Commuting - Good commuting tires.

I am looking to get some new tires for my mountain bike for commuting. I have been looking at all the web sites trying find the best for my purpose but still can't decide. I ride mostly on road so I want something to get better road performance but still want to be able to ride dirt and gravel roads and I sometimes have to get through soft sand and trails. It is prbably asking too much to find a good all around tire so I am trying to find out what does everyone here like or dislike for a good multi purpose commuting/recreational tire. just trying to get an idea of what others have had exerience with and help my decision. also if you know where to get a deal on something good let me know.

I'm very happy with Vredestein S-Licks. They're 26x1.3, 90 PSI, low rolling resistance, very fast. They come in a rainbow of colors. I haven't had a puncture since I switched to them about 5,000 miles ago. Part of my commute is on gravel and packed dirt and I don't have a problem.

They are kind of pricey and you'll probably have to order them online.

You didn't specify whether they were for road or MTB.

I use and love the Specialized Crossroad EX tyres (26*1.95), Nimbus (26*1.5), All Condition Armadillo (700*26).

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I've read good things about Continental Top Touring 2000's and might give those a shot if I can find em. Anyone got experience with those?

You didn't specify whether they were for road or MTB.

I use and love the Specialized Crossroad EX tyres (26*1.95), Nimbus (26*1.5), All Condition Armadillo (700*26).

He did say he needed new tires for hie mountain bike...

Stay away from the Panaracer Urban Max. It's the worst tire I have used in eleven years of commuting.

I highly recommend that you get two sets of tires for you mtb
1. A high pressure slick for pavement (and it will be fine for stretches of dry hardpack dirt)
2. A mtb tire best suited for the non-pavement terrain you usually ride in you area

Of course if you go between rough trails and pavement on a single day you can't go this route.

Before I got my cyclocross bike I had a mtb with Specialized Crossroads 'compromise' tires (slick center, edge tread). I found these to be bad for pavement (cornering was sketchy due to center to side transition) and bad for off road (due to slick center)

Then I got a cyclocross bike and two sets of tires. If I ride to the trails I put on the off road tires, and ride on the road with them for the 8 miles to the trailheads, but on the weekdays I use slicks for commuting. It really is not a big deal to switch tires twice a week.

Al

I highly recommend that you get two sets of tires for you mtb



This is a lot easier if you get two sets of wheels, and use disc brakes. You want skinnier wheels for your road tires, and having to adjust the brakes every time you change tires is a pain. I have road tires and snow tires on separate wheels and it's a breeze to switch them out.

You didn't specify whether they were for road or MTB.

I use and love the Specialized Crossroad EX tyres (26*1.95), Nimbus (26*1.5), All Condition Armadillo (700*26).


I got the Nimbus tires for my old Trek MTB for commuting, and they are fantastic. Also my LBS says they have a lifetime guarantee agaist puncture, so I can bring them infor a free flat service..

This is a lot easier if you get two sets of wheels, and use disc brakes. You want skinnier wheels for your road tires, and having to adjust the brakes every time you change tires is a pain. I have road tires and snow tires on separate wheels and it's a breeze to switch them out.
Sure its easier with two sets of wheels, but more costly. I swap tires nearly every Fri night/Sat morning and swap back every Sunday night. 15min job total each swap and gives you opportunity to inspect your tires and wheels and get very good and quick at tire changing so fixing flats in the field is even easier. Before I did this I thought it would be a bigger pain than it is.

Al

Michelin Wild Grip City's 26x1.5@65psi (from memory) these are very good for bitumen and can be ridden off road to some degree. For straight out speed the Continental Sports Contact 26x1.3@85psi are excellent.

CHEERS.

Mark

http://www.serfas.com/tires/VSSK-F19.html
http://www.serfas.com/tires/VSSK-R19.html

I only run the rear, high psi for road, lower offroad.
I only did the rear as IMO, the main rolling resistance is from the weight on the rear, the front tire is the most dangerous to have wash out, this could happen offroad -so I still use an XC up front, semi-slick rear.

The Sefras does not 'squirm' as the edge treads are joined, better than squared-spaced knobs.

Mine say Kevlar on the tire, though not on the website? $25, compared to my $50 IRC Kevlar tires. Another reason I'm running this rear, the $ factor with replacing the rear twice as often.

I've already noticed less wear on the rear than the softer treaded IRC I was running AND a noticable lack of drag riding pavement. Little difficulty offroad -I do avoid mud, be careful on wet roots.

Stupid name for a tire...but I am quite pleased with the performance.
I'm SUPER picky about the feel of tire tread cornering on pavement.

I use the tires that come on the standard low end MTB around $230.00. The size is a 1.95 x 26 with a thin narrow road stip down the center while the rest is a knobby tire. They are great on the road and fire trail from my experience.

Serfas Drifter. about as good as a slick on the street, but it can bite into unrvrn sufaces well too. It's sand performance isn't all that hot though, thats the downside to inverse treads. I would give it out of 100, street 70, trail 40. If you do lots of trails or difficult trails, you would be better off using a tire with a normal tread profile.

Just this morning I plucked a 5mm chunk of glass out of one of my Armadilloes. No damage to the tube at all. Lovely stuff.

Stay away from the Panaracer Urban Max. It's the worst tire I have used in eleven years of commuting.
What don't you like about it? I've just started using that for my front tire. It's a little more sluggish than my old 28's, but I expected that from a wider tire with a lower PSI. So far, it's been fine. On the rear, I have a Panaracer Soma Xpress, which is almost identical (I got one from the LBS when I NEEDED a tire ASAP, I ordered the other one online).

How does the Urban Max compare to other 32's?

Thanks for sharing all your input on tires here I have gotten a lot of good opinions on this subject to help my decision. I bought a set of the Specialized Hemisphere yesterday but didn't get a chance to ride them since I worked 12 hours yesterday and was to sore from being on my feet all day but I have mounted them on my Trek and will give them a run today.