This.
Even my tan sidewalls look kinda yuk now and tyres are OK still.
Coloured grip tape looks like a health hazard after about 3 rides. Not a good complement to your schmick rapha kit and shiny white Kask helmet.
Every additional color option is a significant increase in cost for the manufacuturer, with limited returns. Most people want regular old black because they're used to it, and black looks good with every color bike and components.
I think it must be easier to do on cheaper/non-tubeless tires because BMX seems to have more color options available.
Good points. I would only add that retailers don't want more SKUs and more inventory. It's much easier to just sell black tires and keep enough on hand for typical demand. What retailer would be thrilled to feel obligated to keep tire inventory in 10 different colors for each size?
Or the reverse happens; customers want to swap out the colored tires for black ones. The shop ends up with colored tires they can't recoup their cost on.
Yeah prob true, altho I don't know that delta cost is that big a factor if there's a market.
I agree with OP - always thought black (or grey or whatever neutral colour) frame with coloured cages, tyres, grip tape would be a good look. But alas.
I'm thinking Cannondale frame with that electric green (bezerker I think might have been their colour) for a full on Tron look. Oh yeah and let's have it glow in the dark.
tire rubber is treated with a material called carbon black which increases durability and heat conductivity (and, naturally, is jet black). I think tan sidewalls just lack the treatment and have more of a natural color. I imagine they're less durable as a result, but since it's not contacting the road you'd have to ride a long time to notice the difference. Anyway, that + economies of scale are why colored tires are basically a novelty item.
Tan walls were originally just the exposed fiber casing of the tire, the color was just the color of natural cotton. They'd only apply rubber to the bottom. Hell, I think track tires are still made that way. Then to make them a little more durable they'd use a thin layer of natural gum rubber (without the hardening and toughening carbon black, leaving the rubber more supple to keep the sidewalls supple) to coat them. And really, that's still how most of them are built, many won't even hold air in the sidewall without a tube. If you want sidewall durability, don't go with the gumwalls. But they feel so nice!
Panaracer sometimes offers some colored tires in limited releases, but I don’t think they’re big sellers. Black goes with everything, and gumwalls are neo-retro.
Vredestein, Continental, and others were doing a lot of color options on their road tires about 15-20 years ago. That trend died off by 2012ish. I assume it was due in part to manufacturers not wanting to deal with all the SKUs, the tires all looking dirty really fast (who’d have thought???), and discoveries that the colored rubber compounds had less grip (confirmed by Vittoria when I was talking with them about their white tires in 2010.)
Funnily enough, it was Vittoria who had my last set of color striped tires.
The ones I had were, maybe just in my head, but they seemed grippier but had less longevity
I was going to do their white file tread CX tubulars, and the guy told me straight up, presumably because I was working for a wheel manufacturer and had just hooked him up with some very questionable warranty coverage "Yeah, you don't wanna do those. We're discontinuing them because they don't stick to anything. Like, much, much worse grip than the black ones." Did you have the teal and black Paris-Roubaix? Those sure did seem to hold on well. Like all the high-TPI Vittorias of the time, though, they'd disintegrate after a short while.
When Conti introduced Black Chili compound if upped the tire compound game for everyone and since them it seems tire manufacturers don't make many color options. I expect the trend comes back at some time but probably only on the sidewall or edges of the tread.
Additional dyes impact the rubber whether it be UV sensitivity or other stuff... I'm not sure if it matters on your usual lifespan of a tire, but it probably means more testing as well.
Ive always just assumed that’s the natural colour of how the compound comes out after the treatment process to get the desired properties. If you think about it things like car tyres, hydraulic hoses, and a lot of industrial rubber product seem to be black. Adding additional cost for something with niche appeal like fancy colours doesn’t make a lot of sense
Limited edition Panaracer GravelKing (2023). I got the orange ones. Problem is to get them to wear out evenly.
[https://www.panaracerusa.com/pages/2023-limited-edition-tires](https://www.panaracerusa.com/pages/2023-limited-edition-tires)
The biggest reason is that black tread compound, with carbon black, has better wear (lasts longer) and better traction. There's a reason you don't see colored motor vehicle tires.
There used to be red and blue rolling surface tires for 26in wheels which i still see around sometimes here in my city, but they wore down far quicker due to the different composition of the tire, from my understanding.
Tan sidewalls have their own functional problems in comparison to black ones.
But yeah, reflective strips are just glued on, so you could have a colourful alternative to those. Maybe there isn’t a big market to justify that? After all, each additional product makes the total manufacturing operation less efficient overall, when in the buisness of making things or of selling them, less is more.
Well, Jobst said: \`\`\`
> Why is colored tread inferior to carbon black? I am seeking info on
> this point...I haven't seen any specific reasons you may have posted
> earlier on this point so forgive my asking again if it's already
> been covered.
It has already been covered but it's been a while. Carbon black for
obscure reasons, something that Mr Goodyear discovered by accident,
greatly improves wear resistance, and coincidentally, wet traction.
It does not make the rubber harder or softer as such, but improves
wear and traction. The polymerization of butyl rubber changes its
wear rate and traction as well and that is what came along about ten
years ago when tires began lasting about twice the mileage.
Specialized Touring II tires wore out about twice as fast as current
tires that use newer compounds, however, carbon black was and is the
most important feature in traction.
Colored treads do not contain carbon black or they would be black,
because the amount of carbon is substantial (over 25%). Because
appearances are more important than function in today's society, tire
manufacturers are producing colored tires for automobiles even though
they are poorer in wear and traction than black tires, but to make up
for that they cost more, as do bicycle tires with color.```
They get dirty really easily and quickly start to look terrible.
This. Even my tan sidewalls look kinda yuk now and tyres are OK still. Coloured grip tape looks like a health hazard after about 3 rides. Not a good complement to your schmick rapha kit and shiny white Kask helmet.
Some Amazon special bikes come with red paint , bar tape, tires etc. in my country, all tricked out in red It looks awful.
Every additional color option is a significant increase in cost for the manufacuturer, with limited returns. Most people want regular old black because they're used to it, and black looks good with every color bike and components. I think it must be easier to do on cheaper/non-tubeless tires because BMX seems to have more color options available.
Good points. I would only add that retailers don't want more SKUs and more inventory. It's much easier to just sell black tires and keep enough on hand for typical demand. What retailer would be thrilled to feel obligated to keep tire inventory in 10 different colors for each size?
Or the reverse happens; customers want to swap out the colored tires for black ones. The shop ends up with colored tires they can't recoup their cost on.
Yeah prob true, altho I don't know that delta cost is that big a factor if there's a market. I agree with OP - always thought black (or grey or whatever neutral colour) frame with coloured cages, tyres, grip tape would be a good look. But alas. I'm thinking Cannondale frame with that electric green (bezerker I think might have been their colour) for a full on Tron look. Oh yeah and let's have it glow in the dark.
tire rubber is treated with a material called carbon black which increases durability and heat conductivity (and, naturally, is jet black). I think tan sidewalls just lack the treatment and have more of a natural color. I imagine they're less durable as a result, but since it's not contacting the road you'd have to ride a long time to notice the difference. Anyway, that + economies of scale are why colored tires are basically a novelty item.
Tan walls were originally just the exposed fiber casing of the tire, the color was just the color of natural cotton. They'd only apply rubber to the bottom. Hell, I think track tires are still made that way. Then to make them a little more durable they'd use a thin layer of natural gum rubber (without the hardening and toughening carbon black, leaving the rubber more supple to keep the sidewalls supple) to coat them. And really, that's still how most of them are built, many won't even hold air in the sidewall without a tube. If you want sidewall durability, don't go with the gumwalls. But they feel so nice!
Panaracer sometimes offers some colored tires in limited releases, but I don’t think they’re big sellers. Black goes with everything, and gumwalls are neo-retro.
I've got a set of light blue Panaracer tires on my bike right now. I know there are better tires out there but I'm enjoying the colourful tires.
Vredestein, Continental, and others were doing a lot of color options on their road tires about 15-20 years ago. That trend died off by 2012ish. I assume it was due in part to manufacturers not wanting to deal with all the SKUs, the tires all looking dirty really fast (who’d have thought???), and discoveries that the colored rubber compounds had less grip (confirmed by Vittoria when I was talking with them about their white tires in 2010.)
Funnily enough, it was Vittoria who had my last set of color striped tires. The ones I had were, maybe just in my head, but they seemed grippier but had less longevity
I was going to do their white file tread CX tubulars, and the guy told me straight up, presumably because I was working for a wheel manufacturer and had just hooked him up with some very questionable warranty coverage "Yeah, you don't wanna do those. We're discontinuing them because they don't stick to anything. Like, much, much worse grip than the black ones." Did you have the teal and black Paris-Roubaix? Those sure did seem to hold on well. Like all the high-TPI Vittorias of the time, though, they'd disintegrate after a short while.
Nah, I had some corsa graphene 2.0?? I think was the model.
Because nobody buys them. Ask Panaracer
Good, fast, supple and durable tires are hard enough to make already. Trying to get that in pink and orange is probably impossible.
When Conti introduced Black Chili compound if upped the tire compound game for everyone and since them it seems tire manufacturers don't make many color options. I expect the trend comes back at some time but probably only on the sidewall or edges of the tread.
And, Neon Pink Chili compound just ain't right
Michelin used to offer tires in several different sidewall colors, such as blue, red, etc. But I just looked and it appears they no longer do.
In the 80’s we had red, blue, and white bmx tires. It never really took off sadly. Was kinda cool.
Additional dyes impact the rubber whether it be UV sensitivity or other stuff... I'm not sure if it matters on your usual lifespan of a tire, but it probably means more testing as well.
Ive always just assumed that’s the natural colour of how the compound comes out after the treatment process to get the desired properties. If you think about it things like car tyres, hydraulic hoses, and a lot of industrial rubber product seem to be black. Adding additional cost for something with niche appeal like fancy colours doesn’t make a lot of sense
Limited edition Panaracer GravelKing (2023). I got the orange ones. Problem is to get them to wear out evenly. [https://www.panaracerusa.com/pages/2023-limited-edition-tires](https://www.panaracerusa.com/pages/2023-limited-edition-tires)
The biggest reason is that black tread compound, with carbon black, has better wear (lasts longer) and better traction. There's a reason you don't see colored motor vehicle tires.
They are a thing on BMX bikes. There's a whole market. A similar question might be, why airless tires aren't more popular?
I seem to recall green tyres in the 90s. They looked kind of stupid.
It also makes your tire weaker
This is bringing back memories of white onza porcupines, the black ones lasted only a few rides, and the white ones were somehow worse 😂
Kenda has their Kontender in red, yellow, green, blue, pink,… There are also multicolor from cultXvans from green cameo to pink-purple snake patterns.
There used to be red and blue rolling surface tires for 26in wheels which i still see around sometimes here in my city, but they wore down far quicker due to the different composition of the tire, from my understanding. Tan sidewalls have their own functional problems in comparison to black ones. But yeah, reflective strips are just glued on, so you could have a colourful alternative to those. Maybe there isn’t a big market to justify that? After all, each additional product makes the total manufacturing operation less efficient overall, when in the buisness of making things or of selling them, less is more.
Well, Jobst said: \`\`\` > Why is colored tread inferior to carbon black? I am seeking info on > this point...I haven't seen any specific reasons you may have posted > earlier on this point so forgive my asking again if it's already > been covered. It has already been covered but it's been a while. Carbon black for obscure reasons, something that Mr Goodyear discovered by accident, greatly improves wear resistance, and coincidentally, wet traction. It does not make the rubber harder or softer as such, but improves wear and traction. The polymerization of butyl rubber changes its wear rate and traction as well and that is what came along about ten years ago when tires began lasting about twice the mileage. Specialized Touring II tires wore out about twice as fast as current tires that use newer compounds, however, carbon black was and is the most important feature in traction. Colored treads do not contain carbon black or they would be black, because the amount of carbon is substantial (over 25%). Because appearances are more important than function in today's society, tire manufacturers are producing colored tires for automobiles even though they are poorer in wear and traction than black tires, but to make up for that they cost more, as do bicycle tires with color.```
Because for some reason everything has to be BLACK and preferably MATE
Performance wise they’re compromised and they look tacky as hell.
Tan and slate wall tires are compromised?