Hauling tyres around the globe........
 

So we've all seen the bikes on RTW trips packed up with spare tyres.The question I have,is there really a need?fair enough if your heading to mordor,but surely in this day and age with some pre planning there isn't a need?Tyres can be ordered enroute in most places.....or am I missing g something?

Quite so. Frankly, I reckon the less you load your bike, the less prone you are for a puncture. If you ride tubeless rather take a tube along for safety's sake. For my old beemer (front 21", rear 17", tubeless) I only ha a puncture kit and a 19" tube, which could be fitted front or rear if the puncture cannot be plugged. But make sure the rubber glue hasn't dried up - as happened to me some months ago ;o)

Less weight means more fun and less tyre wear.... :thumbup1:
Actually I met a guy who had hand-stiched the sidewall of his front tyre and he managed to reach the next city :cool4:

I totally agree, on my frst long trip I carried a spare rear tyre for my GS from the UK to Malaysia and finally had it fitted there because I was fed up with carrying it, since then I have always found then en-route.

Yeah it just seems every video or picture I see lately from South America to Siberia people have tyres stacked up to the hilt,I seen one guy hauling 4 tyres on a solo trip.......it seems borderline crazy and it must be a nuisance.Stitching a tyre...everydays a school day lol

It sure makes your trip look much more adventurous :mchappy:

True.

Hello

Is there a need?
Some of my bad/annoying memories from my RTW some years ago are the constant searching for tires.
I liked the TCK80, did 18tkm front and 8tkm rear, so every other month I needed a new reartire.

If you have planned ahead your years of travelling in your Garmin you know where you will be in 58 days, maybe then there is a shop that takes your order with no downpayment and you will be able to happily change the tire there on its last mm of tread.

But if you don't want to know where you are in 3 days, it's annoying if you have to go in 58 days to a place, that is now way off your path, just to pick up a tire that you've already paid, and maybe it was not even a bargain.

When I found my preferred tire, for a good price, I just bought it, even if I had to carry it some time.

You see, it depends.

And since I'm not a member of the "church of lightweight", I don't have a problem carrying a tire on the back of my bike, it's build for two-up riding.


sushi

I guess.....I suppose it does allow a bit more freedom with routes etc if your prepared to carry them.....I'm thinking the obvious then,some people dont mind the extra baggage and bring them along anyway,cheers for both perspectives.

I didn't like the extra baggage, I found it a nuisance to carry a spare tire.

But tires in the sizes you need are often not available when you need them.

We ordered tires sent to Turkey expecting ours to be too far worn to get to Mongolia and back to where new tires might be available. As it turned out, we still had a few thousand miles left on our tires and carried a set with us when we retrieved them.

https://i831.photobucket.com/albums/...lnikSLO023.jpg



Expecting that, I had built a rack (from my Mother-in-laws old cross country skis) to allow me to carry them with as little hassle as possible when needed.

https://i831.photobucket.com/albums/...tivinCZ006.jpg

https://i831.photobucket.com/albums/...tivinCZ003.jpg

At least I didn't have to hassle with the tire every time I wanted to get something from my bag, but I did take it off the bike and haul it into my hotel every night.

...................shu

tyres
 

I saw plenty of bike overloaded with tyres. Found using tubeless and 19/17 sizes meant I could get a tyre almost anywhere even if it was a different brand. In 14 months and 37000 miles didn’t get a single puncture.

It's a royal pain in the arse.

They're heavy, cumbersome, easily stolen and it's just so un neccesary.

You can buy tyres almost anywhere now. And where you can't, if you do a little planning you can have them sent there.

Is the rubber compound that seals the plug to the tyre, the same material as found in bicycle tyre repair kits?

hauling tyres around the globe
 

Hi all,

I agree, to carry tyres is a pain.

BUT I did it (and will continue doing it) on my way around the world, because I was given mostly free tyres. AND like this I would use my tyres to the absolut end. AND I use second hand tyres as well.

Also because, I had the wrong information about buying tyres in Africa. Somebody told me that I could only get them in RSA Republic of South Africa, which was/is not true.

Hauling tyres in South America can make sense, because in some places they are too costly.

But I agree with what has been said above, but continue doing it my way.

mika :mchappy:

I've often thought same and there are good answers above giving alternative views. Not sure I'd want to carry tyres in addition to the kitchen sink etc that's already on the bike!

Nursing tyres is key for me, I run TKC 80's and get over 6,000 miles (10,000 Kilometres) from rear before replacement needed (much more from front), that's generally within continental border travel (e.g. trans-Canadian highway is just under 5K).

I like to think that'll get me between stops without having to carry tyres. Of course if you're constantly detouring and meandering in remotest of areas then that's a different consideration as highlighted above.

Just a thought - on fitting the new tyres what are you doing with the worn ones?

Its a PITA to carry tires on an already loaded bike, so avoid it if possible. But then again - there are places you cannot get decent tyres or tyres your bike size at all - so then you have to send (and risk to pay steep custom fees) or carry. India, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran for example - seem to be very difficult to find any tyres at all there for bigger bikes.

I am noticing with interest that everybody get much less km from rear tyres than front. I am experiencing just the opposite. Running Metzeler Tourance on my bike (Benelli TRK502X) which have done 15k km. Front tyre is now due for replacement, while the rear is probably good for another 5k km. I just do long trips with panniers and top box loaded all the time. Is this just due to thicker tread at the back? Or maybe I am a bit too heavy on the front brakes?

Both, or rather - the depth of the tread of the front tyre was reduced by Metzeler to get the same mileage as on the rear :thumbdown: But the way you use your brakes does influence the wear as well ;o)

In past times you got loads more miles on the front tyre. On my old Beemer I used to do about 10 kkms in front and 6 - 7 kkms on the rear with the Tourance. So when the change in the tread became apparent I changes the tyre brand.... No more Tourance.