Aggressive nobbies on the front tire: Do they matter?

grhanka · 04-09-2022, 03:00 PM

I put real nobbies on my TBR7, and I like the improved rear-wheel traction, but my new front tire has a low spot where the rim won't seat no matter what I do. (I've tried lube, sledge hammer, 10 pressure cycles, squeezing with a C-clamp, and overinflating to 50 psi. The rim seems sealed, but the bead indicator dips out of sight and the overall tire height is 1/4" lower at that spot.)

It's ridable, but I still have the original semi-nob tire and I'm tempted to put it back on. Do aggressive nobbies in front actually do much good, aside from braking in mud? I can't imagine they would help much on rocks, though I suppose they might dig in a little when cornering on sand.

The defective tire was obviously optimized for braking, not turning, since its nobs are arranged in horizontal rows like a paddle wheel.

04-09-2022, 03:00 PM	#1
grhanka Join Date: Aug 2021 Posts: 58	Aggressive nobbies on the front tire: Do they matter? I put real nobbies on my TBR7, and I like the improved rear-wheel traction, but my new front tire has a low spot where the rim won't seat no matter what I do. (I've tried lube, sledge hammer, 10 pressure cycles, squeezing with a C-clamp, and overinflating to 50 psi. The rim seems sealed, but the bead indicator dips out of sight and the overall tire height is 1/4" lower at that spot.) It's ridable, but I still have the original semi-nob tire and I'm tempted to put it back on. Do aggressive nobbies in front actually do much good, aside from braking in mud? I can't imagine they would help much on rocks, though I suppose they might dig in a little when cornering on sand. The defective tire was obviously optimized for braking, not turning, since its nobs are arranged in horizontal rows like a paddle wheel.
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