General Cycling Discussion - Whats a good all purpose mtb tire?

I have a trek 4300 that came with some knobby bontrager jones'. I'm looking to put something a little more street/bike path friendly, with the occasional packed singletrack. I am commuting a little more to work these days. Trying to avoid destroying good tires on pavement. The intermittent slide-outs aren't as fun as they look. Want a good comfortable tire that can get little dirty too. Any recommendations will be appreciated.




Thanks, -B

Schwalbe Marathon , Geax Streetrunner

Not too much mud or slippery tree roots and try "Semi-Slicks" Plemty of them out there.

Look like a worn out Knobbly tyre with tread at the edges and a slick centre.

I was in the same boat, I only have 1 bike, so it sorta needs to do everything. I have a Trek 4500 so it came with some super knobby tires, great on dirt but pretty bad on concrete. So i swapped them out for super slicks, which were the opposite, great on concrete, pretty bad on dirt, not so bad on packed dry singletrack actually, but a little mud or incline would ruin the ride. I then tried some Bontrager Connection tires, they are the stock tires on the lower end Trek bikes, they have a Chevron pattern, which is to say, nobbies on the outside and a V shape on thie inside. When they are fully inflated only the centerline V touches the pavement, gives a pretty smooth ride. on dirt they are ok too, but you can also deflate them a little, to allow the side knobbies to dig in. on a road ride i like to inflate them to full pressure, if there is a little dirt i leave them at full pressure, but if i'm expecting miles of singletrack, i drop them to about 40psi each and they have a pretty good amount of traction.

My wife went the other route and bought a Kona Smoke for road rides and a Trek Fuel WSD for dirt rides.

Hookworms

Kenda Nevegal

Kenda Kross Plus'es

WTB Nanoraptor. Good for dirt or pavement.

Kenda Kross Plus'es

+1. They are cheap too. The centre is slick thread, but the sides is knobby. However I didn't get it instead opted for the Kenda Kwest due to skinner profile.
Also don't forget the Specialised Nimbus Armadillos are not bad too. Schwalbes are the default favourite but there are also other choices too.

Apreeesh the help. Kinda torn between the Kenda Kross Plus and the K-rad. Noticed the kross plus has a black steel version at niagara. What's the difference. I'm a clyde so pinch flats are a worry if i decide to go "X-games" on raised piece of sidewalk or some other mild jump.:p I'm fat but sometimes i think i'm not.lol

Scwalbe Racing Ralph tires are mint.

A little overkill for bike paths though. Any tire will do, really.

I used a set of Specialized Crossroads for a winter. Rolled pretty well,handled good,zero flats,and did well in the snow,so prolly decent on trails.

got the kenda kross plus at my lbs. felt much smoother than the knobbies. Will do me good for now. My lbs even threw in a minor tune up cause the bike came from there. cant wait to take a long ride