Bicycle Hybrid Tyre Guide
Hybrid Tyres Explained
Hybrid tyres are designed to be ridden on a variety of environments. Whether you are riding to work, out and out with the family or just out for a leisure ride. Maxxis’ range of hybrid tyres offer something for everyone.
But how do you know what tyre is best for you? Below is a simple breakdown of what you should look when buying your new tyres, to help you make the best decision…
Bead
The bead of the tyre is ultimately what ensures your tyre does not come off the rim whilst riding. The bead will clinch into the rim, ensuring the tyre stays on your rim. It does this by sitting in the recess of your rim that the wheel manufacture will have already produced.
At Maxxis we make two tyres of beads for all our hybrid tyres. These are
- Wired – A wired bead means that the tyre will be fixed in its size and shape.
- Foldable – A folding bead allows the tyre to fold, thus meaning it can be packaged up smaller than a wired tyre. A folding bead will also be lighter than a wired tyre in overall weight.
TPI
TPI or Threads Per Inch is another way of referring to the carcass of the tyre. The carcass is ultimately what gives the tyre its strength, shape and to a small degree the weight of the tyre. And here is why…
The carcass is what the rubber of the tyre sticks to. With a lower TPI rating, the weave is more open, and thus allows more rubber to stick to the carcass. And so the opposite is true of our highest 120 TPI. It has a tight weave so less rubber is caught in the carcass. Meaning you get a light weight, high performance tyre that conforms to the changes in the environment better.
Compound
The compound or rubber of your Maxxis tyres differs depending on the type of use the tyre iintend for.
Our different compounds consist of…
- Single – The same single compound is used throughout the whole manufacturing process to produce a tyre that stays consistent no matter what of condition you ride in.
- Dual compound – Maxxis produces your tyre with two different types of rubber compound. Meaning that the center tread will made using one type of compound, and the shoulders (edges) of your tyre will have a different compound. This gives you a tyre that rolls fast when going in a straight line, and when you lean to turn around corners, the shoulder offers grip and stability.
Size
Picking the right size tyre is mostly determined by what clearance you have on your bike frame. Maxxis offers a choice of Hybrid tyres, varying in size from 20x1.15 for folding bikes through to 700x42c. Typically, the width of the tyre is true to the measurement written on the side of the tyre. But changing width of rim diameter, will have an effect on just how wide or narrow your tyre conforms to.
Tyre Pressure
All of our tyres have a recommended minimum and maximum tyre pressure embossed on the side. These recommended minimums and maximum are there for your safety, and we strongly advise that you do not go under or over these pressure. Finding your right tyre pressure can take a little bit of time to get right, but we recommend starting off somewhere near the maximum and letting out 5-10 psi until you feel comfortable.
It is also worth remembering to check your tyre pressures before every ride. As air will escape over time, just like helium balloons do over time.
Types of tyre
Maxxis produces two different types of hybrid tyres, which although look the same once on the rim and attach in the same way. Are designed for different types of usage.
How do you know the difference?
- Clincher tyres – They have a bead that allows the tyre to clinch to the rim of your wheel. These types of tyres require either an inner tube or tubeless sealant to keep the air pressure contained within the tyre.
- E-Bike Tyres – These tyres are still based on the standard clincher tyres that we offer throughout the rest of our Hybrid range. But they are tested and conform to meet EU standards set for e-bikes travelling up to 50kph.
Tread Pattern
A slick tyre is one which is completely smooth, and is generally classed as a dry weather tyre. Grooved tyres will have spies that help water dispersion in damp and wet conditions, and grooved tyres that have large knobs on the shoulder, provide better traction when riding a mixture of terrain that involves such off road environments such as canal paths and parks.
