When it comes to cycling and cycle maintenance, a question we get asked frequently is: does the bike tyre tread direction matter? We wanted to answer this question and provide a little bit more information on the topic of the tyre tread direction of your bicycle.
Does Bike Tyre Tread Direction Matter?
The rotational direction of a bicycle tyre tread does matter, but only on mountain bikes and gravel bike tyres when used off road. The reason for this is that the tyres have tread to help direction and grip of the surface.
What If My Bike Tyre Doesn’t Have a Deep Tread?
When buying a bike you may notice that some tyres don’t have much of a deep tread at all, in some cases simply just a pattern. These tyres are typically used on tarmac meaning that the rotational direction doesn’t really matter.
What Should My Bike Tyre Tread Direction Be?
In some cases, your road or hybrid bike tyre may have a rotational direction. If it does, you should obey it for the following reasons:
- It shows that you have bothered to check, this demonstrates attention to detail. This is particularly important if you are fitting the bicycle tyre for someone else.
- It is more aesthetically pleasing. Often, the tyre tread pattern will have chevrons or arrow shapes. These shape details look more aerodynamic when facing forward.
- It will stop people coming up to you and telling you your bike tyre tread direction is the wrong way around.
Overview
The bottom line is, rotational direction isn’t particularly important nor is it always a cycling essential when it comes to road bikes and hybrid bikes. We hope this article has helped to answer some of your frequently asked questions, please visit our YouTube to learn more. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any other questions.
No, thankfully it does not matter very much at all if your bike tyre tread is backwards.
The best way to identify which way the tyre should be is via the tread pattern, often this will have chevrons or arrow shapes. These shape details look more aerodynamic when facing forward. You can use these to work out the direction your tyres should be facing.
Some tyres don’t have much of a tread at all, in some cases simply just a pattern. These tyres are typically used on tarmac meaning that the rotational direction doesn’t really matter.