MTB Slicks question...wide or narrow?
 

Alright guys here's one for you. Thinking of switching my tires to slicks. Question is should I purchase a set of wide 1.95's or 1.5's? Ride primarily on paved bike trail in the winter so I need something that is gonna last till June. Any drawbacks between the two? Thanks for the responses

Go for 1.5s as 1.95s are pretty wide, and will be slow as a result.

1.5s are wide enough to offer some absorbtion (for your butt and your rims), but still offer a rolling resistance advantage (for extra speed).

Resist temptation to go to 1.25s or 1" - they are very harsh (but fast).

Comes down to comfort or speed. I use 2 mnt. bikes in my commute. I ride Specialized Armadillos 1.5 on the longer distance bike and 1.95 conti Town and Country for the shorter ride. I much prefer the narrower tire but as said before ....harsher ride. Both tires are fairly flat resistant.

I put 1" slicks on my recently assembled commuter bike, and I like them, they're fast, and I've got a long commute.

1.5's. You will have less rolling resistance, look cooler, and will go faster. Just remember to keep the air pressure up to avoid flats.

Like everyone else said. 1.5" tires are going to be noticably faster. FWIW, 1.25" tires may be faster still. I have 60 psi 1.5's on my MTB/commuter and my son had me put 90 psi 1.25's on his bike for road/bike trail. He now passes me on coast-downs, and I have a weight edge on him. But it takes him longer to pump up his tires (I tell him it's good for muscles).

I've ridden the Town & Country tires on my previous MTB and liked them quite a bit. I've got 2.0" semislicks right now and they're pretty fast, though I'm probably going to go with a set of Nimbus Armadillos soon. I don't do enough off-road riding to worry about traction in dirt and mud. :p

1.25" don't need no wide tires for paved roads.

I had 1.95 slicks; they were comfortable and faster than knobbies. I switched to 1.25" 90 psi slicks, they are noticeably faster and plenty of comfort especially with my front suspension. I am equally as fast on the flats between my road bikes and mtb.

Paved? Skinny every time. You only need the air volume for cushioning on bad surfaces or if you're bunnyhopping. 1" front, 1.3" rear here.

Fat tires rule! I went from 1.5" semi-slicks to 2.125 semi slicks and I can tell you that the I didn't notice much difference in speed, but the ride was SO much smoother it was worth it. The real speed hit came when I put in thorn resistant tubes with slime in them. That combo is so dang heavy that acceleration is tough!

The other side to look at is that its a commuter bike, and you want to leave your options for fenders open. I didn't do that, and I DO want fenders on my bike. So, I have to go back to 1.5" slicks in order to do that. With the 2.125's there's just no clearance.

Hope this helps with your decision!

I recently switched to Schwalbe Big Apple 2.35" slicks, and like them a lot - smoother riding AND faster rolling than the 1.95" Tioga city slickers I used previously.