Mountain bike tyres can be a confusing topic but never fear Owen Coutts is here to explain everything you need to know about tyres. Owen talks all things terminology and technology related to MTB tyres. Explaining tread patterns, tyre width, sipes, knobs and much much more. Grab your notebook and prepare for a flurry of information you’ll be able to use when buying your next set of tyres, and maybe even impress your mates with your tyre knowledge out on the trail!
⏱ Timestamps ⏱
00:00 – Welcome To A GMBN Tyre Explainer!
01:52 – What Makes The Perfect Tyre?
03:27 – Deep Dive Into Tyre Terms/Technology
03:35 – What Are Tyre Knobs?
04:08 – What Rubber Is Used In MTB Tyres?
05:46 – What Are Tyre Tread Patterns?
07:29 – What Are Tyre Sipes?
08:41 – What Is The Importance Of Tyre Sizing?
09:45 – What Is A Tyre Carcass?
10:49 – What Is A Tyre Bead?
11:00 – What Is Tubeless?
11:39 – What Are Tyre Inserts?
12:15 – What Tyre Is For You?
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37 Comments
What tyre combo are you using at the moment? Let us know in the comments below! 👇
Jesus can't these Brits just throw up a spreadsheet BEFORE they talk for an hour? Quite annoying.
I'm using a Michelin Wild AM2 Competition front and a Michelin Force AM2 Rear. Both 29×2.4. Actually they came stock in my Brazilian version of Swift Duty Evo HT enduro mtb. I'm using tubeless and rim defender and have no complain about all of this setting. But sometimes I felt like I needed more grip. I'm waiting for the need of changing tyres, so I'll put a pair of Michelin Wild Enduro 29×2.4, or maybe a pair of Schwalbe Magic Mary 29×2.6.
Tires. . . TYRES!??!??!?
'Black round and a wee bit knobly" Don't threaten me with a good time.
When my tires wear out, i just buy another barely-ridden marketplace dentist bike for $200.
I fw you heavy
What’s a “tyre?” Is that what I need to search for when looking for “tires” online?
just replaced my bald ikon with an aspen and its so slow
My fav combo to date for single track
27.5x 2.6 IRC Tanken
26×2.4 Panaracer Swoop AT
I do have a 26×2.6 Arrow racing savage (restickered Duro razorback ) to still test and compare
Video missing details about differnt bead types.
my favourite mtb nerd!
Anyone know what jacket Owen is wearing?
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:30)
Does anyone know if a 29×2.5 tire will fit a bike that came with 29×2.6 tires? Im looking for some extreme tires for muddy trails but the ones I want are only 2.5s
This is really very informative! Thank you 👍
I didn’t realize how dangerous taking about tires was, since it seems to necessitate the wearing of a helmet.
Some people say my face looks like a tread pattern. Until now I thought I was the only one
I just recently got new tires for my MTB. Kenda sport nevegal 29 2 20 and they are awesome
Forekaster Master Race checking in…
Carcass, don’t become one. Don’t cheap out on your tires.😝
Thank you for the informative video
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT MY TIRES, SO YOU MALE MONEY ON VIDEOS
HELPS TO BE 15 YEARS OLD WITH ADHD WHICH MAKES YOUR WHOLE LIFE REVOLVE AROUND CHILD'S INTERESTS
I always wear a helmet when I'm talking to friends about tires.
6:32 "if you have a tire with really big lugs, it DOESN'T necessarily offer more grip…but what it can do is offer lots of grip…" HUH?
Well,first off, you spelled it wrong.
T i r e s
I fixed your incorrect spelling.
Amazing intro into the world of tyres! Thanks! ❤
i dont care about speed i want grip. i want to trust my tires to the point i can ride with abandon. i want to lean into turns and know that i wont slip
Mr. Craig Manson here in the comments, inspired me to release a video. Check it out. He’s dead wrong.😂😂😂😂
Riding on Continental Cross Kings 27.5 x 2.6 replaced some very aggressive maxxis tires. I love the Cross Kings. Great grip on every surface so far. Better in the corners and faster on every surface. Win win.
Every thing I need to know about MTB tires is to never again buy Continentals. Over 50 years of road racing, touring on and off pavement and trail riding I’ve never had tires with as much lateral zig zag as these Rubans. With his n her MTBs I’ve got 4 of these cursed tires.
I finesse the truing of the wheels on all bikes in our fleet. Even with circularity and lateral trueness of these rims at 1/4mm (0.010”) or less T.I.R. the Ruban wobble looks like a wheel with a couple spokes missing!! The severity of the wobble varies from tire to tire. They’ve been like this since new and the severity follows the tire when I’ve moved them among the rims.
All other aspects of the Rubans engineering spec seem great – suppleness, low rolling resistance, good tread performance on multiple surface types, etc. But whatever Continental has failed to control in their factory makes these embarrassing when on group rides.
Any time I replace a tube or rotate tires among the rims I spend an inordinate amount of time fussing with trying to get these tires to track less bad. Inevitably, after an hour of fussing there’s still enough tire wobble to look like junk.
These were not inexpensive tires.
What a nerd.
Gmbn is sponsored by Vittoria tires
Thanks Owen ! Winter tread patterns question though ! The peanut butter clay I've got here in winter quickly fills in all free spaces on my dissectors ! I end up carrying a lot of weight along with my tires and with a slicker tire. I'm thinking I might as well put faster tires (let's say rekon) that accumulate less mud and bite just as much in the end. Is it a good way to think about it ?
My tire are Maxxis assegai in front 2.50 and 2.40 rear with 40 mm rim..