On Yer Bike with Oxford Cycling Campaigner Honour Tomkinson

An integral part of any bike is its tyres, it doesn’t work without them and variations of them can drastically change the way they ride.

Not enough consideration is given to the bits of rubber than can make or break the look and performance of your bike that is until they become impaired or you realise they are not up for the job you intended.

Every year somewhere at the beginning of winter I change my choice of regular commuter, it’s not to do with the bike the decision is purely based on the tyres or the bike’s capacity for certain tyres.

In the dry summer months you will see me with thin or slick tyres even on my little off road sections of my commute like port meadow or the Oxford canal.

However the minute that mud appears I’m running knobbly thick mountain bike tyres for my own safety.

Just out walking some of that route last week with the dogs my foot slipped and I ended up staring at the sky thinking to myself “that wouldn’t have happened if I was riding my bike on my big fat tyres” their tread design would have been capable of providing more traction than my feet in this instance essentially keeping me upright not sat in the mud.

You can become obsessed with the size of your tyres, owners of so called “fat bikes” can be seen proudly strutting their obsessions around with not a care in the world amongst snow, gravel, sand and mud. 26 x 4” tyres look completely ridiculous to non-believers but will they end up face down in a pile of mud on their Sunday ride no sir they just bounce on through all terrain.

They will cry at the sight of a puncture however, those big tyres and big inner tubes don’t come cheap most people gawp at the sight of £10 tyres let alone £60 each for any decent mountain bike tyres.

But you do get what you pay for with your rubber, I’m a fan of Schwalbe the German tyre giant who produce the highest selling trekking and touring tyre the “Marathon”.

Worth its weight in gold stick a marathon or even marathon plus on your bike and you won’t be crying at the roadside wondering how a single thorn could ruin your day. Even if you change just one tyre for the winter it could make a difference, if you have off-road sections like me and traction is all important change your front tyre for a wider or knobbier one it will also give some shock absorbency, if you are a speed and weight fanatic change your rear for wider that’s where you have most of your weight.

There is a great joke that asks why did the bicycle come to a stop? Because it was two tyred.

The truth is your bike will stop because of its tired tyres and your choice of them will affect the way you ride, so they are more of a consideration than most people give credit, don’t underestimate the one thing between you and the ground your choice of tyres will determine your comfort and safety this winter.

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