Mountain Biking - road tire, wheelset needed

I just bought a Specialized Rockhopper Pro/Disc bike and want to go to more of a road tire as I am about 50/50 as far as mountain riding goes. Looking for suggestions on tire size, brand, ect. and also what it would run for a new wheel/gear set. I am kinda new to it so details are needed. Thanks for any help with this.

just go to your LBS and ask to see their 26in slicks.... I like a 1.25-1.50 slick... no knobs.... for my road/hybrid......... as for wheels.... I got a set for sale... interested??? cant put too much info on here without gettin slammed for posting an ad...

I've always had good experience with Specialized Fat Boy 1.25s.

Sun ryno lites for rims (Get them handbuilt by a GOOD wheel builder,got a couple of thousand miles on mine,no probs so far)...as for tires,hummmm I use Schwalb Matharon xr's but I also may very well run 50 miles on pavement with a hundred Lb. BoB tralier as soon as on a phat peice of singletrack. Good tire for harsh touring,but they may not be aggressive enough for a lot of folks off road riding. I use a 11/32 8-speed cassette with 24/34/46 front chainrings.
And I have a pair of WTB VelociRaptors for when I get crazy:)

I'd actually like to know if there's a tire that could do the best balance. Unfortunately the truth is that it's impossible to have a tire that does well at both. Road-capable tires have centerline treads that kill off road performance and using off road tires on the street wears down the center knobs like pencil erasers.

The best thing to do is to have 2 sets of inexpensive wheels with your road tires and mt bike tires on. A centerline tread tire with some off road knobs on the side would actually do pretty well on smooth trails, but will have very poor performance for anything technical like rocks, tree roots, creeks, or any other obsticle--no grip.

I'd recomend getting two sets of tires and just switching them out depending on what surface your on.

BUT,

I just put some 1.95 Kenda K-Rad's on my hardtail and those things are wicked fun. They're rounded on the side, like BMX tires, and have a shallow checkerboard tread. Very fast and quiet on the road, and suprisingly capable on dirt/organic debris. Not as fast as true slicks, but these let you take curbs/stairs with much more confidence. They look good too.

Can anyone direct me to some wheels on sites? Also, what would it run for the gears on the rear. I am new to this so help me along. Thanks.

Michael

I don't understand why you need anything more than just the tires to be replaced? Is there a problem with the current wheelset?

No, they are brand new. I just dont want to have to change over the tires when I want to go riding in the mountain. It would be nice to change over everything at once. I know it doesnt take long to change a tire, just trying to save time.

Just get a good set of semislicks and you are set.

No, they are brand new. I just dont want to have to change over the tires when I want to go riding in the mountain. It would be nice to change over everything at once. I know it doesnt take long to change a tire, just trying to save time.


what about the cassette? do you plan on switching the cassette from wheel to wheel ?

I have some GEAX evolutions that are pretty good for both.

How hard is changing over the cassette and what would the cost be? Any info. is greatly appreciated.
I want to be able to change it out in several minutes but cost would come into play as well.

You can change a cassette in just a few minutes. You need a chain whip and cassette lockring remover. You hold the cassette in place with the chain whip (otherwise it just spins around) and take off the lockring on the outside of the cassette with the lockring remover. it's a 3 minute process, max

The easiest way would be to go would be to get a road-specific wheelset though, because you aren't going to feel like switching cassette and tires every time you go riding. Just get a pair of skinny slicks and either a 12-27, 12-15, or 11-23 cassette and throw them on the other set of wheels. Personally, I would go with the 11-23 because you probably have a 44/32/22 or similar so you will already have plenty of low gears, and the 11 will help out when speeds get high.

Sounds great. Thanks for the help.

This thread has just come in time for me - I've just been forced to move from doing the commute to work on a folder, to using my mtb, and will have to change from the stupid knobbly tyres (that have hardly ever gone off road anyway), to something a bit smoother.

What are the totally slick tyres like though, especially in the wet? The streets of London do tend to be pretty slick themselves at times.

No, they are brand new. I just dont want to have to change over the tires when I want to go riding in the mountain. It would be nice to change over everything at once. I know it doesnt take long to change a tire, just trying to save time.

Good idea to have two wheelsets- one for slicks and one for Knobblies. And to me- the less I have to take a tyre off the rim- the less chance I have of catching the tube or a badly fitted tyre or even damaging the tyre.

On the slick side- If you want a tyre that rolls on the road- go for a high pressure tyre that is as thin as possible. Low pressures cause drag and so do wider tyres. I use the Conti Grand prix's and I even went to the folding version to save weight. These are abiut as wide as a 700 x23 and roll beautifully. Another tyre I have success with is Schwalbe Marathons in 26x 1.4. I use these on the tandem and they have proved puncture resistant and can take the extra weight of the thing.

On the gearing- Providing you have an 11t on the rear sprocket, that is all you require. You can try a road cassette but MTB gearing is sometime needed on the hills. Perhaps not in granny but it does come in handy in the middle ring. If you are on flat land though- you could look at road cassettes but make certain you get that 11t.

The slicks are completely suitable on wet roads but don't try them in snow or ice. Just like a treaded tyre- you will have to take some care when cornering in case you find diesel or oil on the road but I have done a lot of wet road riding on the slicks and no falls yet.