Originally Posted by
andyprough
Continental Mountain King is what we used to use on mountain bikes for that purpose. Big thick knobs on the tires that dig deep through the leaves to find something to grip.
For the purpose of commuting, I generally recommend against knobby tires as they slow down the bike, smoother tires are better for commuting (but they don't have to be perfectly slick). Although the OP didn't ask, bike tires are too narrow to worry about hydroplaning on wet/watery surfaces so you don't need to have grooved tires for the purpose of channelling the water out from under the tire. Some tire compounds are better for grip than others and the grippier ones may be better suited for wet conditions.
As @
WestPablo said, leaves are slippery: try to maintain a straight path (ie., no cornering or meandering) over leaves, they're like the autumn version of ice.