Tread..............needed?

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Panter

Just call me Chris...
As title really.

My new SCR3 has tyres which are basically slicks. There's a kind of token tread pattern at the edge of the tyre but nothing at all in the centre.

As an MTB'r I'm used to seeing a couple of inches of lumps and bumps snagging the asphalt, this smooth rubber is a bit disconcerting to say the least.

IIRC, the tread on car tyres is designed to channel the water from the road and kind of clear a path for itself through the water. Is it the case that roadie tyres are so thin they cut through the surface film anway?
 

Tim Bennet.

Entirely Average Member
Location
S of Kendal
If the surface you are riding on is soft enough for any tyre knobbles to make an impression, (off road / tow paths / etc) then grip will help. But on tarmac, grip is dependent on the contact patch size and the 'grippiness' of the tyre compound. Any tread on the tyre effectively reduces the amount of tyre that's actually in contact. So a big chunky mtb tyre may actually have less rubber in contact with the road than a 23c slick. And the knobbles can be very unstable when cornering at speed as well.

You are right about the water clearance. A bike tyre is narrow enough to displace the water without any channels. Apparently aquaplaning is not an issue with a bike until about 180mph.
 

Elmer Fudd

Miserable Old Bar Steward
I'd go with the cut through theory Panter, I mean a car tyre has a lot more surface contact point so needs to shift the water out of the way , whereas a cycle tyre is like a hot knife through butter and will just displace the water.

Don't know what happens when you're doing 70mph+ tho' !!
 

Smokin Joe

Legendary Member
The tread on a bike tyre is for show only and serves no purpose, other than to reassure car drivers who associate tread with wet weather grip. As Elmer and Tim say, a bike tyre is narrow enough to shift the water on it's own.
 

Top Cat

New Member
So what tryes should I use on my bike when travelling in excess of 180mph to avoid aquaplaning???????

TC
 
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Panter

Panter

Just call me Chris...
Superb link, thans for that John :biggrin:
 

cyclebum

Senior Member
Location
Cheshire
I have to say panter, this is not the first thread that you have started that i have wanted to ask myself. Many thanks for this and previous ones as they have saved the pressure to my fingrnails, as all I have to do is read and move on to the next :biggrin:
 

Elmer Fudd

Miserable Old Bar Steward
cyclebum said:
( I have to say panter, this is not the first thread that you have started that i have wanted to ask myself. Many thanks for this and previous ones as they have saved the pressure to my fingrnails, as all I have to do is read and move on to the next :biggrin: )
And stops bonj digging at you ? :biggrin: :biggrin:
 
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OP
Panter

Panter

Just call me Chris...
cyclebum said:
I have to say panter, this is not the first thread that you have started that i have wanted to ask myself. Many thanks for this and previous ones as they have saved the pressure to my fingrnails, as all I have to do is read and move on to the next :biggrin:

Its a pleasure :biggrin:


Believe me, there's plenty more, I just haven't encountered them yet :biggrin:
 
I remember Mike Burrows waffling-on on this very subject years ago, he pointed out that if a bike has 100psi in its tyres then the contact point with the road is exactly 100psi. Water doesnt stand a chance in such an environment. There may be a reduction in grip due to water lubricating the contact point but no aquaplaning. Car tyres run at lower pressures, have a much wider contact area and run at much greater speeds.
 

bonj2

Guest
mickle said:
I remember Mike Burrows waffling-on on this very subject years ago, he pointed out that if a bike has 100psi in its tyres then the contact point with the road is exactly 100psi.

How can the contact point by anything psi. The contact point is a measure of area not pressure.
 
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