General Cycling Discussion - Looking for a good on road/off road tire

I like Armadillos... and have those now, but it appears as though the next generation tires don't have the really aggressive knobbies and the raised center ridge.

Specialized is maintaining the knobbies, but seems to be dropping the continuous center ridge.

I am looking for something with great side knobbies, and a good solid center ridge. The goal is to ride on the street until I get to the trails and then the knobbies kick in and maintain the traction.

http://www.specialized.com/media/equip/07TireSWFastTrak_d.jpg

These don't have a continuous center ridge.


http://www.specialized.com/media/equip/06TireCrossroadsArmadillo_d.jpg

These may do the trick... but not sure about the knobbies.



http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Tire/Specialized_04_Crossroads_Armadillo_Tire.jpg
These are just right... but old style, may not be available anymore.

So what have you seen out there that might be like this bottom tire. Anyone... ?

continental 'travel contacts' will do you right, gene. 26x1.75 or a narrowish 700x37.

There's always a lot of compromise with "dual use" items. The better it is at one....

My very first mountain bike, an old solid frame Specialized Rock Hopper, put me on my ear continually in the woods till I dumped the "compromise" tires for some proper knobbies.
Big knobs on the street mean squirms and rapid wear, however.

A lot depends on the dirt surface you'll be attacking. Those nearly-bald-in -the middle jobs that you see so often nowdays are pretty decent for hard-packed trails. Heaven forbid it should get muddy....

There's always a lot of compromise with "dual use" items. The better it is at one....

My very first mountain bike, an old solid frame Specialized Rock Hopper, put me on my ear continually in the woods till I dumped the "compromise" tires for some proper knobbies.
Big knobs on the street mean squirms and rapid wear, however.

A lot depends on the dirt surface you'll be attacking. Those nearly-bald-in -the middle jobs that you see so often nowdays are pretty decent for hard-packed trails. Heaven forbid it should get muddy....

The semi Slick tyres are good for road use- But not the best- And are good for offroad- But not the best in muddy conditions. Probably the best Compromise tyre to get but I would still prefer to change tyres for the use I am putting them to. I have been around for a few years and have Offroad tyres and Full Mud tyres mounted on wheels on the MTB and Road and Offroad tyres on the Tandem on their own wheels. Now about that Offroad tyre for the Road Bike-----

As the other posts have said, a compromise tire is always a compromise, but I've been happy with Ritchey Cross Bites on my commuter, an old Bridgestone mountain bike. They roll well on pavement, and in summer I sometimes take a detour with about five miles of packed dirt and gravel. No problems there, either.

The problem with the situation is I plan on riding both the street and trails with the same bike.

I want to ride to local trails, then ride the trails to bypass some nasty streets, then get off the trails to ride on the better streets.

I'm making my own shortcuts so to speak... and I need tires to accomplish this, so they should be dual duty.

What are the trails like? Gravel,hardpack,grass? Sandy or muddy?

(BTW,you're talking about 26" right?)

Take a look at the KendaCross by Kenda

This is a personal thing, but I prefer full-on slicks over those centre-ridge tires for off-road. I'd go with a tire that has small very small knobs, like a cross tire in this scenario.

What are the trails like? Gravel,hardpack,grass? Sandy or muddy?

(BTW,you're talking about 26" right?)

26, yeah. The trails are basically dirt, mostly hardpack with some loose stuff, no gravel, no mud or sand, or very little anyway.

For about 80% of the trails my street Armadillos work fine, especially where it is just hardpack... but that odd 20% tends to be on grades and at the bottoms of slopes where I want better than sliding traction.

I'm riding a rigid frame... I think perhaps going to at least a front shock MTB would help with control, but in the meantime, I want to put 1.9 wide tires on (the frame can handle 'em) and explore as much as I can.

Maybe try the Schwalbe Marathon Pluses. I've found them to work really well on the road in addition to dirt/mud trails. Used them on my touring bike this past summer and they're amazing. Not too of an aggressive tread so they're not too much rolling resistance, while simultaneously functioning nicely on off-road trails. However, they're not meant for strict mountain biking nor strict road biking, merely a hybrid of the too, with a stronger emphasis on the road.

By 'street Armadillos',do you mean Nimbus? Not much tread on those.

Michelin Transworld Citys in 1.95" should do pretty good. Used them on my commuter the other winter. Serfas Drifters might also work(similar to Conti Town & Countries but better puncture resistance). Performance Versatreads are knobbies with a smooth center section.