Commuting - Commuter Tires

I am going to be commuting with a mtn bike, because I like riding upright and the wide tires. I still have the knobby tires that came with the bike. I would like to switch to smoother tread and am looking for suggestions.

I am concerned that I may lose traction during recreational rides on crushed limestone or dirt trails. Ultimately, I would like to have two sets of wheels that I can change as my needs change.

Anyone have a preferred tread for multi use?

I'm very happy with Vredestein Spiders - 1.8" nominal width, with the centre inch slick and knobbles on the outside. At full pressure the knobbles don't touch tarmac unless you lean the bike over on corners, so they're reasonably fast, yet the tread is there for gravel tracks and dirt. I wouldn't want to use them in really muddy condition, but they seem fine on gravel or dirt for nothing too extreme. 1400 miles without a puncture as well.

If you're particularly after puncture free tyres for your commute there was a recent thread on them (try puncture and commuter in search box) and I think Specialized Armadillo's were also recommended.

I'll probably try Vredestein S-licks when I get a second set of wheels built - 1.4" (I think) and up to 90 psi.

Richard

hmmm... yeah i've had the same problem. i can tell you what i've tried::

2 sets of tires just doesn't work for me - it's too much hassle to change the tires all the time... 2 sets of wheels/tires works, but you have to spend some extra $$ - maybe next time you retire your off-road wheels make them your commuters... my problem is i usually wait until mine break instead of replacing when they're heavily worn... (not the best thing but i'm lazy and just want to ride, not spend $$ and time)

basic commuting tires that are solid in the middle but have good tread on the outside are OK - you loose some off road traction... also most of these are a harder less grippy rubber which lasts longer but is not as good off-road

semislick racing tires simliar to the above post are a decent compromise IF you ride off-road on hard-pack or sand and not much super wet muddy stuff... these tires are almost treadless in the middle so they go fast in a striaght line but have big knobs for corners of when it gets soft and they did in... this is my preferred solution --- i originally got semi-slicks not for commuting but for summer racing but found them great for commuting too -- my semis have lasted a long time on the road too

the other real compromise is that riding your knobby grippy off-road tires on the road a lot chews them up and they don't last long - in addition to being noisy and slow...

for winter, the special studded snow tires i have are also good - they are solid in the middle for hard surfaces and then have big knobs and metal studs on the edges for curves and off-road... pump up the pressure for on road and the knobs/studs don't touch and then lower the pressure for offroad and the contact patch widens... works pretty well for mud too, but obviously not as well as special mud-specific tires...

I was having the same problem. So I figured the best way to solve it was to buy another bike.:D It really is the only suitable answer to the problem.

In all seriousness, If you ride on loose dirt/gravel surfaces then you need knobblies, if the trail is hard compact dirt/clay then a slick tyre is probably OK.

Not much help.:(

CHEERS.

Mark

I've heard good things about the Bontrager Revolt SS semislick; this sort of compromise might be what you're looking for, I don't know.

IMO, compromise sucks. People should have exactly what they need, all the time, and it should be perfect. I guess I'm just a crazy idealist, eh?

Two bikes is definitely the answer.

RichC