mixing tires

Brothrmark said:

[font=Verdana]i was swapping back tires, putting an older one on for trainer use, and began to wondering if anyone here mixes tire brands/models on the front and back wheels for racing or general training. specifically, is there a benefit, lets say, on having a harder compound tire on the back and a softer compound on the front? i see many pro's who mix wheels, but never thought about tires.[/font]

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[font=Verdana]on an unrelated note, i'd like to pass my condolences on to boudreaux's family. this news really saddened me, and this will be a sad holiday for them.[/font]

[font=Verdana]also, i felt the news video footage was particularly mawkish. i just hate it when local news channels try to make someone's death seem "dramatic". irksome is a weak adjective here, but it's irksome that to them its just twenty seconds of filler to use before the sports report or a commercial for "tex and edna boyle's prarie warehouse and curio emporium"[/font]

[font=Verdana]my thoughts and prayers are with them[/font]

[font=Verdana][brother]mark[/font]

Tires are very important.
I do mix tires. I'm 157 lbs ...... not too heavey, so I'll occationally put a 20C tire on the front(never on the rear... too narrow). Typically, though I'll have a 23C or 25C on the rear(I have narrow rims for the 23C, and wider rims for the 25C) , and a 23C on the front. Currently, I have a 23C Specialized Armadillo tire on the rear , with a Continental Grand Sport 20C(older tire.. very much like a Grand Prix) on the front ...... using Mavic Open Pro rims 😉 For the rear, I also use Ultra 3000 , Ultra 2000 tires. On the front... I also have Conti. sport 1000, Ultra Super Sport, and Ultra 3000 at a 23C .

ULtimately , what this amounts too is I put a more durable / and if possible cheaper tire on the rear(since they wear out faster) , and on the front I'll put a good/great tire that is able to help me corner w/confidence and/or provide great grip during rainy rides 😉 😄

Continental thinks there's enough difference that they Mfg a tire system, Attack/Force. I think I read and article (a couple of years ago) where the author didn't notice much difference over unmatched tires though.

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/race/gp_attack_force/gp_attack_force_en.html

Sure you can mix tires. Keep your best tire up front for safety reasons. I use a larger tire on the back for two reasons; 1) it provides a little more cush, and 2) they tend to wear longer so I don't have to change them as often unless they get cut.

I have no idea if it was good or not, but I put a different tire on the back after the original one was completely worn down by the trainer. Its not one I had planned on using as it is a yellow Vittoria that I got for free as a door prize and it looks goony on the bike, but I also didn't feel like buying a tire that I was just going to wear down on the trainer anyway so on it went. I honestly don't feel any difference in the way the bike handles. It just looks a bit funny with one yellow tire on. A bit silly I think to give one oddly colored tire as a door prize.