My rear tire tread is pretty much worn out.
I only use this bicycle for commuting—about 6 miles every day—and my budget is tight, so I want to minimize spending on it as much as possible. As long as it works, that’s good enough for me.
Can I just replace the rear tire, or do I need to change both the front and rear tires at the same time?
by BagRoutine4826
22 Comments
Swap front to rear, and buy a new rear
I’d say for commuting buy a new rear with slicker tread
Get some big apples or super motos if you’re not riding trails.
They’re fine. Bike tires only need changing when you start to see the mesh underneath the rubber. There’s plenty of commuting miles left on these. Racing, however is a different matter.
New bike, only solution
Glue some sand on that patch and you’re good.
Friend, slight gripe. Don’t downplay commuting.
The people who consistently put on the most miles on a bike in north America year over year on average are commuters. Not roadies, not gravel competitors, not MTB downhill racers, not randonneurs, **commuters.**
And due to that, you owe yourself good quality commuting tires. I like Panaracers T-Serves. But there’s no shortage of good options. I would stay away from “extreme” puncture resistance like Conti tour-guard plus and the like. I just hate how they ride.
Thanks for attending my bike tEd talk
I’m guessing these are stock tires on an e bike. Cheap e-bikes come with really bad tires that wear quickly. You can get a replacement for the rear for $30-$75. And the $75 end will be longer lasting if you look for something advertised as such. No need to change both. If it was me I would rotate the front to rear and get a new front. Wear out the rear again and then replace with a better tire.
Yeah ofc but when I get to that stage I always love just ripping skids with the tyre pressure maxed out until that satisfying bang
https://preview.redd.it/dpnxjp62l03f1.jpeg?width=360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc0754400a2097041c3debd6bae5093a9ba3479c
I wouldn’t bother man 🧍♂️
Since you’re considering new tires and on a budget, I suggest getting slicker (not knobby) tires from Sunlite if they have the right size for your rims. Kenda has a couple of options as well but Sunlite has more slick tires which is much better on pavement and roads. Fincci is another good brand.
I can’t tell if your tires are 700c, 27.5″, or 26″.
If you can’t afford new tires, I think for some time you’ll be okay having the back tire swapped for the front. Be aware that the worn out tire is more likely to get punctured. If you see wires, replace immediately. Ideally they should be replaced before you see wires.
Just write Aspen ST on the sidewall, and you’ll be fine.
Change only the back. I find it convenient to buy 3 tyres and change the rear mid life of the front.
You probably want to rotate them once you see a difference in wear so they wear evenly and last longer
Nah, it the balding makes the ride smoother
Like last month!
100%
Bruh
I would
Gonna need to replace it eventually, and the bike is going to ride better if you put better tires on, so you might as well deal with it while you’re thinking about it and can take your time sourcing a cost effective and good-quality replacement, rather than waiting for it to fail on you and having to buy whatever the nearest bike shop has in stock, and pay whatever they charge to install it.
If you are riding on pavement most of the time, do not get another knobby tire, get something slick – it’ll last a lot longer and perform far better for you. It’s worth spending up a little bit on tires when you inevitably have to replace them, an extra $10-20 up front will buy you a tire which resists punctures much better and lasts a lot longer.
All that said – if you’re not riding particularly fast or hard, you can in fact keep pushing this a while longer.
People like to fearmonger about “catastrophic blowouts” but that really only happens if you are riding fast and cornering hard when you get a large puncture in the tire – if those stars don’t align a punctured tire isn’t a big deal. I’ve had dozens of flats while riding, even at fairly high speeds, and every single one of them has gone exactly like this: *Hisss* -> “Dang it” -> roll calmly to a stop -> walk to nearest bike shop.
I even intentionally skid through worn-out tires sometimes just to ‘give them an honorable death’, and I’m riding higher pressure tires at higher speeds than you are, so don’t stress about it too much.
That first picture is called a semi slick tire.
I bought brand new tires that looked like that in the past on purpose for a rear tire.
The front looks decent enough to keep using.