Commuting - Road tires on a MTB?

I have a Trek 800 that was given to me with a bent fork. I replaced the fork with a Rock Shox something or another

I'm using this bike as both a mountain bike and my commuter but I commute more often than I hit the trail.
I am thinking about getting some more road oriented tires to have on the bike normally, and then switch on the nobby MTB tires when I go to the trails.

What are my limitations here? What tires should I get? Sizes? Should I get new rims too?



Thanks in advance for the input

Performance has their street slicks that are cheap, take high pressure, are easy to install. I wouldn't bother with new rims as it sounds like you are trying to save money.

I like these as they have a kevlar belt.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=2314&subcategory_ID=5425

Otherwise the plain city tires seem to pick up glass like crazy.

Good luck.

My commuter is a Fuji MTB with the Judy Rock Shox. I use Specialized's Hemisphere EX tire. It's tough tire, my only problems is the tread likes to collect pebbels.

For about a $110 or so I picked up a set of road tires and wheels complete with cassette on ebay. Tis a breeze to swap them out. I did my first commute on the GT XiZang today and let me tell you it was sweet. The more I ride that bike the more I love it. On or off road. The tires are wtb's slickasaurus 1.50's

Tomorrow I'll probably commute on my new (used) Rock Lobster to see how the roadies roll. It's really a cyclocross bike but it's the closest thing I have to a road bike. That is if I don't have to take my 26 pound behemoth of a cat to the vet. He's got a cold. :(

On bad weather days my beloved road bike stays home and I commute on my trusty Specialized RockHopper. I think it is currently running a Serfas Barista (26x1.25) on the front and a Specialized Fatboy (26x1.25) on the rear. Both pump up to 100PSI and made a noticable improvement (to me) over the hybrid slick/knobby tires I had been running on this bike.

I put the Peformance Forte City ST on my commuter. I didn't know they made a kevlar version, or I'd have bought those instead. :\ So far, no problems, even in a heavy downpour that soaked me.

I used my 1997 Trek 820 for many years to commute and to MTN bike...just ride...no matter what tires you have on...enjoy the biking to work and as the tires wear out, get a set that has a smooth center for road rides and grips on the sides for mud. Happy biking!

I am using Ritchey Tom slicks for my offroad oriented setup. These things are pretty light, and not even 20 dollars a piece. I commute 17 miles a day with them now, highly recommend.

Schwalbe Marathon Slicks 26x1.35. Thin, so very fast, but most important and surprisingly, very supple, even at max psi, 95 psi. Those, are indeed the best in my opinion. They even have a reflective sidewall, so you can take off those dorky reflectors in your spokes. I got them from triathlete.com for $21/tire. Look around. They are well worth it. If you can find Continental Ultra Gatorskin tires in 26x1 1/8, those would be another good contender since they have the longest wear of any tire. They are not as soft, but since they are thinner, they will be faster.

These are 1.5" Armadillos on a 1988 Trek 830. I never go off road anymore but do occasionally cut across greenbelts or gravel areas. I ride this bike on centuries with this setup. Love the tires. I run them at 90lbs.
http://i1.tinypic.com/21odk52.jpg
http://i4.tinypic.com/21odks8.jpg

you won't need new rims. Bontrager makes good (smooth) MBT tires. Before purchasing purpose spacific bikes I did this, eventually I had a second set of wheels built as it was easier to swap wheels than change tires. in the end I was disatisfied with the limitations of a "do everything" bike and started buying road and MBT spacific bikes.