Tan Road Tire

As road bike tires age, they will become thinner and more prone to flats. Look for signs of wear such as a flattened top, reduced tread, visible casing threads, or cuts. Many road tires utilize a tread wear indicator (TWI) a small indentation in the tire that shows how much tread can be safely worn away.

It depends. If you are lucky, a good endurance road tire can last upwards of 2000-3000 miles. On the other hand, some race-specific tires designed for high performance may only last for 600-800 miles. Tire life depends a lot on the type of pavement you ride, the weather, and if you manage to avoid punctures. A couple of our favorite tires for longevity are the S-Works Mondo and the Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS.

Modern tubeless road tires offer the highest level of performance and puncture protection. If you ride in an area with rough roads, occasional gravel, broken glass, or thorns, tubeless is certainly the way to go. Check out our full article to learn of tubeless is for you.

The optimal tire pressure depends on your weight and whether you are using tubed or tubeless tires. Most tires have a label with the recommended range of inflation for best results, you should inflate to somewhere in the middle of that range and not to the top or lower ends of it. Silca provides an excellent pressure calculator for finding your perfect level. Most advanced cyclists inflate their tires before every ride to ensure consistent performance and reliability.

On an older road bike with rim brakes, the brake calipers may be the limiting factor. Most older road bikes max out at between 25 and 28mm of tire clearance.

Many modern disc brake road bikes have clearance for up to 32mm tires. While this is relatively narrow for gravel, a 32mm tire with some tread will allow you to tackle light gravel roads without needing a dedicated gravel bike.

700c and 29" tires are technically the same diameter; however, mountain rims are much wider than road rims this will most-likely result in a fitment issue if you try to run skinny road tires on wide mountain rims. If you are looking to ride your mountain bike on pavement, consider a wide 29" tire with minimal tread.

Many road bike tires are designed with directional tread. If this is the case, tires usually have an arrow on the sidewall that indicates the direction of the rotation. Fully slick tires without tread can often be mounted in either direction.