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26x??? - How narrow would YOU go?

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26x??? - How narrow would YOU go?

Old 12-19-05, 12:23 PM
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26x??? - How narrow would YOU go?

I'm just looking for less sluggish handling and a little less rolling resistance to compensate for the overgeared nature of my commuter, but I don't want to do it at the expense of getting a lot of flats or losing too much traction in the rain. I'm not too worried about getting beaten up on the ride. The bike is steel and has plenty of give.

I'm running 26x1.25 Specialized Fat Boy slicks on my commuter (they seem wider than that), and I do plan to wear them out first, but I'm wondering what kind of luck you all have had going narrower than that. The Fat Boys are rated at 100 psi, and in my browsing it seems that is on the high end for MTB slicks.

Anyone having luck with narrower tires? If so, what are you running? If not, feel free to tell me I'm nuts
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Old 12-19-05, 02:12 PM
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Your nuts. I run performance's house brand of 26x1.25 and they're great for speed but for the way our roads have been around here they aren't wide enough to make me completely confident. I'm going up to 26x1.9 or 2.0 depending on the tire I get. I felt more confident even with 1.5's I used to run.

I can't imagine running narrower tread than 1.25".
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Old 12-19-05, 02:23 PM
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You might be able to get away with 26x 1.5
I run 26x 1.9
My studs are 26x 2.125

If you go narrower then 1.5 I would watch how much weight you carry.

You see the whole thing about wider tires is, MORE WEIGHT.

I tend to carry a lot of stuff. Bike wieghs in @ 45 lbs with lights and winter gear etc...

Everyone has opinions... so lets hear them:
 
Old 12-19-05, 02:30 PM
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I have run 1" slicks - Hitchinson Air Lite Pros in summer and a Tioga City Slicker on the front right now. Fast, hard, nice roadie ride. The Hutches are very delicate and puncture like mad, but that's the trade-off for such a gracile tyre.

A 1" front, 1.25" rear combo is good for commuters: fast precise handling, but a little more comfort.
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Old 12-19-05, 02:54 PM
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The ultimate would be the Continental model that is basically a 190-gram cut-down Grand Prix road-racing tire in a 26" MTB size, with featherweight butyl tubes. I've got a pair of the venerable Matrix Mt. Aero rims (375 grams, aero-V) and have often toyed with this idea for a sort of drag-racing traffic bike. Certainly would be a change from these 950-gram Nokians
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Old 12-19-05, 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by andygates
I have run 1" slicks - Hitchinson Air Lite Pros in summer and a Tioga City Slicker on the front right now. Fast, hard, nice roadie ride. The Hutches are very delicate and puncture like mad, but that's the trade-off for such a gracile tyre.

A 1" front, 1.25" rear combo is good for commuters: fast precise handling, but a little more comfort.

I was looking at those Hutchinsons. Sounds like those would probably not be a good choice considering the glass daggers I seem to always be picking out of my tires.

I never considered mixing sizes before. The front is definitely where I miss having a skinny tire though. Hmm...

Last edited by marqueemoon; 12-19-05 at 03:40 PM.
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Old 12-19-05, 03:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Walkafire
If you go narrower then 1.5 I would watch how much weight you carry. You see the whole thing about wider tires is, MORE WEIGHT. Everyone has opinions... so lets hear them:
I have good reason to disagree with you I weigh 315lbs by myself, plus 20lbs of panniers, and my 26x1.25's have never caused me grief. I run them at their max pressure (maybe just a *tad* bit more ) and they are hard as a rock, and they ride like crap. But golly, they're fast.
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Old 12-19-05, 03:14 PM
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For MTB 26" (ISO 559) the fastest tires are Conti Grandprix and Schwalbe Stelvio. Both are built just like performance road tires (700c) but in sizes for MTB (26x1.0). However I wouldn't use either for commuting. I don't think the Fatboys are tough enough for commuting either. My personal preference is for Marathon Slicks 26x1.35 for commuting, however I do run Stelvios on longer rides. My commute just has too many obstacles and debris to trust the light weight tires.
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Old 12-19-05, 03:28 PM
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Originally Posted by rykoala
I have good reason to disagree with you I weigh 315lbs by myself, plus 20lbs of panniers, and my 26x1.25's have never caused me grief. I run them at their max pressure (maybe just a *tad* bit more ) and they are hard as a rock, and they ride like crap. But golly, they're fast.


I bet they are like ROCKS ...LOL

On average I put about 5,000 miles a Year in commuting. I find if I go below 1.9 I am very uncomfortable.

What it boils down to is: What ever you "tweek" your bike for YOU is the best.

We are all different.



*note* I'd keep an eye on those rims
 
Old 12-19-05, 03:53 PM
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Interesting because I was just thinking about things I need to repair or replace on my bike before spring last weekend. I was thinking about switching out my 1.75" Continental Travel Contacts for the 1.25" Panaracer T-Servs because they are closer to what touring bikes use. They are also Kevlar belted. Doing a search of the forum it seemed that several people reported good luck with them

https://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=TR2256
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Old 12-19-05, 03:54 PM
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Originally Posted by andygates
I have run 1" slicks - Hitchinson Air Lite Pros in summer and a Tioga City Slicker on the front right now. Fast, hard, nice roadie ride. The Hutches are very delicate and puncture like mad, but that's the trade-off for such a gracile tyre.

A 1" front, 1.25" rear combo is good for commuters: fast precise handling, but a little more comfort.
+1

1" Hutchinson Top Slick in front and and a 1.25" Fat Boy in back works great for me.

I have not had the flat problems Andy has had.
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Old 12-19-05, 04:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Walkafire
We are all different.
*note* I'd keep an eye on those rims
Yep I agree, we are all very different! I'm with you on the 1.9's though, I am switching as soon as I can afford it, and find a good tire. Right now I've got the Nokians on for winter, those things ride so nice!

As for keeping an eye on those rims, I've got it covered. Mavic 231/XTR (early 90's) in the front, 36 hole. Rear is 32 hole IRO MTB Fixed gear hub (no dishing!) on Velocity Cliff Hanger rims. Indestructible in the commuting environment, save for a bad crash.
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Old 12-19-05, 04:48 PM
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I am running 26X1" Ritchey Tom Slicks at 100 psi on a steel jamis mnt bike commuter. They are crazy fast (almost as fast as my road bikes) but seem rougher than my road bike tires.

Also, I went down hard and flipped across two lanes of traffic due to sliding out on black ice last week on the Ritcheys. I believe this would have happened on any of my slick tires, however (I was asking for it). I weigh 155 lbs and ride pretty agressively. I have run slicks from 2.0 to 1.0 and recommend going as skinny as you can if you are after that fast road bike feeling. They will hold as long as there is no ice/water etc. I am not saying the fatter tires are slower, they just FEEL that way!
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Old 12-22-05, 10:33 PM
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I'm sticking with my 700x38s AKA 27.6"x1.5" touring tires pumped up hard because I can get the next set at cost from the frames' builder. At 260 pounds, loaded, at night in the rain, on rough roads I do not want flats.

Last edited by ken cummings; 12-22-05 at 10:34 PM. Reason: test
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Old 12-22-05, 10:50 PM
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After slogging home in heavy rain down pitch dark streets I have begun rethinking the skinny tire thing a little. I think I may try these next. At 26x1.3 they're about the same width as what I'm running now, and from the forum searching I've done, people seem to dig them.

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Old 12-23-05, 09:27 AM
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I used to run 26x1's, they lasted me about 2 months before the flats started to be a hassle. Now I run a set of MICHELIN XC ROAD in 26X1.4 an I have only had one flat (knocks on wood) and that was because someone actually pushed something into my tire.(I have to leave my bike locked on the street a few blocks from work, unattended) I also keep a set of 26x1.95 Specialized Armadillos at my apartment as a just in case set.
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Old 12-23-05, 12:44 PM
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I've got 2 miles of gravel road to ride. Untill last year I felt I had to use a mountain bike with fat tires to get into town.

Then I tried my road bike with 1 1/8 inch vittoria Zaffiros. No problems and a screaming fast ride compared to my mt bike/commuter.

I'm a big guy, too -- 235 lbs.
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Old 12-23-05, 12:53 PM
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Originally Posted by silversmith
I've got 2 miles of gravel road to ride. Untill last year I felt I had to use a mountain bike with fat tires to get into town.
Very similar here, I take a dirt path as a shortcut some mornings. No problem on the road bike when it's dry, no real advantage to the mountain bike even when it's muddy. Right now it's covered in ice, I wouldn't ride it without studs on either bike.
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