The bit about... Tyres

Tyres. Exciting, right?

Most people don't give the tyres fitted to their bike much thought. Which is odd, because it's the one bit of the machine that connects it to the surface upon which it moves. Of all the parts, it is the one that can make or break a ride. Why should this be the case? Punctures, mainly.

For most people, not thinking about tyres is fine, as riding around in warm, sunny weather in spring and summer on roads or paved cycle paths won't cause much bother.

As soon as you start commuting, and especially when you commute daily throughout the winter, tyres will almost certainly become a point of almost fanatical obsession, eagerly discussed between fellow cyclists-commuters at the tea point (to onlookers utter confusion and bemusement).

Riding along Britain's roads and cycle paths in winter can be a purgatory experience. Flint, screws, tacks, pins, obscure bits of twisted metal and plastic, and especially broken glass seem to become legion on almost every surface. Of them all, broken glass is the most common winter tyre killer, equalled only by flint on my route. Whether it's washed out by the rain, or scattered as a result of cars bumping into each other more in the dark, there always seems to be more broken glass in winter. Broken bottles too appear everywhere. Often the road glitters for mile after mile with myriad reflections of the bike's lamp; little stars of sharp nastiness that can ruin your day with that strange, squishy feeling of a deflating tyre miles from home.

You only have to experience that a few times before you start thinking it might be time to replace those cheap non-branded tyres your bike came with and replace them with tyres of a little more quality and, well, robustness.

But there are trade offs. Puncture proof tyres tend to rely on a reinforced bead - plastic or kevlar for example - beneath the tread. They make for good puncture resistance, but also make the tyre stiff, heavy and 'dull'. Dull is a good word for describing the relative lack of crispness to the handling compared to a lighter tyre, and also they are slower, as the rolling resistance tends to be higher. It's all a trade-off, and what tyre you get should best reflect the type of riding you do, and the route you normally take.

My commute in winter takes me through a lane that floods the entire width, washing tiny bits of flint out across the roadway, and it's almost as good as one of those things Police throw under the wheels of a miscreant's car to bring them to a halt in slicing and dicing tyres. So, after a little consideration, I opted for pretty much the toughest tyre I could get which still offered a reasonable rolling performance.

Well, actually, after choking on the price of some highly recommended puncture resistant tyres, I bought some that had 40% off in a sale, which tempered the pain to the wallet somewhat. Expensive is relative though, and two tyres still cost less than a tank of diesel in my car, so I considered that a win.

In two years of commuting through summer and winter, over 50 miles per week and extra weekend rides, my Continental Touring Plus tyres have done a sterling job. How many punctures have I had in those two years? Zero. And that is despite receiving detritus in the tread that does damage like this:

That nick goes down a long way, almost through the reinforcing material, but still it didn't puncture.

Two recommendations I'd make for ensuring your tyres provide protection throughout the winter: keep them inflated to the right pressure - not too low or too high (what exactly depends on the bike and tyre size ... you'll work it out) and perform a weekly tyre check. I closely inspect the tread and use a small sharp screwdriver to dig out the various bits of glass and metal that get stuck in the tyre. Each week I take out a few small hitch-hikers and a few larger pieces of crud which might otherwise work themselves through the protective belt and into the inner tube.

By the way, I'm a fan of inner tubes. They can be repaired easily at the side of the road, and a spare takes up little room. Tubeless tyres are becoming very popular, but they are all well and good until they aren't, and then it can get messy (literally). I don't have any real advice to give on those as I've never tried it - some people swear by 'em, but give me an inner tube any day! And as for that slimy anti-puncture stuff, you can keep it. I've got repairing a puncture down to less than 5 minutes. How have I done that if I've not punctured in two years? By helping to fix the punctures on other people's bikes at work and on my commute of course!