough. I'll take my reasoning over your "No" any day of the week.

 

[gaz]

Fair enough. I'll take my reasoning over your "No" any day of the week.

Have a read of these

- http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/slicks.html
- http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

 

[GrasB]

Kenda Small Block Eight only lead to a reduction in grip on normal road which has a texture of chip seal/top dressing or finer. They also only offer better grip on tarmac with more open texture than that if the edges of the surface texture are sharp. Beyond that a low rolling resistance slick grips better. That said, a KSB8 will give better grip on compressed mud & hard packed surfaces such as rolled crush stone of some cannel toe paths, they do this by biting into the surface & making a small divot in the surface for the tread to dig into.

Typically the best gripping tyres are slicks with a very fine pyramid texture to them, however this type of tread only gives meaningful amounts of additional grip in the wet (where every bit of potential surface contact counts) &/or cold (where the texture allows for a little tyre surface deformation when the rubber is very ridged)