Japhy

Hello,

I've been trying to upgrade my mountain bike to be more efficient on streets around town. I am riding for fitness and commuting right now and hope to get a road bike soon, but until then I have to just revamp the one I have.

I have a question about tire size. I am looking at 26" tires suitable for commuting and am wondering if the width of the tire makes a big difference here. Is a 1.5 that much different from a 1.75? Will that help me go a little faster with a little less effort? Or should I think about size 700 wheels? Will I have to change my brakes if I do that?

Any advice on this topic is greatly appreciated.

Keith99

Forget about 700s on a mountian bike. They just don't fit.

The thinner tire will be slightly faster. But for mountian bike tires there won;t be a huge difference for that quarter inch. Thread design will make a much bigger difference.

My experience years ago when I put raod slicks on a mountian bike was that I ran out of high end gears. E.g. my limit was now leg speed, not power.

edp773

Unless you have a set of 700c wheels that would fit your mountain bike without making sugnificant changes, I would suggest saving the money toward a new bike. If you have v-brakes, they may have enough adjustment for the larger diameter wheels.

As Keith99 mentioned, switching from kobby tires to slicks will make the biggest difference. Filling your tires up to maximun air pressure will make a difference you can feel, and is relatively free. I have a friend who did a 30 mile bike ride with me on a mountain bike with slicks and he kept up just fine. He even had fun passing me on the big uphills.

Stubacca

Yup, 700s typically won't fit on a MTB frame. In any case, I wouldn't bother spending the money that would be required to do it - save it towards the roadie.

Are you comparing 1.5 slicks to 1.75 slicks (in which case 1.5s would be a touch faster)? or slicks to knobbies (slicks definitely easier to pedal)?

Putting 1.5 slicks (or 1.25s or even 1s if your rims will take them) will make sealed-surface riding more enjoyable.

silversmith

I love my Richey Tom Slicks. They are light and have low rolling resistance. My 1.4's run at 85psi. When these wear out I'll try the 1" version.

ceridwen

I just put 1.5 inch slicks on my MTB that I use to commute to school, and the difference from knobbies is quite nice. It may not be road bike fast, but it's certainly faster than it was. As for whether these are faster than thinner slicks, I dunno.

Psimet2001 

+1 the slicks.

I use slicks on mine when I do shorter charity or family fun rides with my wife. That way when she's pouring on the speed (14mph) on her Roadie I can get a nice work out on the Mtb while keeping up.

I also used to use this set-up to commute daily.

raverson

I put Performance Fast City ST/K 1.25 in. on my Fuji folding commute bike and have no complaints. They ride and handle well and up till the other day I hadn't had a single flat running max pressure.

MattP.

I run 1.5 Specialized Nimbus EX's on one of my wheelsets for my mtn bike. Like them a lot, no problems.

mav67

I'll just ordered some Panaracer T-Serv 1.75 slicks. Can't wait till I get em!

becnal

Get thinner tires, and make sure they're slicks. You'll notice a big difference. You won't even need to buy a road bike afterwards.

stapfam

Go for the 1". I run Conti Grand prix's at 120 lbs and no problem staying with the Club roadies. Never had a problem with grip either and only have a problem with potholes (They hurt)

Two types of tyre- those that take high pressure and those that don't. High pressure (100psi+)roll easier but you get road shock and the lower pressure tyres are araound 80psi, are generraly wider and give a comfier ride.

CdCf

Continental SportContact 1.3", I run them at 90+ psi. They're slicks.

jcm

I switched from 2.125" knobbies pretty fast. Went to 1.5" Nimbus Armadillos and they really made a difference. Not so much in actual speed, because I'm still using the same gears and wheel diameter, but in effort. You'll really notice it on hills and from dead stops.
My tires aren't slicks but I am sure that slicks would be even easier. It all translates into less fatique.

Nachoman

I like em as thin and as slick as possible.

rmwun54

Performance Fast City ST/K 1.25, I second these tires. I am using them on an old mountain bike and man they are quite fast. They are quite thicker than road tires which is a good thing; this means less flats.

nebby

I put slicks on my mountain bike too. I can catch roadies, but can't stay with them for long!

toolba

I have a Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra and run either 26x2.10 nobs or 700x28C roadies.

Nubie

WTB Slickasaurus - can get them cheap on sale, couple of different sizes. They have them at nashbar and REI.

Grand Bois

I have those on my Bridgestone. They're only 2 millimeters narrower than the 1.5s Bontrager slicks on my Trek, but I feel a big difference. The Continentals feel faster, but the ride is much less cushy.