Travisb.burch

I’m looking for a tire for a conversion/dumpster up cycle I’m working on - I need a skinny (<1.75) tire for a standard 26” MTB wheel. I’d like to keep it knobby, as the build will be a gravel/light trail friendly machine. Any advice???

ofajen

Why do you want something less than 26x2.0? That was likely the tire size for which the steering system was designed. A smaller tire will reduce the trail and change the handling.

If you could go with a bigger tire, the Continental Race King Protection is superb. Low rolling resistance, relatively light and with knobs that work well on shallow muddy spots while clearing mud well.

Otto

Kapusta

Good luck finding a decent trail-oriented 26” knobby tires that is 1.75, let alone smaller. Even 1.75 is ridiculously small.

skidder

Plenty of 26" x 1.5" tires out there for street riding (I've got a bicycle with them), but I'm not aware of anything in a 1.5" width that has knobbies. If you've got a LBS in your area that sells a lot of cruiser-style bicycles you could see what they have. Also look at some of the larger internet bicycles stores. Otherwise just stick with 2.0's as the others above mentioned if you want to ride trails & gravel roads.

Travisb.burch

yeah it has to be less than 2” - it’s an old steel 80’s road frame - It originally had 27” wheels, but I dropped to a 26” to give a bit more tire space. I have a 2” on now and it JUST rubs on the frame. I changed the fork, so I can fit a wider tire up front but the rear needs to be skinnier. I know I could go 700c wheels and have a variety of options, but budget wise (and just for fun/challenge) I wanted to try to do as much as possible with parts I already have or can get for cheap/free.

veganbikes

How do you plan on braking with a bike designed for 27" wheels? You can sometimes convert to 700c but 26" is a tough one for brakes.

Russ Roth

Schwalbe CX pro tire, comes in a 26x1.35, there's 2 versions, one more a knobby cross tire and the other a gravel/dry grass tire. Only thing I know that comes narrow and decent.

HTupolev

The tire you're asking for is a bit of a unicorn. Loads of "gravel" knobbies are available in that width range, but 26" was never a standard "gravel" size, they're mostly 700c with a few in 650b. Historically, "cyclocross" tires have occasionally been made in oddball sizes, although that market is typically 35mm or less: you could look to see if you can find a Schwalbe CX Pro HS 269 anywhere.

Phil_gretz

Performance/Nashbar had the Forte road slick in 26 x 1.5". It was an acceptable tire for road or light gravel use.

I see that Kenda makes a Kwest 26 x 1.5 tire. Don't buy a Kenda tire.

Travisb.burch

I have some brakes that I’ve tested that have a long enough reach to work, they aren’t nice brakes but they’ll do for the rear. Since I’ve replaced the fork, that one is easy - it’s a 26” fork

Travisb.burch

I’ll look Into the schwalbe thanks!

Travisb.burch

worth a look thanks- I think I stumbled upon this once upon a time but couldn’t remember the name

Travisb.burch

thanks for the Kenda advice- I had looked at that tire but it was out of stock. Pardon my ignorance, but What is the issue with them?

Phil_gretz

^ in my experience, Kenda tires are generally heavier and less supple in the sidewall. The result is that the ride feels "dead" compared to other tires. Their advantage is price, I guess.

70sSanO

Will Panaracer Paselas work? You can get them is 26 x 1.5” in a folding tire.

John

Kapusta

Well if you are open to a more hybrid tire (such as some being recommended here), I have really liked both sets of Bontrager H2s I’ve had. They come in both 26x1.5 and 26x1.75 (I’ve owned both). The roll fast and have a smooth ride. They are my go-to commuter tire.

However, like the other hybrid tires being recomended, they are not really trail tires.

I owned a set of Kenda Kwest 26x2.0 (or something close to that). They are kinda harsh and really slow unless you pump them up hard, and then they are really harsh and kinda slow. I would not buy them again.

surak

I have a 90s 26" bike that does light gravel duty, also needed under 2" and ended up with a Schwalbe touring tire. Check out the Schwalbe Marathon line, they have various widths and variations (maybe too many) with different treads.

veganbikes

This sounds like it will have all sorts of geometry issues but yeah have fun with it.

Travisb.burch

I mean, it very likely will, but I'm not trying to build a performance machine, more of a fun Frankenstein's monster sort of ride to play around with. These are bikes pulled out of the trash and I'm using the projects to learn how to do work on bikes and just having fun.

Pop N Wood

There is so much variation in bike geometries that I don't understand people's hesitancy to try mixing parts. This isn't rocket science.

skidder

Reading through this thread I'm wondering if putting 26" wheels on a bike originally designed for 700c or 27" wheels; that'll drop the BB down a little. Might not effect things on the straight-aways, but if those crank arms are longish they're going to cause issues in the curves if the rider's not very careful!

Travisb.burch

i actually found and ordered one of the Bontrager tires, while it’s not a trail tire it looks like it may suit my needs!