workshifter

I'm planning on converting my mountain bike into a most-of-the-time city bike by slapping a couple of high pressure 26x1 slick tires. I wanted some advice on what brand of tires to buy. Do I go with the steel bead or the kevlar? Is one more puncture resistant thatn the other. I know the kevlar is lighter, but I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes in efficiency and ride quality. The tires I'm currently leaning towards are the Ritchey Tom Slicks, 26x1.

One more thing. Will there be any compatibility issues with the rims? I have bontrager corvairs.

Chi

Not sure about the width, but I think there's a minimum tyre width that each wheel can handle. The rim sticker should have some info on that.

Slicks will tend to puncture easier than MTB tyres will, so be sure to have spare tubes ready. One way I learned to prevent punctures is to keep the pressures really high, anything above 65 psi for me, even though the max tyre pressure saz 65 psi. I run mine about 70-80 psi.

I run Performance 26x1.50 tyres. At $10/each, they're ok, and much more comfortable than knobbies on the road.

Allister

The bead has nothing to do with puncture resistance. A kevlar bead will, as you say, be lighter, and it will allow you to fold it. A kevlar casing will supposedly protect against flats better, but even that depends on the threads per inch (the more the better).

I use Geax slicks, which rely on thicker rubber and seem to work ok. I've only had a couple of flats with them as opposed to the three a week I was getting before that on my IRC metros. As chi said, run 'em hard. I pump mine to 100psi.

uciflylow

I started with Michelin fast city tires in the 1.25 inch with. Then I switched to the Tom slick 1 incher. I actually had more flats on the heavier fast city tires due to the treds picking up stuff! The Tom Slicks are faster, lighter and better riding. Go for em! I love mine and the only thing I have noticed since going to them is that the bike seems to be a little more unstable, I think it has something to do with mtb geometry. I also have average speeds within a few mph of my road bike.

uciflylow

Gosh! I just noticed that this is your first post. Welcome!

I also run these at 100-110 psi.

tchazzard

I run Michelin Wild Gripper 1.25s on the front and 1.5s on the rear. They have thick sidewalls and are very immune to punctures. Bascially, you do not need as wide a tire on the front, as your weight distribution is roughly 30%/70% (front/rear).

DanFromDetroit

I use Tioga City Slickers (26x1.25) and they seem to work well for me (no flats yet). I can recommend these as a good commuting tire, but I don't have wide experience with other tires.

Dan

late

Hi,
another fan of the Tom Slick here; I'm a big guy, so when I had them on a 26" wheel I had the 1.4 inch size.

been_jammin

For my MTB commuter, I'm not a fan of super skinny tires. I sometimes ride this bike in San Francisco and have come across rough sections of road/gutter.

I run Michelin slicks, with brown sidewalls. They come in 1.9 and 2.1. I like the big ones. They just look "right" on a mtb. Yes, they're a little heavy but I've never flatted one and they help smooth out nasty roads. Also, they can be run on crushed shell bikepaths w/o a worry.

Ben

uciflylow

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I hope I got the pix of mine here.

uciflylow

Sorry for that last one. This is my setup.

Gordon P

I just started running my mountain bike with a Continental Town and Country 1.9 front and a worn out Bontrager Jones 1.95 on the rear. I ride throughout my city and on a few mud and gravel trails and this combination seems to work well.
Oh yeah, welcome.

Raiyn

Specialized Nimbus EX's IMHO the best commuting tire out there, with the possible exception of the Armadillo version of the same tire.

headliner

Is a mountain bike with slick tires still too haevy for a century ride or 50 mile ride? I like the versatility of a MTB but I am on the road more than the trails.

uciflylow

Belive it or not, it may depend on the bike. Some mtb are quite light and with light tires can hold their own with regular road rides. Matter of fact I ride barney (purple dinosaur) when the roads are littered with trash or I,m riding to work and home. I think that for realy long rides the more comfortable bike often works better than a bike that is lighter and harsher. I haven't ridden barney over 30 miles in but one instance, I have routinly ridden 15-25 miles lot's of times.
I wouldn't hesitate in going on a 40-60 mile ride especially if I where carying stuff. I have carried 50 lbs of grocerys on barney with out a hitch.

I can't match my road bike mph average with her, but I can get within a few mph. I allso can't keep up with the faster riders on a road bike either.

BruceBrown

If you really like a "one bike does all" via your mountain bike, there are a couple of options available to make it more flexible. If you have disc brakes, you can get a set of the Mavic SpeedCity 700c wheels and run road/commute tires up to 38mm (or a little more depending on your fork and frame clearance). This, combined with an outer chain ring with more teeth than a typical mountain bike 22/34/44 set up (maybe 48 - 52), should keep one right up there with road bikes.

Another option (and less expensive) is to run a fat volume slick such as Schwalbe's Big Apple 26" x 2.35. Rolling circumference on that tire is about 2127mm which puts it the same as a 700c x 28mm road tire. Larger contact patch and turning will slow one down a tad over road bikes, but these large slicks can really keep up and cover some ground. I prefer this slick for commuting over the 1.25 - 1.75 narrow slicks because of the extra suspension (cushion) they provide and the larger rolling circumference they provide.

BB

mrfix

This year I'm riding conti top touring 2000, 26 X 1.75, they roll well and allow commuting speeds that you can live with, so far they seem to a good tire, we'll see in 3000 miles. I use a converted MTB for commuting rather then my road or touring bike because it's a lot more rugged and stands up to everyday use and abuse better. Daily commuting in all kinds of weather is hard on a bike, heavy loads are tough on them also.

Txthroop 

Does anyone have Toughies ( I think that's the name) under their slicks to reduce flats? I have a pair to install but haven't gotten around to it yet. Do they affect the ride or handling at all? Or anything else? I'm using IRC Metros and pull my kids in the trailer quite a bit. I think the extra protection would be nice.