This is fun because there is exactly the same situation with suits fabrics.įor suits fabrics there is a scale of S numbers (Super 100’s, 150’s, 180’s, 200’s, and so on). Suppleness, like so many important things, is hard to quantify, but you’ll notice it when you ride the tires. It’s easy to see that the Tire 2 above is superior to Tire 1, even though it has less than 1/3 the TPI. They report the TPI of the casing fabric, and arrive at a 90 TPI tire. The manufacturer keeps the rubber coating to a minimum. Tire 2 uses a supple, superfine thread, woven into a relatively loose weave. The maker counts every layer of the casing, and thus arrives at a 300 TPI tire. The fabric has a super-dense weave and is slathered with rubber. Tire 1 uses a stiff and relatively large-diameter thread. These are just a few of the factors that determine the tire’s suppleness. It makes no sense to claim that a 90 TPI silk casing is less supple than a 100 TPI cotton casing. Even among polyesters, there are great differences in the thread materials. The silk is more supple than the cotton (which already is more supple than most polyesters). What material is used for the threads? With hand-made FMB tubulars, you get a choice of cotton or silk threads. So one maker’s 120 TPI casing may be a lot less supple than another maker’s 120 TPI casing.Ĥ. This makes the casing stiffer, and reduces performance and comfort. The factories that make budget tires aren’t equipped for that, so they compensate by covering the fabric with more rubber to protect the threads. They have to be handled very carefully during production. How much rubber? Fabrics with very thin threads are fragile. If you go by TPI alone, the best casing looks inferior, but it’s in fact the more supple, faster casing.ģ. That way, you get an even more supple, and even faster, tire. The most supple tires use super-fine threads, but space them out a little further. However, if you make your weave denser, you also get more threads per inch, but actually a stiffer casing. If you keep all things equal, thinner threads will mean more threads per inch. What is the diameter of the threads? The reason high-TPI tires usually are more supple is that the threads are thinner. And if you added a fourth layer for added puncture protection, you’d make the tire slower, but you’d bump up the TPI to a record-setting 400! So if a tire makers claims a TPI of more than 130, you have to divide the number by 3 to get the TPI of the fabric.Ģ. Most tires have three layers of overlapping casing, so by that method of counting, a 100 TPI fabric will make a 300 TPI tire. What about the tires with 300 TPI or more? These makers count every layer of the tire. Casing fabrics vary between 15 TPI for coarse utility tires to 120 TPI for very high-end tires. How do you measure? Ideally, you look at the TPI of the casing fabric before it is made into the tire. The reality is more complex, and TPI is of limited use when comparing tires. The idea is that tires with higher thread counts usually have finer weaves that make these tires more supple. Most cyclists know this, but how do you measure “suppleness”?Ī measure that often is used to describe the quality of tires is “threads per inch” (TPI). Offered in Black and Tan sidewall options, for 26" and 27.Tires with supple casings are faster, more comfortable and simply more fun to ride.Wider center lugs increase rolling efficiency.Increased length of edge lugs for increased traction through corners.Added more siping to increase propulsive and braking traction.In addition to these technological advancements, Vanhelga’s deep and open tread pattern sheds snow and tracks flawlessly when the trail becomes soft and sloppy. Triple-siped transition and side lugs boost traction. Dual compound rubber lengthens tread life in the center of the tire while enhancing cornering control on the sides. Designed for trail riding in loose snow, Vanhelga brings traction technology to an entirely new level. The evolution continues with the industry-leading Vanhelga. The newest member of the VanHelga family, this 27.5 x 4.0 fat bike tire is a welcome addition for riders looking for more tire options in this size. Designed for riding in loose snow, we find these tires handle great in any conditions. The 45NRTH VanHelga fat bike tire is a super reliable high traction all season tire designed to keep you riding in all conditions.
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