If one spends all their time riding on smooth paved surfaces, knobby tyres make no sense as they have less contact area and are not optimal for these types of surfaces... my Moulden XC runs Schwalbe Hurricanes which behave much like a slick on the road with a harder slicker centre and side lugs that become active at lower pressures and on softer irregular surfaces.



I have ridden this bike on road centuries, commute on it a great deal, and it loves hard packed clay and moderate singletrack... it is only a little heavier than a steel framed road bike which makes a good deal of difference in how it performs.