I've tried searching this but have not found an opinion. Will I be best served with one or the other. I ride probably 97% on road with the occasional gravel road thrown in with my Wee Strom. It seems the bias tires are cheaper and I really don't remember riding on any radicals 'back in the day's. Those fancy things were reserved for the hot sport bikes!
Clare44man
Very few street tires are bias ply today.
There are bias dirt tires.
There are bikes that came from the factory with both bias and radial ply tires!
A bias ply street tire, if you could find one in the right size, would probably be a retro style meant for classic bikes. Its performance on todays roads and bikes might be poor. Mileage might be less than expected. Might not be the value the initial price made them seem to be!
You can buy some cheap radials that will work well. Continental "Conti-motion", some of the Shinko tires, and there are others as well. I would go that route before considering any bias tire for street use.
There are bias dirt tires.
There are bikes that came from the factory with both bias and radial ply tires!
A bias ply street tire, if you could find one in the right size, would probably be a retro style meant for classic bikes. Its performance on todays roads and bikes might be poor. Mileage might be less than expected. Might not be the value the initial price made them seem to be!
You can buy some cheap radials that will work well. Continental "Conti-motion", some of the Shinko tires, and there are others as well. I would go that route before considering any bias tire for street use.
My 2014 Wee came with bias Kenda knobbies, you can buy Shinko 705's in bias or radial. I am going to try the Shinko 712's (bias) on my Wee later this year. My 2010 Vulcan Voyager came with and still has bias tires on it. I'm not sure there is a hard and fast rule about this.
Bias ply tires are best suited for riding where you need a thick stiff sidewall, both for damage protection and load bearing. Off road tires are bias ply to protect the sidewalls, both from external damage and so you can air down the tires and still safely ride without rim damage. Some big cruisers have bias ply tires, especially in the rear, because the stiff sidewall offers a lot of load support for a heavy bike.
If you aren't a dirt rider, one area that certain bias ply tires supposedly have over radials is longevity. Both the Heidenau K60 and the Mitas E07 are 50/50 bias ply tires, and there are lots of reports out there that they have extreme tread life.
If you're looking for an inexpensive tire that is good on the street but stiff safe for things like gravel or fire roads, my experience has been that the Shinko 705 (the radial version) is an ideal choice. I've used them the past couple years, and really like them, plus they're one of the least expensive (if not THE least expensive) adventure tire available.
If you aren't a dirt rider, one area that certain bias ply tires supposedly have over radials is longevity. Both the Heidenau K60 and the Mitas E07 are 50/50 bias ply tires, and there are lots of reports out there that they have extreme tread life.
If you're looking for an inexpensive tire that is good on the street but stiff safe for things like gravel or fire roads, my experience has been that the Shinko 705 (the radial version) is an ideal choice. I've used them the past couple years, and really like them, plus they're one of the least expensive (if not THE least expensive) adventure tire available.
I used to ride on Metzler ME88's bias tires. Got great mileage, 20K rear and 40K miles front, and good handling. It's just that technology has changed so radial has taken over.
Probably for street use it would not make any difference except to the guys that ride like every road is a race track.
Maybe it's all false news and we are forced to buy higher priced stuff that wears out more quickly for the benefit of corporate profit!:surprise:
Probably for street use it would not make any difference except to the guys that ride like every road is a race track.
Maybe it's all false news and we are forced to buy higher priced stuff that wears out more quickly for the benefit of corporate profit!:surprise:
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