Mountain Bike Tires Are Critical To Performance
Fitting the right mountain bike tires to your bike is absolutely fundamental to getting the top performance out of the bike. You could have the greatest, hottest bike in the whole world, but if you tires are not up to it, forget it.
Just stop and think a minute. Your tires are the only point of contact you have with good old mother earth. It's not even the whole tire that makes contact, just that small percentage which actually touches the ground. How well you can corner or quickly stop depends and this small contact area. With this realization, your tire "comfort" will be reflected in how confident you are. You will feel a lot more confident if you know the tires will do the job. Not only will your bicycle be able to perform to the extreme, but so will you.
The technology of mountain bikes is in a constant state of evolution, but the tire technology is changing even faster. Tires are now being made in different sizes and with different and new materials. This has resulted in much more variety when choosing mountain bike tires that are right for you.
The tires are all basically still manufactured from rubber, but the type and grade of rubber differs. This takes into account the different types of surface, with each new surface now capable of being related to a specific rubber grade. All terrain tires, trail tires, and XC tires are typical examples. It is now becoming quite a cult sector and is developing its own unique terminology structure including "brand" names such as: Fast Fatties, Black Chili etc.
The "knobs" on mountain bike tires are designed specially to give the best performance on many surfaces.
Dry terrain tires for example would have low "knobs". The low "knobs" effortlessly break through the loose surface of the soil in order to grab into the hard, steady ground underneath. Muddy terrain calls for high "knobs" on tires. The extra height allows the "knobs" to penetrate deep mud and keep a hold on the hard area beneath.
The profile and spacing of the "knobs" is also very important. First, to prevent mud from packing in, they are spaced sufficiently. Secondly, the "knob" profiles are specifically designed to ensure maximum contact performance when the bike is presented at an angle to the terrain. The profile of all terrain tires are a combination of the best attributes of both wet and dry, put together to offer the best balance. A half way house as it were, but in name only, not in performance.