Road Cycling - Recommendations for slicks from knobbies?

Hi,

I'm new here. I just wanted to get some advice on what kind of road tires I should pick up for my mountain bike. It's a standard mtb wheel size (26.6" ?). I am looking for something that I can bike around on pavement with some limited offroad capability and wet weather riding (Continentals? Specialized? Richteys?)

:)

Hi,

I'm new here. I just wanted to get some advice on what kind of road tires I should pick up for my mountain bike. It's a standard mtb wheel size (26.6" ?). I am looking for something that I can bike around on pavement with some limited offroad capability and wet weather riding (Continentals? Specialized? Richteys?)

:)

For my MTB I bought the cheapest slicks I could find at Perfomance Bike Inc. I've put a few hundred miles on them so far and can't complain. However, I wouldn't use them for the trail. You might want to hit the cyclecross section.

Joe

Youmight get better luck w/ this on the MTB forum. Most of us here have dedicated road bikes and probably keep knobbies on our MTBs since we don't cross over. But to answer your question, I would think pretty much any slick tires with a slight tread pattern would fit your needs. Personally, if you've got the $, just get a roadie :) MUCH nicer and it will make you a stronger MTBer...

I used a Specialized Nimbus Armadillo (http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=5532&JServSessionIdroot=j98hju1bxb.j27004) 26x1.5 tire for a while on my MTB for commuting. It was a nice tire, wet or dry, and had great puncture resistance and low rolling resistance (100psi). It was wide enough for some of the dirt trails I sometimes ride on my commute, but I wouldn't expect it to be much good on anything other than a reasonably smooth trail. Not really much traction in the loose stuff.

If you're looking for something with a bit better traction off-road, but that still has low rolling resistance on-road, perhaps check out a semi-slick tire. Something along the lines of a Continental TravelContact (http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/city/travelcontact/travelcontact_en.html).

How skinny and how slick you're prepared to go would have a lot to do with what your definition of 'limited off-road capability' is (dirt paths/roads, loose gravel, light singletrack?). It's probably also got to do with how confident you are and how good your bike handling skills are. I can ride gravel trails on road bike slick tires fairly easily these days, but couldn't a few years ago.

Tread really makes no difference in the wet. Bike tires don't aquaplane, so slicks are fine.

I've tried four or five different road tires on my mountain bikes. All of them are huge improvements over knobbies, but to be honest I really can't tell much difference among the slicks. The MB I use for a commuter now is running 1.4 Ritchey Cross Bites, which have an inverted tread. They roll smoothly on pavement but have enough grip for gravel roads and light dirt (rain isn't a problem for any of them--you can't get a bike going fast enough to hydroplane. Even smooth, completely treadless tires work fine).
Performance or Nashbar generics are OK, and they're cheap, often $10-$12 on sale. Specialized makes baldies and some with a little tread, and they're good. For pure pavement use, look at Panaracer Paselas--I have them in 700x32 on my road bike; I'm on the third set and love them. They come in 26x1.25 and I think 1.4. Michelin also makes pavement tires, and I've been happy with those, too. Can't remember the model, though.
One recommendation: I'd stay away from really skinny tires, like 26x1.0. They're hard-riding, dodgy on anything but smooth pavement and don't give you lower rolling resistance. Look in the range of 1.25 to 1.4 or 1.5.

I have Specialized Hemisphere Armadillos on my MTB. tough as nails. a little bit of tread so you can take it on hardpack and gravel . you can lean a good amount on pavement. and you can pump them up (and past, if you dare) the recommended max pressure of 80 psi to keep the rolling resistance down

Hi,

I'm new here. I just wanted to get some advice on what kind of road tires I should pick up for my mountain bike. It's a standard mtb wheel size (26.6" ?). I am looking for something that I can bike around on pavement with some limited offroad capability and wet weather riding (Continentals? Specialized? Richteys?)

:)

I've got the cheapo Performance City ST (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=2311) tires, and they work great. they're 26x1.5, they're so much faster than nobbies. They run at 45-60 psi and I like 60 psi the best. If you want to run higher than that you may have to spend more.

Thank you for all the helpful replies. Would I be a lot faster at 100psi vs 60psi? I'm doing about 14mph average with no effort on knobbies. With all these recommendations is there anything I should avoid like the plague?