Hello from Southampton UK

[lifecycle]

Hi everyone. I am from Southampton (well, someone has to be!) and just joined today.
My main reason is to pick your brains and then next year I will be starting to ride a bike again after about 25 years. ATM I am doing a mountain bike up for my grandson and just need a little advice regarding tyres. I have purchased 2 new semi slick mountain bike tyres and want to know if there is a certain way round they should be fitted. I can't just follow the original tyres as there aren't any, lol. There is a distinctive 'arrow' tread in the centre do I, have the arrow head pointing forward, back or doesn't it matter? Is this a daft question? I don't know. That's it for now. Speak again later and thanks in advance. ATB Rick

 

[SquareDaff]

All the tyres I've ever fitted have a "Rotation" arrow on one sidewall or the other. Have a look and see if one exists on the tyres you're trying to fit.

 

[SquareDaff]

And

 

[numbnuts]

Hi & to CC

 

[ianrauk]

HI & Welcome to Cycle Chat.

Let the master of all things Cycling Mr Sheldon Brown help you out with tyre tread direction

Tread Directionality

Some tires have an asymmetrical tread, for instance "V" shaped tread blocks that could be oriented with the point of the "V" facing forward > or backward <. The question then arises, which way should they face?
Road Applications

With tires for road use, it really doesn't matter, since tire tread patterns serve no function on hard surfaces.
Tires with "V" patterns are common for motorcycles, and are generally installed so that the point of the "V" hits the road first. This is to help "squirt" the water out ahead of and to the side of the tire contact patch, as a protection against hydroplaning . Since hydroplaning is impossible on a bicycle, there's no need to observe this custom.
Off-road Applications

For off-road use in soft surfaces, there may be some merit in paying attention to the tread orientation, though this is far from certain.
Ideally, you would like the front tire to offer maximum traction in the braking direction, while the rear tire would normally be oriented to produce maximum traction for drive forces. Thus, if a particular tread pattern is perceived to have better traction in one direction than the other, it should be facing one way if used on the front wheel, and the opposite way if used on the rear wheel.

 

[lifecycle]

Thanks for your welcomes and the advice. Much appreciated.

 

[Blue]

 

[Riverman]

Hello and welcome from a fellow Southampton cyclechat member. Have fun.