Check the pressure
- Measure with a reliable gauge, when the tyres are cold: before riding, or after the bike has stood for a few hours.
- Use the values in the owner’s manual or on the label on the bike, front and rear separately, and the values for the load you carry.
- Check at least every couple of weeks and before every long ride. Tyres lose pressure slowly, even without a puncture.
- Too low a pressure makes the bike feel heavy and unstable, and wears and heats the tyre. Too high reduces the contact patch.
Look at the tread and the sides
- Check the wear indicators in the grooves. The legal minimum depth differs by country, and many riders replace tyres well before it, especially for wet riding.
- Look for uneven wear, flat spots, cracks, cuts, bulges and objects stuck in the tread.
- A tyre that wears faster at the centre or at the edges can point to pressure or riding style, so adjust and watch it.
Know the age
The sidewall has a DOT code that ends with four digits: the week and year of manufacture. Rubber hardens with age even if the tyre looks fine. Many manufacturers recommend replacing tyres after about five to six years, so check what yours says.
Break new tyres in
New tyres can have a slippery surface at first. Ride gently, avoid hard leaning and braking for the first stretch, as the tyre maker recommends, and then build up your pace.
If you get a puncture
- Stop in a safe place and do not ride on a flat tyre.
- A repair kit is a temporary fix to get you to a workshop. Have the tyre inspected, and replaced if needed, before you carry on riding normally.
Pressures, tyre sizes and replacement intervals depend on the bike and the tyre. The owner’s manual and the tyre maker are the final word.