Tan Wall tires - Too Old School or Fashionable accessory must have?
Black rubber tires have reigned the sport for many years now, with the tan wall/skin-walls seemingly a retro memory. But everywhere you look now; pro team's, fashionable cyclists & social media platforms seem to be promoting the retro look sporting different brands - widths & tire specs.
We want to know the publics opinion... Is it a winner or not? Does it suit just road bikes or does it look cool on all bikes?
In some cases - 'true tan walls' have little or no rubber on their sidewall, which means the tires casing is exposed. In some peoples opinions making the tire slightly more 'supple' but this is an opinion and not fact, what it does give is a fantastic contrast between the material build up of the tyre & colour - this is fact! (Well in my opinion - which I usually believe to be fact)
Speaking with many of our team, especially the roadies among us - the tan wall is considered a winner. The colours however, get serious negative feedback; with the likes of BikeRadar writer Mathew Allen describing the colour tires in his recent article as "Rubbish and attempts at colour-coordination — matching tyres to bar tape, for instance — invariably cheapen the overall look of a bike."
We know the colour of the tyres isn't something that is crucial to the bikes performance, but we wonder is it a mental performance enhancer? The old idea of looking good = feeling good = performing good is something which is still widely recognised across all sports - is it a retailers idea of selling new and irrelevant products or is it something which potentially can give the rider a slight advantage.
We understand everyone has different opinions but from us here - our verdict is the Tan Wall tyre passes and we're keen to see more bikes come through the door with them on. Personally speaking I've just put a set of Vittoria Corsa tan wall tyres on my Merida Scultura 7000e - I can't wait to take the bike out and get the reaction from other cyclists.
Tell us what you think!
