The 9 Best BMX Tires for a Smooth and Controlled Ride

Last Updated on 18 September 2024 by Cycloscope

The best BMX tires reviewed. The lightest BMX tires for street, park, and dirt jump.

Plus a guide to the ideal BMX tire pressure + type for each discipline.

BMX stands for Bicycle Motocross, an awesome, adrenaline-pumping action sport. If you are a BMX rider, you must be aware of how important it is to have a premium quality tire for a smooth yet safe ride.

There are many features of BMX tires that will highly affect your riding; first of all, to choose the right tire, you have to consider your prevalent riding style, there are 3 main styles:

• Street Riding: mostly ride on smooth surfaces, rails, ledges, and do tricks, you’ll want a tire with good grip and durability. They have minimal to no tread.
• Park Riding: skatepark and ramp riding, you need a tire that provides stability during transitions and offers a balance of grip and speed.
• Dirt Jumping: If you’re into dirt jumps and off-road tracks, opt for tires with good traction and control on loose surfaces. They are usually knobby tires because the deeper treads offer better traction.

Some riders prefer different tires for the front and rear wheels. For example, a knobby tire on the front can provide better steering control, while a slick tire on the rear can offer better speed.

BMX tires come in various sizes, and of course colors, usually ranging from 20 inches in diameter (standard size) to 24 inches for cruiser BMX bikes.

At the end of this article, you’ll find a guide on how to choose the right BMX tire for you, what tread, pressure, and material.

So, let’s just jump into the best BMX tires for street, park, and freestyle!

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Top 9 Best BMX Tyres in a Nutshell

1. Cult X Vans BMX Tire – Street and Parks
2. Odyssey Broc Raiford’s – All Terrains
3. Kenda MX K50 – Street and Dirt
4. Maxxis Hookworm – Dirt jump, Pump Track, Urban
5. Eclat Morrow BMX – Race + All Terrains
6. Tioga Powerblock – All Terrains
7. MAXXIS DTH Silkworm Lightweight BMX Race – Tubeless BMX Race Tires
8. RANT SQUAD 12″ TIRE – Freestyle + All Terrains
9. Bsd Donnasqueak Rigid Urban Tyre – Urban, street, and park

The 9 Best BMX Tires – Street, Park, Race, Jumping

1. Cult X Vans Tire – Street/Park Tires

BMX tires for Street and Parks

SPECS

• Size: 20″ x 2.4″
• Color: 13 colors to choose from.
• Max Pressure: 65 PSI.
• Tread: Vans Waffle.
• Weight: 731g (25.8oz).

Cult is a brand known for its high-quality BMX components: bikes, parts, and accessories, and for its involvement in the BMX community. Vans, on the other hand, is a popular brand in the skateboarding and lifestyle footwear industry, mostly known for its iconic sneakers.

From their collaboration, Cult X Vans BMX tires are born. They showcase the timeless Vans Waffle pattern across their entire surface, delivering ample traction. Despite the compact 20″ dimensions, this tire is remarkably sturdy, featuring high-pressure sidewalls that help minimize the chances of experiencing flats.

They are meant to be used for park/street BMX rides, while pedaling on dirt roads the tread will collect a lot of dirt, not easy to clean. According to some, the colored ones are of slightly lower quality than the black ones, but this probably applies to all tires.

2. Odyssey Broc Raiford’s Tire

All Terrains BMX Tire

SPECS

• Size: 20″ x 2.25″
• Color: Black.
• Max Pressure: 100 PSI.
• Tread: Odyssey’s R-Grip rubber compound.
• Weight: 725g (25.6oz).

BMXs are all about tricks and fun, they’re great bikes for wheelies and other silly stuff that keeps your inner child alive.

Broc Raiford‘s tire is for those who love to do stunts on the turns off their track. He wanted a bi-directional pattern so you could ride it either way.

The knurled side blocks with the center tread of the tire maintain awesome traction with the ground while turning. The micro knurling also means the Odyssey is good for all terrains.

The maximum BMX tire pressure of this tire is 100 PSI which means a secure and smooth landing after a wheelie.

3. Kenda MX K50 BMX Tire

Street and Dirt

SPECS

• Size: 20 x 1.75 – 16 x 1.75 – 16 x 2.12 – 18 X 2.12 – 20 x 2.12.
• Color: White, Black, Blackwall.
• Max Pressure: 65 PSI (Varies By Model).
• Tread: Grooved, Bead.
• TPI (Threads Per Inch): 30 TPI.
• Weight: 539g (20″ | 1.75″).

One of the best-selling BMX tires, suitable for both a children’s bike and an adult BMX. particularly for off-road use, on mud and snow.

4. Maxxis Hookworm BMX Bike Tire

Dirt Jump, Pump Track, Urban BMX Tires

SPECS

• Size: 20 X 1.95.
• Color: Black.
• Max Pressure: 110 PSI.
• Tread: Bead-to-bead tread design.
• TPI (Threads Per Inch): 60 TPI casing.
• Weight: 1.45 pounds or 657 g.

A mere visual inspection might lead one to assume that the limited presence of treads could result in compromised traction. However, rest assured that these tires exhibit exceptional road grip, despite their appearance.

Their recommended use is for groomed tracks, pavement/asphalt, and skate parks. Besides being great for BMX, the Hookworm tire is also awesome for cargo bikes, pedicabs, or any situation where you need a tough tire.

When you’re putting on the Maxxis BMX Tire HOOKWORM, make sure to check that the inflated diameter of the new tread, at a maximum pressure of 60-65 PSI, is compatible with your bike’s front fork and rear mounting hub, especially for cruisers, clunkers, and similar models.

5. Eclat Morrow BMX Tire

Race + All Terrain

SPECS:

• Size: 20 X 2.4.
• Color: Black + 4 colors to choose from.
• Max Pressure: 100 PSI.
• Tread: Smooth central area for speed + side “pangolin” grippy tread 
• TPI (Threads Per Inch): 60 TPI.
• Weight: 700g (24.6oz)

The tire boasts a sleek central section for speed, coupled with a distinctive outer tread designed to enhance traction and grip across all kinds of surfaces.

Crafted from premium rubber compound, Eclat Morrow boasts exceptional durability, further reinforced by an innovative puncture-resistant casing. This construction guarantees the tire’s resilience against substantial impacts, grind-related wear, hang-ups, and any other challenges encountered during street riding.

6. Tioga Powerblock Tire

All Terrains

SPECS:

• Size: ‎20 x 1.75.
• Color: Black Wall.
• Max Pressure: 65 PSI.
• Tread: Tioga Power Block.
• TPI (Threads Per Inch): 
• Weight: 0.85 pounds or 385 g.

The Tioga BMX is a light and easy-to-install tire.

The tread pattern at the center keeps things rolling easily, while the sides sport smaller blocks to give you that extra grip when you’re carving around. And with the UTC rubber compound sidewall, they’ve got you covered against scrapes, all while keeping the tire nice and flexible.

The tread pattern, however, has a tendency to collect small, sharp stones that can lead to punctures. This can be resolved by adding good liners inside the tires.

7. MAXXIS DTH Silkworm

Tubeless BMX Race Tires

SPECS:

• Size: ‎20 X 1 1/8 – 20 X 1 3/8.
• Color: Black.
• Max Pressure: 65 – 85.
• Tread: Grooved.
• TPI (Threads Per Inch): 120.
• Weight: 0.25 pounds or 113 g

DTH: Drop-The-Hammer, this foldable BMX tire is built for ultimate speed, allowing you to accelerate like a champ in the BMX world, all the while enduring the punishment you throw its way.

The tread boasts a dual-compound design that handles corners with unmatched finesse on hard-pack tracks and maintains impressive speed down the straights.

It features a special material, the Silkworm technology, as an extra layer of defense, against punctures and other kinds of damage.

8. RANT SQUAD 12″ TIRE

Freestyle + All Terrains

SPECS:

• Size: (20″ / 406 ISO) (2.2″).
• Color: Black, Sky Blue, Red.
• Max Pressure: 60 PSI (20″).
• Tread: Low profile and directional tread pattern.
• TPI (Threads Per Inch): N/A.
• Weight: 27.8 oz ( 20″ | 2.35″).

Engineered with a sleek low-profile design and a purposeful directional tread pattern, this tire adapts seamlessly to all terrains, whether you’re hitting the streets, the park, or dirt tracks.

Enhancing your ride with exceptional traction, the wide contact surface is finely micro-knurled, while the solid center line takes care of minimizing rolling resistance. It’s a tire that doesn’t compromise on performance.

9. Bsd Donnasqueak Rigid Urban Tyre

Urban, street, and park

SPECS:

Size: 20″ x 2.25″ / 2.4″
Color: Black.
Max Pressure: 110 PSI.
Tread: Micro-knurled tread and smooth center section.
TPI (Threads Per Inch): 60tpi silkworm.
Weight: 680g / 748g – 1.49 – 1.64 pound.

This top-tier tire is the pinnacle of innovation, designed to cater to all your riding needs.

Featuring a generously wide and exceptionally grippy surface, achieving effortless traction and nailing those tire rides becomes second nature. With its sturdy sidewalls, this tire takes the uncertainty out of adjusting your tire pressure. Whether you opt for low or high pressure, the sidewalls are primed to tackle the challenge, minimizing the risk of pinch flats and ensuring a smooth ride.

And as the name aptly suggests, these tires bring a touch of stylish flair to your journey. With every roll and turn, you’re treated to that delightful and sought-after squeak sound, adding an extra dash of personality as you cruise through the streets.

How to Choose the best BMX tire for you

Type of BMX Tires: Slick, knobby, and multi-purposes.

When choosing a tire that works best for you and your riding style, there are several factors to consider. So let’s start with tire tread. There are three main styles of tire tread: slick, knobby, and multi-purpose, and all three have their advantages and disadvantages.

Slick tires have become very popular in recent years, and there’s good reason why. Slick tires typically have a lightly grooved or microneural tread pattern for maximum contact area. They have a lower rolling resistance and are often made of a softer compound of rubber.

Slick tires have excellent grip on the street, ramps, and the concrete park. But introduce some dust, dirt, or loose rock, and those grip advantages go out the window. Knobby tires are the way to go for anything off-road. When the terrain becomes rough or uneven, these knobs allow the tire to dig into the surface for maximum grip. If you’re riding loose, dusty, or even muddy trails, a more aggressive knobby tread may work best.

For hardpack trails and racetracks, a more subtle tread should be considered for the perfect mix of speed and grip. This leads us to the disadvantages of a knobby tire. They might work great on the dirt, but those knobs give up a lot of surface area when riding a smooth skate park or street surface, effectively reducing your overall grip. Depending on the tread design, knobby tires will also produce a lot more rolling resistance, which is not ideal on a racetrack.

To counteract this, many tires, like the Tioga Power Block, for example, use a dual tread compound that’s knobby on the sides for corner grip and smooth in the center for fast rolling. These are what we call multi-purpose tires. A multi-purpose tire is good at everything but a master of none. While they might not offer the best grip on dirt compared to a knobby tire, and they might not be as fast or as grippy on the street as a slick tire, they provide a good middle ground for riders who enjoy various terrains.

Multi-purpose tires typically have a lower profile tread pattern with some micro knurling and a smooth or lightly grooved center line. This allows for good all-around traction while minimizing rolling resistance.

What is the best tire pressure for BMX bikes?

The BMX tire pressure can vary based on the type of path or terrain, the type of tire, and the weight of the rider. There are 2 ranges, low-pressure tire, between 35 and 65 PSI, and high pressure up to 100 PSI Max.

The best thing to do is to experiment with different PSI levels and find what works best for you. We can say that in general higher PSI values (closer to 60) can provide a smoother and faster ride on smooth surfaces like skate parks or well-paved areas. They can also help reduce rolling resistance and increase overall speed. However, extremely high PSI can result in less grip and control on rough or uneven terrains.

Lower PSI values (around 40) offer more grip and control, which can be beneficial for off-road trails, dirt tracks, or street riding that involves tricks and maneuvers. Lower PSI also provides better shock absorption, which can be easier on the rider’s body when landing jumps.

Tire Type

• Street Tires: 40-70 PSI
• Dirt Tires: 40-65 PSI
• Freestyle Tires: At least 70 PSI
• Racing Tires: Over 80 PSI

Terrain Type

• Mountain Tires: 25-35 PSI
• Road Tires: 80-130 PSI
• Hybrid Tires: 40-70 PSI

Is there an ideal tire width in BMX?

Yes, definitely, the tire width of the BMX matters a lot in riding as it offers the rider control and balance over the bike. The width of the tire decides its grip over the road and hence the balance.

The most common tire widths are:

• Freestyle BMX: 2.125 inches wide.
• Dirt track racing: 1.5 to 1.75 inches wide.
• Jump riding: 1.9 to 2 inches wide.

Final Words

Here we are after knowing everything about the best BMX tires. Now, whether you are an amateur or a professional, this guide will help you choose the right tire for your BMX. Do check all the necessary features and things that you need to know before opting for the best product.

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