Natronx

I'm looking to replace my semi-slicks with something that will work both on the street and converted rail trails. Would it be smart to mix tires, putting a semi-slick on the front and a slightly thinner slick on rear if I'm looking to ride on both the street and converted rail trails?

Here are the tires I'm looking at:
FRONT- Continental Travel Contact Tire - 26 x 1.75
https://www.rei.com/product/709110/co...-tire-26-x-175

REAR - Continental Sport Contact Tire - 26 x 1.6
https://www.rei.com/product/711641/co...t-tire-26-x-16

Will I be able to handle rail trails with this setup, or should I give up some street speed and get Travel Contact (or other semi-slicks) for both the front and rear?

Continental recommends the Travel Contact tire for touring, so I'm assuming its a safer bet on long rides. Should that also be a consideration for 30 to 60 mile rides?

Some background, I have an old mountain bike with all the features, but the tires are old and worn semi-slick tires. I'm not in the market for a new bike, only tires. I'm a newbie on this site but not to basic biking. After googling and reading a ton, I noticed that both this site and Sheldon Brown had almost every answer. Which is why I'm here;I respect your opinions. Can you folks help give me any advice?

Thanks for your time,
Natron

sedges

All rail to trail paths are not created equal. If the trail surfaces you anticipate riding are fine crushed stone and well maintained a smaller tire will do. If they are larger gravel, dirt, have mud when wet or sandy stretches I would get a bigger tire.

For good trails the 26X1.6 would be fine. I can recommend a cheaper alternative than the Continentals.
https://kendatire.com/en/home/bicycle...ter/kwest.aspx
These have served me well for pavement and crushed stone rail trails. If conditions are soft on the trail I let some air out, but I mostly keep them at a 100lbs. There are other very good tires to chose from in the Kenda commuter section.

If you anticipate rougher conditions there is a Kenda Kross that is similar to the Conti Travel Contact tire, but 1.95 width. It is slick in the middle and has knobs on the sides. It rolls really well on pavement when inflated hard (65-75) and goes well off pavement as low as 35-40. This tire is never on the Kenda website, but is almost always available in bike shops.

cranky velocist

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

I think its safe to say tire technology is not yet a refined science & that many people more or less end up back where they started from.

I ran 'mixed' tires on my 26" and loved it. Quite stable - but a slicker tire in the back will still spin out regardless of what you run in the front, although it can improve your road speed drastically.

On my 700/28" 'do everything' hybrid, I like the Conti Contact Sports alot.

qmsdc15

I have Schwalbe Marathon 26x1.5 on my hybridized MTB. They work well on a variety of surfaces.