mattkime

I have a mountain bike which i've been commuting with for some time. I've been riding it with the nubby off road tires. I should get something that better matches the pavement that i ride on. Still, is it smart to get something completely slick for riding through urban industrial areas? I do hit occasional patches of gravel.

Any particular tires to recommend for urban commuting?

(26" by...i'll look it up tomorrow)

Pendergast

I have 1.4" Ritchey Tom Slicks on my rigid mtn bike. They're pretty fast and do fine in gravel. There's also a 1" version of the Tom Slicks, but I wanted the versatility of the bigger tire. 1.25" tires are a popular size for riding pavement and that's as small as I would have gone, but I'm happy with the 1.4" Tom Slicks and haven't felt any need to go narrower.

bidaci

I use the Vittoria Randonneur Cross 26x1.75. I opted for something a bit wider to help eat up small road irregularities. If you are looking for as fast as possible, then you need narrow and high pressure. Smooth will be wider and lower pressure. I found these to be a good compromise.

https://www.rei.com/product/709111

probable556

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...p?p=RITMS&tn=0

Ritchey Tom Slick 26 x 1.

Fast and bulletproof.

EDIT - I use the 1.4's. Very fast tires...

WillisB

I am using Bontrager 1.5" Select Inverts. They work well.

wroomwroomoops

Schwalbe Big Apple - the balloon bike tires. Worked fantastically for me. Very smooth, and very cushy (especially the 2.3" versions). In addition to being fast and yet comfy with all that air, they are kevlar protected from punctures.

CsHoSi

I've been rolling 2.0" Serfas Drifters for the past 9 months. They're inverted tread and also come in a 1.5" version. I think they're great. They have some kind of flat protection strip built-in and they wear well.

I'm running them tubeless on mavic ust rims no problem, not one flat in 9 months where before I was changing tubes at least once a week and sometimes every ride. On the street I run them near 50 psi and they roll well but handling suffers (I think). When I get to the trails I drop them down to 25 or 30, depending on terrain. They do alright until you get into mud or wet grass. Gravel is not a problem.

I have some Continental Town & Country's to try next. Slicks would be pretty neat to try out but they're not practical for me.

CdCf

Continental SportContact 26x1.6" - I haven't had a single flat while using them. 4500 miles or so, so far. I ride over broken glass frequently too.

Plenty of air volume for shock absorption and no tread for that extra speed.

neilfein

I asked a similar question over in the Clydesdale forum. Mattkime, this may not be the best advice if you're a light-as-air skinny rail of a biker.

wroomwroomoops

I have the Continental Town and Country on one of my bikes - they are supposed to be extremely durable, but I thought they were a bit slower than the Big Apples, and considerably less comfortable. The Serfas Drifters you mention seem to be in a similar league as the Conty T&C, eccept maybe the middle thread would not have as little rolling resistance as the T&C. Which makes me wonder why do the Big Apples roll better than the T&C.

When you do try the T&C, I'd be interested in a comparison with the Serfas Drifters.

neilfein

I have a pair of the conti Town and Country tires. I like them a lot, but they don't take higher PSIs well. (But that could be a flaw in this pair.) I have them at 55 and they seem happy, but I'd prefer something I can inflate to 65-75.

Bill Kapaun

Neil, what do you mean they don't take higher PSIs well?
You got the 1.9's didn't you?
Just curious.

neilfein

Yeah. As I said, it could be these tires that are at fault; I inflated them to 65 when I put them on, and they were unevenly inflated. After i took the PSI down to the mid 50's, they work fine. If, in a few days, they still bulge at 65, I'll send them back to performancebike for a new pair.

wroomwroomoops

mattkime: I forgot to adress the "occasional patch of gravel" issue: I go through plenty of gravel with my Big Apples, and while it's not ideal while cornering on gravel, it's far from being unstable. I do about 6 Km of cycling on gravel during my commute to work, and don't ever feel like I need a tire with a more agressive thread. And then, the very smooth thread of the Big Apples just shines on the road, which makes the majority of my cycling in town.

Is this what you really want? I don't know. Fact is, of all the tires here listed, the Big Apples are the smoothest, by far. That puts them much more in the road zone. In spite of that, I don't mind going through the parks with them, but if I had to do 60% or more on gravel, I'd probably take the Contis or the Vittorias (those are some sweet tires, if they only were a bit fatter... (I luv fat tires (I think I might have already said this))).

Bill Kapaun

I had to take a stout scissors and trim about 1/16" off the rim strip on both sides.
There wasn't a problem with the old knobbies, since they fit much looser.
The Serfas I put on were "snugger" and the bead wanted to "drag" the rim strip along with it (in places) as it slid over while inflating. Originally, the rim strip was probably 1-2 MM too wide to seat down fully in the center depression of the rim.
A little liquid dish soap can help if the rim strip isn't the problem.

veloceleste

Second these.
Bontrager 1.5" Select Inverts

JanMM

I put Performance Forte Fast City ST/K 26x1.25/90psi on our KHS tandem and it made the bike a lot zippier than the fatter, stouter tires that came on the bike.

Raiyn

+1 See, we don't disagree on everything.

Mudu93

IRC Metros. Love them

neilfein

I'll try that. There are a few areas where the tires bulge out; I'll check them in particular.

CdCf

tellyho

I have Panaracer 1.5s on my rain bike and they're SLOW. I'd go for the Ritchey 1.0s, if you're not a Clyde.

Re-Cycle

specalized fat boys

waterrockets 

+1 to the performance City STs. For $8 each, they're really great. I've commuted on them for 15 years (under all the various names -- same tire). They last a long time. I've also used them at Slick Rock Canyon, and they're incredible there (much better than knobbies), and they held up well to the conditions there.

wroomwroomoops

Nice tires, but they'll get you killed on gravel, and the OP has to go through "occasional patches of gravel".
Still, great road tires - if only there was a thicker version!