Commuting - Better "road" tires for a 29er

I just bought my GF a 29inch SS MTB to get around on. The bike came with some seriously aggressive and wide MTB tires. I would like to get a set of narrower lower profile tires.

I looked at the side of the tire to get some numbers that I could compare online. The side of the tire reads 29 x 2.2 (700 x 55c*edit*). Could I use any 700 x --c tire? What would be a nice tire with low profile tread pattern? I have seen a few 700c cyclocross tires that I liked but I wasn't sure if they would work.

According to Sheldon Brown (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html), 29" is just a marketing term for wider 700c tires.

How wide are the rims? Check and see what the rim manufacturer says the narrowest tire you can use is. Otherwise you can use any 700c tire.

Will she just be riding on pavement? Then don't worry about any tread and just go for osemthing slick.

More than likely any 700x35c or greater tire will fit. We just put a set of Cheng-Shin 700x35c smoothies on my friends GF 29er. My best recommendation though would either be the Schwalbe Big Apples (http://schwalbetires.com/node/61/ok) or the Specialized Boroughs (http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=33906).

Good luck!

Thanks for the help guys.

I would like at least a little tread since it seems to be better in the weather and resistant to punctures.

Also in the OP I accidentally typed 700 x 35c when in fact the current tires are 700 x 55c

Also I know this is kind of stupid but are there any colored tires that you know of offered. pink or yellow maybe ;D.

Those Schwalbe Big Apples are an absolute blast to ride on. Get the biggest ones you can.

I'm not sure if it will work for you but I use the Kenda kwick Roller EZ Ride series in 700x45c on my 29er. It's a slick tire with a lot of cush for potholes and other obstacles you may encounter on your commute. I like it a lot.

go slick, you dont need or want any tread on the pavement.

Also I know this is kind of stupid but are there any colored tires that you know of offered. pink or yellow maybe ;D.

Schwalbe Fat Franks come in colors, at least a Creme color.

+1 to Schwalbe Big Apples,
comfy and fairly quick to ride on

I just bought my GF a 29inch SS MTB to get around on. The bike came with some seriously aggressive and wide MTB tires. I would like to get a set of narrower lower profile tires.

I looked at the side of the tire to get some numbers that I could compare online. The side of the tire reads 29 x 2.2 (700 x 55c*edit*). Could I use any 700 x --c tire? What would be a nice tire with low profile tread pattern? I have seen a few 700c cyclocross tires that I liked but I wasn't sure if they would work.

Schwalbe Marathon 700 x 45c (622 x 47mm)work just fine for me on a standard German city bike (i.e. a 700C/622mm wheel without the 29er moniker.)

My Crosstrail came with 1.9" Boroughs. They rolled well,but it took a bit of omph to get them rolling. Swapped them for some 38mm Infinity Flak Jackets w/reflective sidewalls. Much peppier,quicker handling,yet still wide enough to screw around with. And I've yet to flat any Flak Jackets(All Condition,Nimbus,Infinity,Borough).

Interesting note: those Boroughs are really light for such a wide tire. According to my digital fish scale they're 1lb 9oz with the tubes still in. The wire bead infinites were 1lb 11oz for just the tire.

+1 for the Specialized Boroughs...

Big apples soak up bumps pretty good while rolling pretty easily. they roll as easily as many much narrower tires I've owned. They have a kevlar belt to help prevent flats, but I've only ridden mine a bit over 100 mi so I can't speak to long-term flat prevention.

The reflective sidewall is awesome too.

Just make sure they'll fit. The OP won't have any trouble, but they are a bit fat for my Cross Check (had to get creative with fender mounting)

FWIW, I sometimes throw a pair of Specialized Crossroads tires on my 29er Crosstrail:

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=30137

They are fairly wide at 35mm. I like my tires to have some substance. But that's just me. Oh, and they have a good tread pattern too, which I also like. I've even taken them off road on some easy singletrack, and they do ok on that.

i have put road tires on my 29er for some hill climbs when the trails were too muddy.

any road tire will fit just fine!

some people will say certain tires only fit on certain width rims. i have never found that too be true.

but really for any extended pavement riding i'd recommend just get your self a singlespeed roadbike. then you have one for road and one for dirt for less than the price of one geared bike. perfect really :p

shoot i am up to three; one for dirt, one for dry roads, and one for wet roads.

any road tire will fit just fine!

some people will say certain tires only fit on certain width rims. i have never found that too be true.



Just an FYI,I put 1.3" S-Licks on a set of Rhyno Lites,and they just barely fit(the bike had 2.35" knobs when I got it). Anything thinner wouldn't have been safe.

Most street bikes will take a wide range of tires,but many off-road rims are just too wide to go too skinny.

Also,for Big Apples vs Boroughs;1.9" Boroughs are 1lb 9oz(about 710gr) with schraeder valves tubes still in them(per my digital fish scale) and take 80psi. Per Schwalbe's site,2" Big Apples are 885gr and only take 70psi.

Just an FYI,I put 1.3" S-Licks on a set of Rhyno Lites,and they just barely fit(the bike had 2.35" knobs when I got it). Anything thinner wouldn't have been safe.

Most street bikes will take a wide range of tires,but many off-road rims are just too wide to go too skinny.

what do you mean by barely fit? couldn't get them on the rim? all i am sayin is i have put a 700x23 on a delgado cross rim (my 29ers rims, maybe not the widest) and i have put a 29x2.3 on a mavic open pro (road rim). i have had no problems...

I mean they just fit. When I started to mount the first one,I actually measured the wheel to make sure it was 26". And they're only barely wider than the rims. You can kinda tell from this pic:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/148999367_2ef74bdadc_o.jpg

I'm swapping them for something wider,but the only yellow 26's I can find are T-Servs,and nobody seems to stock them.

I'm a Vittoria Randonneur fan. Just got my second set - 700x32s for winter with the reflective sidewalls. I got 5+ years and several thousand miles out of my first pair.

700x32 should fit with no problem - maybe even 700x28. If you're trying to fit a tire that's narrower than your rim things might get funky, but I guess max-a-mill has had no issues.

There definitely is such a thing as a tire that's too narrow for a rim (I'm talking width, not diameter)! Too wide is also a possibility.

See the section titled "Width Considerations" near the bottom of: http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

Also see: http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

It is important for best performance, safety, and ease of mounting and dismounting that a tire have a width appropriate for its rim. If someone buys a bike that the factory shipped with 32mm width tires, that bike can use anything in the 28mm to 35mm range with no problems. Outside of that range...well...

So, if your bike left the factory with 50mm wide tires, you probably need to stay in the 46mm to 54mm range to have a good fit. If you want to use a light 32mm tire, you could have your LBS replace your current rims with a rim designed for a 32mm tire. (Or, perhaps more cheaply, just buy a pair of wheels with a rim designed for a 32mm tire).