Touring - 26" tires

So I have 26" wheelset that I'm planning on using for touring in the near future. I'm thinking about going with Specialized Armadillos for tires but they come in 1.5. I'm worried this will be too wide and have too much resistance, especially since I'll be touring with people with 700x25-32 ish tires. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good 26x1.0-1.25 tire? Also am I just being paranoid and will it not really make that big a difference?

I'm pretty fond of the IRC Metros in 1.25". They roll pretty quick, and I haven't had much of a flat problem with them.

I've also tried the Pasela Tourguards in the same size, and really didn't like the center ridge.

thanks. I settled on some Specialized 26x1.0 tires they had on their site at clearance for $15.99

If we are talking about MTB 26" wheels, then putting really skinny tires on has one really bad downside. Your wheel diameter is reduced from the 26" design diameter of a normal tire down to about 24" with the 1" and 1.25" tires. This dops the gear ratios down a lot. If your bike has typical MTB gearing you'll run out of upper gears often then your tire width will have the opposite affect to helping you keep up with folks on road bikes.

But you will make up for it with the lesser resistance.

But you will make up for it with the lesser resistance.

i run specialised armadillos ... even at 26x1.5 there is still minimal resistance ... tyre pressure is the biggest factor ...

i run specialised armadillos ... even at 26x1.5 there is still minimal resistance ... tyre pressure is the biggest factor ...

Same here, minimal resistance... Just pump them up to the max when using on roads and you'll be fine.

You can't make up for running out of gears. When you are in your highest gear, the only way to go faster is to pedal faster. I have put 1 1/4" slicks on my mountain bike before. I could hit the highest gear on level ground just cruising, forget about pedalling downgrades.

Following up the gear-inch issue, if you've got a cassette freehub and the current one doesn't already have an 11-tooth cog, get a cassette that has one.

oh wow how about that that's crazy. I didn't know it'd be like rolling on 24's. Oh well. With an 11-28 cassette I'll have 104.6 gear inches on my highest gear. On my road bike my current highest gear is 48:11 as well (I'm upgrading to a 52-42-30 crank soon though) and that comes out as 115.1 gear inches. Do you think the touring bike will feel that much different? I'm not opposed to lagging a little bit on the downhills and I kind of overstated the pace my group will ride as we are all pretty chill and will have loaded bikes.

So I have 26" wheelset that I'm planning on using for touring in the near future. I'm thinking about going with Specialized Armadillos for tires but they come in 1.5. I'm worried this will be too wide and have too much resistance, especially since I'll be touring with people with 700x25-32 ish tires. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good 26x1.0-1.25 tire? Also am I just being paranoid and will it not really make that big a difference?


Specialized Fat Boy slicks work well and run at 90 psi.

You can setup any gearing you wish on a touring bike. Small wheels are not a big disadvantage and running thin 26" wheels may even offer some advantages.
For fast supported tours you may want the higher gears but for loaded touring they are less important than lower ones. You should have a low gear below 20 to cope with the worst conditions.

i run specialised armadillos ... even at 26x1.5 there is still minimal resistance ... tyre pressure is the biggest factor ...

1.) By that logic. Would it be better to run a Panaracer T-Serv 26x1.75 at 115 psi -vs- a Bontrager 26x1.5 at 90 psi. ?

2.) Does tire volume become a consideration on loaded road touring? My concern is if i switch to a 26x1.0 - 1.25 when loaded it will be a harsher ride.....and potentially have more flats...?
rider and rig = 235 lbs

Schwalbe Marathon Slick.

Small wheels are not a big disadvantage

Small wheels (26") are NO disadvantage. Especially for touring.

I'm running Geax Evolutions, 26X1.95 at 60 psi, can't feel any difference in rolling resistance, good traction on asphalt, gravel or sand, Kevlar reinforced and the only real drawback is they are 880 grams, but tough as nails! 3200 miles and still look great! :D

No one likes continental town and country tires?

Yeah, I like 'em, and use 'em on my 970 - they're totally indestructible, but a bit heavy for some of these guys that want speed.

...... but a bit heavy for some of these guys that want speed.

That explains why the LAPD stopped using them. My LBS had a bunch of near new Conti Town & Countries which came off of cop bikes laying around and they were practically giving them away. I picked up a pair of 2.1's for $4 each.....:D

Hi, I'm looking for slicks for touring/commuting.

Local bike stores are all roadie or mountain bike. Knobblies or non 26" slicks.
So from Performance Bicycle, I've been looking at these three. Anyone have any experience with them? The Forte Fast city mentions a kevlar belt for puncture resistance, the Michelin says puncture-resistant reinforcment. (the slicks don't say anything. There's lots of glass on my commute - am I gonna start getting lots of flats if I switch from my knobbies? The Marathon plus and armadillos are a bit out of my price range right now.

Forte Fast City ST/K MTB Tire
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=2314

Michelin Transworld MTB Tire
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=16520

Forte Slick City ST MTB Tire
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=15304&subcategory_ID=5425

Thanks

I just got done dealing with this issue and ordered a set of 26 x 1.25 tires for my commuter yesterday. Heres what I found.

Two of the most popular tires are the Panaracer Pasela TG and Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Continenal also has a very popular tire. You can find lots of possitive comments about all three brands.

Details - This is what I looked at.

Panaracer Pasela TG 26" x 1.25" $25.99 300g 80 psi Very popular touring tire. Kevlar belt.

Panaracer T-Serv 26" x 1.25" $27.99 260g 80 psi Simular to Pasela TG. Messenger tire.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus 26" x 1.35" $39.99 710g 55-95psi Top shelf puncture resistance.

The prices for the Panaracers came from Alfred E. Bike and the Schwalbe came from Wallingford Bike.

Both Panaracer tires are reported to have good rolling resistance and decent puncture resistance but not as good as the Marathon Plus or Armadillos. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus is one of the most durrable tires around but it comes with a price, look at the weight, more than twice as much as the Panaracers. They are reported to roll like tanks and can be difficult to remove from rims.

I decided to go with the Panaracer T- Serv. Since I don't commute in the city center anymore I decided I don't need top shelf puncture resistance at the sacrafice of rolling resistance. Also, it will not kill me if I have to change a tire occationally. Just as long as I am not doing it every other week. I choose the T-Serv over the Pasela because they got good reports on the commuting forum for their handling. I also think they look better.

Hi, I'm looking for slicks for touring/commuting.

Local bike stores are all roadie or mountain bike. Knobblies or non 26" slicks.
So from Performance Bicycle, I've been looking at these three. Anyone have any experience with them? The Forte Fast city mentions a kevlar belt for puncture resistance, the Michelin says puncture-resistant reinforcment. (the slicks don't say anything. There's lots of glass on my commute - am I gonna start getting lots of flats if I switch from my knobbies? The Marathon plus and armadillos are a bit out of my price range right now.

Forte Fast City ST/K MTB Tire
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=2314

Michelin Transworld MTB Tire
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=16520

Forte Slick City ST MTB Tire
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=15304&subcategory_ID=5425

Thanks
The Fast City rates very high for mileage and durability even on tandems! When I wear out my Fat Boys, I'll be using the Fast City, or the Schwalbe Marathon 1.0? See previous poster for the Schwalbe and you might also check out the da Vinci tandem site, as they list a 1.0 Schwalbe as their tire option as well.