General Cycling Discussion - Thinner tires?

Hello everyone,
I am writing today to ask you a question about my tires. I own a specialized hardrock pro 2003 and i live in the suburbs of chicago. (glenview,mortongrove,niles,parkridge,desplaines) I ride my bike with 30minute intervals. My tires are the stock ones. Specialized enduro 26x2.2 and they run smooth. My question is do you think that i should buy different tires such as 26x1.5? Would it be worth it? Most of the time i ride my bike on sidewalks,sidestreets,pathways,parks,behind stores and other various places. However sometimes i ride on the construction sites with a whole selection of rocks and bumpy ground :) . Should i upgrade for the 30-70 dollars? I would probably go out for a lot longer rides if i got these. What do you think?

Greg

If you think it would get you to ride more, it's worth the $$! Otherwise, wear out what you've got and then upgrade. Be aware that all 26x1.5s are not equal. Some top out at lower pressures, while others can be inflated to 100 psi or more. If you can stand the rough ride and loss of off-road traction, the higher pressure tires will amaze you with how much easier they pedal! Happy biking!

Be aware that all 26x1.5s are not equal. Some top out at lower pressures, while others can be inflated to 100 psi or more. If you can stand the rough ride and loss of off-road traction, the higher pressure tires will amaze you with how much easier they pedal! Happy biking!

Can anyone recommend any nice tires that wont pop over a pile of rocks but still show a lot of improvement? Someone recommended me kenda tires. Are there any other brands that might be good?

Thanks again

Specialized Fatboy slicks. Kevlar lined, will take 100psi no prob.

http://specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?minisite=10080&spid=11231 or a later model?

these look nice. now 20$ thats for one right? :D

now can i pump these with a big compressor or will that destroy them?

i have a small cannondale hand pump but i can barely reach 30psi with my tires right now.

are these tires tubeless? my current tubes are 1.6 and up no less.. if they have tubes where can i get them. also are they compatible on my rims?

thanks

Width is one factor in how tires feel on pavement. A better ride on "good" pavement can be obtained from tires that are totally slick (no thread, grooves, nada) that can run at fairly high PSI levels (70 PSI to 90 PSI are levels that are fast, but comfortable).

A lot of the bike messengers in Houston run 1.5 width Ritchey Tom Slick tires on their mountain bikes. Fast, smooth, and tough.

Specialized Fatboy slicks. Kevlar lined, will take 100psi no prob.

I second this. I have the 26x1.25 version from last year on my early 90's mtb, and they are amazing. They have specialized flak jacket tech to ward off flats and are recommended at 90-100 psi. When I put those babies on, it was like riding a different bike. If your current tubes are 1.6 and up, you'll need new tubes, but they are only like $4. So let recap: 2x$20 tires and 2x$4 tubes = $48 for new life and speed in your bike. I'd say it's worth it. :)

PS: your rims should take them, no problem. If you look right now, you'll have a lot tire sticking out from the side of your rim. If you decide to do 1.25, the tire will be almost as wide as the rim. (or something close to that)

Madman, I'd just wear out what you have and then put on some new rubbers. No sense in not getting your money's worth out of the stock tires.

I have a couple of different wheelsets for my MTB and each one has a different tire on it. One wheelset has a pair of 26x1.9 Kenda Kross tires, which has a slick center section for street riding and some knobbies on the outer edge for the occasional trail. Although these are wider than what you are looking for the center section is the only part of the tire that touches the ground so your rolling resistance should be kept to a minumum. They are pretty heavy tires but they are also inexpensive and have a generous portion of tread so they will last quite a while. I keep them pumped up to around 65 PSI in order to keep the rolling resistance down. These will use the standard $3 MTB tubes that can be found at any Wally World. You can probably find these tires at a Dick's Sporting Goods for $10 if you have one locally. They sell them at the Indianapolis stores.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1084&brand=&sku=13246&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=


Another one of my MTB wheelsets has 26x1.5 Kenda Kwest tires. I don't have the high pressure version but they do make them that will take 100 psi. I didn't get those more because of my rims than the tires. Besides, 65 PSI tends to feel pretty solid for a tire of this size. I haven't ridden the Kwest tires on my MTB yet but I have a pair on my road bike and have put plenty of miles on them. They are heavy, cheap and have a generous amount of tread for long life. After 1000 miles they hardly look worn. The Kwest tires will require a narrower tube than the wider tires. You may be able to squeeze a thick tube in them but it's probably best just to use the narrower tubes. They're much easier to mount that way.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1085&brand=&sku=13247&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

http://www.supergo.com/profile.cfm?LPROD_ID=15653&lsubcat_id=7565&lcat_id=7604&referpage=


No doubt there are better tires out there than the Kenda brand. However, I've had very good luck with them and they can be found very inexpensive compared to other popular brands, such as Michelin or Continental.


You may also like these IRC Metro tires that are a previous model year and on closeout. PWRDbyTRD on this forum has a set of these and likes them for street riding.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1084&brand=&sku=1891&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=


My all time favorite MTB commuter tire is the Continental Town & Country but at over twice the cost of the Kenda Kross tires I don't think they are worth it. These also have a generous portion of tread and, as such, are heavy. If you decide to get these get the blackwall version over the gumwall version as the gum tends to rot quicker should you keep them that long.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1084&brand=&sku=1629&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Hope this helps.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=100876&highlight=tale+tires

first of all i want to thank doctor morbius for his well explained answer. However im still unsure if you think that the fat boy slicks are good. Also how can i translate this 700x28c into inches, i checked and got results of 27.5x1.1 check my if im right. If i am right i will probably get the kwests because of their thinness :D . Also they do not list the size of this tire http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1084&brand=&sku=13246&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename= does anyone know it by chance?

Once again thanks

the rolling resistance down. These will use the standard $3 MTB tubes that can be found at any Wally World. You can probably find these tires at a Dick's Sporting Goods for $10 if you have one locally. They sell them at the Indianapolis stores.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1084&brand=&sku=13246&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=


i went to dicks today and asked the bike specialist and he told me that they didnt have any slicks or anything in my size range. Then he recommended www.nashbar.com :D ....well this is fine because he persuaded my mom to cover the cost for the things :) ..

700xanything won't fit your bike so don't worry about the conversion. 700c is a road bike standard.

The tires on nashbar are 26x1.95. You have to click the "more info" button.

how do these tubes look like?

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=97&subcategory=1116&brand=&sku=4876&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=97&subcategory=1116&brand=&sku=4851&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

I have the nimbus armadillos, which go to 100 PSI and I love them. The fatboys, from what *I've* heard don't offer that great flat protection. That's just what I've heard, and I couldn't be happier with my nimbus.

You can always add flat protection with a kevlar liner, which only costs a few bucks. You can then buy less expensive tires, transfering it from tire to tire.

But the most important flat-preventative is proper inflation.

You can always add flat protection with a kevlar liner, which only costs a few bucks. You can then buy less expensive tires, transfering it from tire to tire.

But the most important flat-preventative is proper inflation.

Do you have a product link handy?

liner
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=1659&parent_category_rn=4500885

I bought my liners at the LBS years ago, but here's (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=5002&subcategory_ID=5412#) one at Performance. I think mine are Mr. Tuffy's like the ones PWRDbyTRD linked to. REI has them for $14/pair, a little more than the "few"bucks I remembered, but still not bad.

Ritchey TOm slicks are under 20 a piece, these are really nice for road and mild offroad i think. If its anything wet offroad, forget it. Pretty light and they are rated up to 85psi i think. There is a huge difference off the road, knobs sucks for on road so i would switch

I have the nimbus armadillos, which go to 100 PSI and I love them. The fatboys, from what *I've* heard don't offer that great flat protection. That's just what I've heard, and I couldn't be happier with my nimbus.


yea but i heard from mtbker.com or something that they are slow and heavy.. I am looking for a nice fast light tire that still offers puncture resistance. Can anyone elsepost something on the puncturity of the fatboys? They look the nicest to me right now.