General Cycling Discussion - Road Tires on "Comfort" bike?

I have a Trek Navigator 300 which is listed as a "comfort" bike (half road/half mountain) because the tires are wide smooth in the middle and knobby on the edges.

I have yet to truly take it off the road (ok, only once)....always on paved trails. So, would it be worthwhile for me to get smooth tires for it? Could I? Do they have them? I know there are size differences, but I don't know all that stuff really.

If the specs on yours is the same as the current model, it should have 26 x 1.95 tires. You should be able to improve efficiency by putting on a slick 26 inch tire. If the bike is really comfortable to you and you wqant to improve efficiency as much as possible, you might sacrifice s little comfort and put on Kenda Kwest tires, which allow for 100 psi air pressure. There are a lot of city/road use tires out there for 26" rims, and most are going to cost less than $20 each.

You might also try tires a bit narrower than 1.95. That will increase your speed (less weight and less rolling resistance), but also make for a slightly less comfortable ride.

Those Knobby-on-the-edges tires are a hot item because they're often used by pro MTB racers. Low rolling resistance on the usually hard courses, but still some traction when they get cranked over. For any other use, they're pretty awful. On pavement, the knobs will squirm and bump if you are so unwise as to crank the bike over that far.
We use "street" tires on all our police bikes, usually the 1.95 X 26, and I advise the guys to inflate em' to the max figure.

Get some street/commuter tires. :)

Thanks all....I'm glad I asked.

I think I will look at getting some smooth tires......I was in LBS today and saw a number of models to choose from. Didn't see the Kenda Kwest, twahl, but they did have some smooth tires that had a 100 PSI max rating ($30/tire I think). I'll probably get those.

The knobs on comfort bike tires are there because customers think they need them. Many people are afraid that if they lean the bike over in a turn with totally slick tires, the bike will slide out from under them. In actual life, those knobs can be counter productive. If you try to make a hard turn on pavement, the poorly supported knobs squirm and make the tire grip feel less secure.

Why don't you even try and go skinnier with a 26 x 1.25 slick?

Why don't you even try and go skinnier with a 26 x 1.25 slick?
I'm enough of a newbie to have no idea why that would help....can you explain please? What would a slimmer tire do to help? Smoother ride? Less weight? More speed?

I just started using a 26x1.25 slick tire on a MTB bike for a month and man is there a difference. Less rolling resistance because of thinner tread and higher air pressure. Plus they are made thicker so less chance of a flat. Can I say paceline speed, you bet. Pick up the pace.
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=1443&subcategory_ID=5430

Smoother ride? Less weight? More speed?
No.
Not neccesarily
Heck yeah

I found 1.25's and 100 psi to be very jolting ... rigid fork and heavy bike here. But, I found some 1.75s that are very smooth and run at 70 psi ... it's a great compromise. Still a smooth and non-jolting ride, but much quicker than 1.95, knobs and 60 psi. See if the shop will let you try them.

Thanks all....I'm glad I asked.

I think I will look at getting some smooth tires......I was in LBS today and saw a number of models to choose from. Didn't see the Kenda Kwest, twahl, but they did have some smooth tires that had a 100 PSI max rating ($30/tire I think). I'll probably get those.At a LBS near me the high pressure Kenda Kwest is around $20 and the normal pressure variant is $15.

If your wheels are 700c you can get the 700x28 Kwest tires here for $6.95 plus shipping. There is also a 15% coupon code AZ52 good until June 12th.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1085&brand=&sku=13247&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=


If you want a 26x1.5" tire, then you could get the IRC Metro for $9.95 prior to coupon.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1084&brand=&sku=1891&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Most road-bound MTB riders seem to round on 26x1.5" tyres. Some go for 1.25 or even 1" but most find 1.5 to be the best mix of comfort and efficiency.

Ok...I got 'em today. The best smooth surface 26" tire they had was called a Nimbus EX, 26 x 1.5 (100 PSI). They were $30 a piece.

Too bad its a little too wet and miserable to ride now (and probably all weekend too).

Too wet? explain the term.
Get some fenders and ride.

Too wet? explain the term.
Get some fenders and ride.
In Florida it can get so hot, though, that all the water on ground may turn to steam and then it would be like riding in a sauna.

Ok...I got 'em today. The best smooth surface 26" tire they had was called a Nimbus EX, 26 x 1.5 (100 PSI). They were $30 a piece.

Too bad its a little too wet and miserable to ride now (and probably all weekend too).
I run those exact same tires. I've had mine for 4 years now with absolutely no issues. I'm hoping to sneak in a few miles if Arlene will stop throwing her cast off on us.

I got the Specialized Fat Boys for my old rigid mountain bike. 26x1.25, 100psi. They are really nice tires for $20 a pop.