Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

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lettersquash
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Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by lettersquash »

Hi, I got some cheapo Halfords tyres. Two questions:
1. There's no direction indicator on them - what would your recommendation be, or are they so badly designed it really doesn't matter? I realise that's going to be a minefield to describe, so let's say this is looking down on the top of the tyre as installed - should this top rotate left towards the pointy bit of the heart shape, or right towards the loopy bit? I'm thinking to the right is more likely to send water to the outside away from the tyre (loopy bit contacting first).
2. They say 40 PSI max, which seems very low from general advice about tyre pressures. Would you push that or not? What pressure would you put them at?
20220705_122659.jpg
Of course, feel free to advise me to take the garbage back and buy something better. :lol:

Cheers,
John
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Paulatic
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by Paulatic »

I’d run those tyres moving to the right so that water is pushed out of the groove to the outside of the tyre. In reality though I’ll bet it doesn’t matter :D
If it says max 40psi I’d stick to that and assume the manufacturer has more knowledge of their product than I do.
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simonineaston
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by simonineaston »

My view would be that they can be installed any which way and that the 40psi moulded into the side-wall is likely to be the company's lawyers very conservative interpretation of the safe max. pressure. However, my main concern with a tyre like these would be the material and their ability to maintain grip, esp. in the wet, or over ironworks.
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pwa
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by pwa »

Paulatic wrote: 5 Jul 2022, 12:46pm I’d run those tyres moving to the right so that water is pushed out of the groove to the outside of the tyre. In reality though I’ll bet it doesn’t matter :D
If it says max 40psi I’d stick to that and assume the manufacturer has more knowledge of their product than I do.
+1
To the right. But I bet it makes next to no difference.
rareposter
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by rareposter »

To the right
-------------->

That way as you look from the top of the pic you posted.
They're Tioga City Slicker copies.

Pressure - yes they look fairly chunky and I'd assume they've been thoroughly tested so I'd abide by the advice.
rotavator
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by rotavator »

I wouldn't use a higher pressure than 40 psi. Unless you only cycle on smooth tarmac, softer tyres mean more comfort so you can ride for longer or a bit faster with less aches and pains.

At the othe end of the pressure range, if you start getting pinch punctures then the pressure is probably too low or your tyres are not appropriate for the road/ground conditions.
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chris_suffolk
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by chris_suffolk »

What size are they?

My 25mm tyres (max I can fit on the road bike) run at 80 front, 100 rear. Any less than that an I get pinch flats. So I assume they are quite a lot wider than that.

My tyres are WAY smoother than those, and still have direction markers. Can it depend upon the lay up of the casing, or the direction of the threads?
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531colin
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by 531colin »

Has anybody ever found it makes any difference at all which way you mount tyres which DO have "direction arrows"?
I have never found any difference at all; I suspect that (like "dropped seatstays" and a lot of bicycle "design") the feature is there just to make you think somebody has thought about it.
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chris_suffolk
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by chris_suffolk »

531colin wrote: 5 Jul 2022, 2:23pm Has anybody ever found it makes any difference at all which way you mount tyres which DO have "direction arrows"?
I have never found any difference at all; I suspect that (like "dropped seatstays" and a lot of bicycle "design") the feature is there just to make you think somebody has thought about it.
I once read that some people intentionally mount tyres the wrong way round, as it improves braking performance. Not sure if there's any truth in it.
Last edited by chris_suffolk on 5 Jul 2022, 3:35pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jamesh
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by Jamesh »

What size are they and what weight are you?

Without which we cannot say what the best pressure would be...

Cheers James
bgnukem
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by bgnukem »

531colin wrote: 5 Jul 2022, 2:23pm Has anybody ever found it makes any difference at all which way you mount tyres which DO have "direction arrows"?
I have never found any difference at all; I suspect that (like "dropped seatstays" and a lot of bicycle "design") the feature is there just to make you think somebody has thought about it.
Think it might make a difference for knobblies off road. I remember Panracer used to make different front and rear tread patterns and I can image that on soft surfaces the knobbles or patterns of knobbles might be optimised directionally, e.g. for drive at the rear tyre, or lateral grip at the front.

For road use I've never noticed any difference, and sometimes I rotate tyres side to side on the rims to even out the offset wear pattern caused by road camber. Certainly bikes don't go fast enough for water clearance / aquaplaning to be an issue, unlike car tyres.
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by rjb »

Some knobblies have a rotation arrow which is opposite for front or back. :lol:
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lettersquash
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by lettersquash »

chris_suffolk wrote: 5 Jul 2022, 1:40pm What size are they?

My 25mm tyres (max I can fit on the road bike) run at 80 front, 100 rear. Any less than that an I get pinch flats. So I assume they are quite a lot wider than that.

My tyres are WAY smoother than those, and still have direction markers. Can it depend upon the lay up of the casing, or the direction of the threads?
Sorry I forgot to say, 26" x 1.50". And I've just realised when I looked at these online they had a different tread pattern. I'm getting a bit fed up having to return tyres! The tread on these online are what I expected, and they look much better at shifting the water. https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-p ... 77894.html
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lettersquash
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by lettersquash »

Jamesh wrote: 5 Jul 2022, 3:17pm What size are they and what weight are you?

Without which we cannot say what the best pressure would be...

Cheers James
Ah yes, I forgot that too - 59 kg. See above for tyre size. Thanks for all the replies, by the way.
pwa
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Re: Tyres without direction indicators - which way round? And 40 PSI max?!

Post by pwa »

lettersquash wrote: 5 Jul 2022, 5:11pm
Jamesh wrote: 5 Jul 2022, 3:17pm What size are they and what weight are you?

Without which we cannot say what the best pressure would be...

Cheers James
Ah yes, I forgot that too - 59 kg. See above for tyre size. Thanks for all the replies, by the way.
40psi may well be enough in that case.
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