Some mountain bike enthusiasts live for the thrill of riding their bikes over rough terrain while others prefer well-worn trails and paved roads. Just as the type of mountain bike will vary for each biker, the tires will be different, too. This article discusses the different types of tires so you can choose the correct tires for your bike.

The first determination you must make is what kind of mountain bike riding you’ll be doing. This decision will not only point you to the right mountain bike, but to the right tires, too. You may get lucky and purchase a bike with the correct tires for your needs. If you like riding over rough, uneven ground, your bike tires will need to be wide and heavy to handle rough ground. Your tires should also have high friction for this type of riding.

On the other hand if you will be riding on pavement and paths, then you will want narrow, smooth tires. Even though your tires will need to have some friction, you will want to stay away from high friction tires because they will cause you to lose speed.

There are special tires available to handle different weather conditions such as wet or muddy surfaces. If you plan to ride downhill and/or free ride, you will need the heavier tire built just for this purpose.

There are four well-known mountain bike tire manufacturers who offer a wide range of tires for every biker’s need.

• Kenda
• Hutchinson
• Maxxis
• Continental

Kenda

Kenda’s history of making bike tires began in March, 1962. Kenda has a headquarters in the United States and Japan, with manufacturing based in Japan. Kenda began with 50 employees. Kenda tires are found on the BMX, ATB, Juvenile, Road, and Comfort mountain bikes.

Hutchinson

In 1890, Hiram Hutchinson started a factory in Langlee near Montargis, France making bicyle tires. In 2006-2007, Hutchinson launched the first road tubeless tire and the first MTB tubeless-ready tire.

Maxxis

Maxxis has been manufacturing bicycle tires for over 40 years. They manufacture tires for road, cyclocross, BMX, and mountain biking.

Continental

Continental was founded in Hanover, Germany in 1871. They produced products from soft rubber and sold tires for bicycles and carriages. They now provide tires for downhill/free ride, xc/marathon, cross country, specialist and classic range.

Remember that in choosing your mountain bike and tires, you must first decide what kind of riding you will do. A local bike dealer can answer any questions you may have about the kind of bike and tires to purchase. If you like a variety of mountain biking, you could purchase different sets of tires for different kinds of riding.