How low can I go ??
 

Hi everyone, I have a question, I ride a mountain bike, and I want to change from knobbies to slicks, I currently ride 26 x 1.95. What I was wondering was how low on size can I go, I was thinking 26x 1.4 - 1.7, can I go lower, and also do I have to get new rims to do this or can I do do it on the same rims? Has anyone tried Ritchey Tom Slicks, I saw a review for them on the internet, and they seem to be prety good.:beer:

I have used Tioga City Slickers. These are 26X1.25. They replaced 26X2.0 knobbies and fit fine.

I used these for summertime commuting and they work well. In fact I think they will outlast the bike.

You will notice a huge difference. It requires a good deal more effort to push around wide knobby tires on pavement.

Dan

Hi,
I have used the Tom Slick in the 1.0 and 1.4 size. I like the 1.4 size better.
Nice tire.

Sheldon Brown has an article on tire width at sheldonbrown.com so that would be a good place to check.

Thanks for the replies guy's, will the 1.4's fit on my rim, and how small can I go before it gets dangerous, I don't want tires as thin as a road bike.

What you want to look at is the sidewall shape of the tire when mounted on the rim you'll be using; the sidewalls of the inflated tire should have a pronounced curve, sort of like a light bulb. I would want any inflated tire to be about 1/4" wider than the rim that it is on, when meauring the tire across it's widest point. This curve in the sidewall gives the tire it's ability to absorb road shock and will minimize pinch flats.