Cheap bike tyres for road and mountain bikes

As the only contact point with the road or trail, the tyres on your bike play an important part in determining the quality of your ride.

Whether you’re looking for road tyres or mountain bike tyres, we've put together a selection of cheap bike tyres to cover all bases.

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Some have been tested by our expert team, others are newer to us, but all should help you ride with confidence over your chosen terrain, without breaking the bank.

Cheap mountain bike tyres

Mountain bike tyres have aggressively-knobbed tread patterns for helping your bike gain traction on uneven surfaces such as slippery rocks and roots, or sections of soft mud.

Some mountain bikes on the market come with a tubeless tyre system, where sealant is used to create a puncture-resistant, airtight seal, but inner tubes are still common with a lot of mountain bike wheels.

Mountain bike tyres typically range from 1.5 to 5in wide, although most fall within the 2.2 to 2.8in range.

As we know, all too well, British weather can turn from morning frosts to glorious sun and then sleeting rain in the space of a few hours, so mountain bike tyres come in all shapes and sizes to suit different conditions.

Michelin Wild Enduro MAGI-X front tyre, 27.5in

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The Michelin Wild Enduro MAGI-X front tyre earned a solid 4.5-star rating when we tested it earlier this year.

Not only did it demonstrate great sticky grip on slippery terrain but it provided bite in the corners too. In fact, we dubbed it ‘cheat mode’, so for a surefooted front tyre, look no further.

Specialized Butcher Grid 2Bliss Ready 650b tyre, 27.5in

This edition of Specialized’s tyre for intermediate riding has a different tread pattern to those that came before it.

Its outer knobs have been widened while the centre blocks are also staggered to help smooth the transition into corners.

The tyre casing is claimed to be stiffer than others before it and increase puncture protection by 30 per cent as well as deliver better handling.

Michelin Wild Enduro Front Competition Line MTB tyre, 29in

The tread pattern on the Michelin Wild Enduro has been specifically designed for a front wheel to, in theory, provide extra grip and control during high speed or downhill sections.

Made from Michelin's MAGI-X rubber compound, the tyre is said to provide strong grip for braking and cornering in varying conditions.

If you’re looking for a versatile tyre for year-round riding, this could be a good option.

Schwalbe Nobby Nic Addix SpeedGrip Folding tyre, 29in

Claimed to be a good all-rounder, these Nobby Nic folding tyres are best suited to cross-country riding.

The tyre features a wide tread design for good traction and broad shoulder knobs for grip in corners.

The Nobby Nics are made using Schwalbe’s fancy Addix Speedgrip compound, which is claimed to improve durability.

• Read our full review of the Schwalbe Durano road tyre

Cheap road bike tyres

The perfect road bike tyre would be a puncture-proof, featherweight bit of kit that bites on corners with minimal rolling resistance.

Sadly this recipe is tricky to cook up, so depending on the type of riding you do, it’s best to balance which of those factors are most important to you and go from there.

Road bike tyres come in three styles: tubular, clincher and tubeless.

Tubular tyres are sewn shut over an inner tube before being glued onto a specific wheel rim and are typically seen in professional racing.

Clinchers are the most common type of tyre found on road bikes and have an open casing that houses a separate inner tube and then hooks onto a wheel rim.

Tubeless tyres don’t use an inner tube but are similar to clinchers, except the tyre and wheel rim seal together to become airtight, usually with the help of a liquid sealant. This technology is gaining momentum on road bikes but is still more prevalent in mountain bikes.

Continental Grand Prix 4000

This is a 5-star tyre that took the title ‘best all-around’ performance when tested by the BikeRadar team.

Besides its excellent grip and better-than-average puncture resistance, the Continental Grand Prix 4000 also has an excellent ride quality.

Continental uses a nylon casing with its BlackChili compound on these tyres, which it claims reduces rolling resistance by 26 per cent and improves grip.

• Read our full review of the Continental Grand Prix 4000

Panaracer RiBMo road tyre

Dubbed as having ‘dogged durability’ by BikeRadar’s testing team, this 4-star rated road tyre is a solidly dependable piece of kit that handled everything we threw at it.

Whether you’re exploring bridleways or doing heavily loaded winter commuting, the Panaracer tyre offers you pneumatic insurance to underwrite your rides.

• Read our full review of the Panaracer RIBMO road tyre

Hutchinson Intensive 2

The Hutchinson Intensive 2 presents remarkably good value for a tyre with such good puncture resistance and wear life.

The ‘2’ version’s grip in the wet showed a great improvement over previous editions during testing, and while you wouldn’t want to be leaning into corners dramatically in the rain, there’s no need to be timid in every downhill section.

• Read our full review of Hutchinson Intensive 2

Continental Gator Hardshell road bike tyre

The Gatorskin is one of our team’s favourite training tyres but for those wanting extra protection from punctures and wear, the Hardshell edition is a great step-up, with extra tread rubber and a wider polyester break-strip.

• Read our full review of the Continental Gator Hardshell road bike tyre

Schwalbe Durano

When tested by our expert team a few years back, the Schwalbe Durano struck a solid balance between comfort, speed and longevity, taking top marks for its performance.

It’s also available in a range of rainbow colours, so, if you’re after a road bike wheel with colour and character, this could be the one.

• Read our full review of the Schwalbe Durano road tyre