Fifty Plus (50+) - Tires for my Hybrid

I know, get a road bike, but I ride a hybrid (Gary Fisher Nirvana), and I was wondering if there would be any advantage to ditching the stock somewhat fat knobby tires for thinner road tires. I do mostly road riding anyway on this bike.

..........I was wondering if there would be any advantage............

How about an extra 3 mph or more with road tires?

I know, get a road bike, but I ride a hybrid (Gary Fisher Nirvana), and I was wondering if there would be any advantage to ditching the stock somewhat fat knobby tires for thinner road tires. I do mostly road riding anyway on this bike.

Women will pay more attention to you, for one thing. This can be a blessing or a curse. :D

But seriously, you'll go a little faster, and the bike will probably feel more responsive. That's what happened when I swapped out my knobbies for slicks on my MTB.

I slapped a set of Amadillo 26x 1 1/2 semi slicks on my Specialized for my commute it made a world of difference. I wish I had gone narrower and just might when these wear out.

When I was shopping for my second bike, it came down to a GF Nirvana or Trek 7200. I went with the Trek 7200FX primarily because it had no suspension fork and thinner tyres. Which in 2005 the Trek was 700 x 35 and the Nirvana was 700 x 42, I believe. I see the 2007 models have 700 x 38. I now fine myself on roads 95% of the time and picked up a road bike with 700 x 23 tyres. And the thinner tyres are deffinitely faster on blacktop. Although 23 is too thin for me. I will be trying 700 x 28 on the 7200FX one of these days. Hoping to get some of that speed and hoping they still perform on a hard gravel trail.

As others have suggested/indicated, there will be a difference. In fact, I'm venturing a guess that if you go this route, you'll wonder why it took you so long.

Most of the difference will come from smooth vs. knobby. You will gain some speed from narrower tires, to a point, but short of racing conditions, you won't see a dramatic change by going narrower than a 32 or 36 on a hybrid bike. Also a slightly wider tire is more versatile. It will handle the occasional dirt road better and can be run at lower pressure for more comfort on rougher roads. Pump them up to the max for smooth roads and you'll go faster.
The Speedmax type tires with smooth centers and outer knobs are very versatile as well. They aren't quite as good as a slick on the road or a knobby offroad, but they work better than you might think they would for both.

3 weeks ago I switched from 26X1.90 in. mountain/road hybrids (semismooth middle and knobs along the edges) to 26X1.50 road tires. It was the best thing I ever did. The difference in response and handling is simply amazing. I am not a racer and couldn't tell you if it increased my speeds. I think it did.

I ride on some dirt/graveled roads, as well as paved roads, and find that the tires I put on actually provide better handling than the mountain tires. I am using Bontrager Select Inverts not slicks. I don't know how the slicks would perform on the dirt roads.

Make the change now. You will never regret it.

Same story here. Just got rid of knobbies and moved to 26 x 1.5. Big difference. 80 psi vs. 50 psi. Faster and quieter. With a seven-speed cassette, I cruised a lot on #5 cog. Now I spend more time on the #6 cog than before. Given that difference, I'm now scoping out road bikes!

http://kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

Took off the 700 X 36's on my wife" Raleigh hybrid and put on 700 X 30's. Almost bullet proof tires and she thinks she rolls along easier and faster, too. There is some tread but not knobby stuff like the originals.

OK, I switched from the 700x38 Bontrager Select Inverts that were on the bike to 700x28 Armadillos. I will pump them up to the rated 100psi and try them out tommorow. I also ditched the shock absorber seat post which seemed a little mushy of late for a solid one.

All the above, plus they'll be a lot quieter on pavement.

Took the new tires out for a short ride. Didn't notice any speed difference but there were strong gusty crosswinds that probably slowed me down a bit. I had them filled to 100psi, and did notice some odd vibration at some points, that could have been caused by the pavement. Now I also need to get used to not having the shock on the seat.

I just did this too. Went from 700x38 to 700x30 (tandem road tires) and from 75psi to 100psi. I couldn't be happier. On a quick test spin this afternoon the bike is probably two cogs easier to pedal and corners better too.

If you ride your hybrid on the road this is a no-brainer. Can't believe I waited so long! I'll take it for a real ride tomorrow morning and I'm expecting to be even happier.

Did a ride that usually took me 2 hours today in 1 hr 45 minutes! I had a nice wind behind me for 1/2 of it but I like these new tires anyway.