Top 5 Biggest Tire & Wheel Mistakes You Shouldn't Make

Summary

The video outlines five common mistakes people make with tubeless mountain bike tires and wheels: running tires at too high or too low pressure rather than the optimal pressure, improper technique installing and removing tires that risks rim damage, failing to protect wheels from corrosion when riding indoor trainers, contaminating brake rotors with oil or grease causing noise, and neglecting to routinely inspect wheels and tires for cracks, corrosion, tire wear at the rim interface or embedded debris that could lead to catastrophic failure while riding.

Takeaways

• 😀 Optimize tire pressure based on testing data, rider weight, tire size etc. Avoid maximizing or minimizing blindly
• 👍 Install tires with valve at top, push bead into center channel, use bead jack not levers to prevent rim damage
• ⚠️ Trainer riding causes corrosion - use a wheel cover, anti-seize, clean regularly or buy a corrosion-resistant trainer
• 🚫 Squeaky disc brakes usually mean contamination - don't let oil/grease touch them and don't bend rotors in travel
• 🔍 Inspect wheels, hubs, spokes, nipples regularly for cracks, corrosion, sidewall wear from rim abrasion
• 😖 Tire levers can damage rims and tires - push bead fully into center channel and use bead jack instead
• ❗Higher tire pressure calculators don't mean higher pressure is better - indicates you need larger tires
• 💦 Sweat causes galvanic corrosion between wheel components - wash regularly after indoor riding
• 🔧 Grease on rotor bolts contaminates pads - use anti-seize on hub threads only
• 👀 Check for embedded debris in tires that could cause flats

Q & A

What is the optimal tire pressure and why is it important?

The optimal tire pressure is not the maximum pressure listed on the tire sidewall. It's an optimized pressure that balances speed, comfort and safety. Running too high pressure can be unsafe and uncomfortable. An optimized pressure is found through testing different pressures to find the 'sweet spot'.

What is the best practice for installing tubeless tires?

Have the valve stem at the 11 or 1 o'clock position near the top of the wheel. This allows you to push the first section of bead into the center channel. Work the bead into the channel all the way around before trying to get the last bit over the rim bead. Use a bead jack rather than tire levers to prevent rim damage.

Why is indoor trainer riding hard on wheels?

The sweat from indoor riding in a stationary place causes corrosion between the wheel components. The salt, ammonia and humidity accelerate galvanic corrosion between the carbon, aluminum, steel and brass components.

What causes brake rotor squealing and how can you prevent it?

Oils or greases contaminating the brake pads causes squealing. Don't use aerosol lubes near rotors. Don't touch rotors with bare hands. Use anti-seize rather than grease on rotor bolts.

How can you prevent brake rotor damage when traveling?

Remove rotors and pack carefully to prevent bending. The overhung design means side loads can easily bend them.

What are 5 key things to inspect on wheels?

1. Hub for cracks 2. Spokes at nipples 3. Nipples to rim 4. Tire bead interface with rim 5. Tire tread and casing

Why measure tire width instead of relying on labeled size?

The actual measured width on a wheel can be quite different from the labeled size. This significantly impacts tire stiffness and optimal pressure.

Why not just lower pressure if calculators recommend too high?

A pressure recommendation above rim or tire limits indicates you need a wider tire for best performance.

What can happen if you don't inspect wheels regularly?

Unnoticed cracks or corrosion can lead to sudden spoke, nipple or rim failures, causing crashes. Abraded sidewalls can fail catastrophically.

What is the purpose of the center channel on tubeless rims?

The center channel aids tire installation and removal by allowing the bead to be pushed into a larger radius section, providing slack when needing to pop the last bit of bead over the edge.