Tire / Tyre choice
 

Okay, I'm planning on getting a better set of wheels soonish, which means I'll have a spare set. It seems silly to have a set of wheels without tyres so I thought I'd get another set of tyres. Now I'm currently running semi-slick touring tyres (Vredestein Spiders) which I'm using for both commuting and light off-road riding. The big question is do I get a pair of slicks or a pair of knobblies?

90-95% of my riding is on-road commuting

Would I notice much difference in speed between slicks and semi-slicks, if I got slicks for Summer commuting (thinking of s-licks)?

As I've got a two or three miles ride on tarmac to get to any interesting off-road paths would knobblies cope (haven't a clue as to knobblies)?

Thanks

Richard

I think you would notice a difference with slicks. Some Vredenstein S-Licks in 1.5" will be a lot lighter, higher pressure and faster on the road, and can still cope with off-road tracks, esp in the dry.
When you are looking for knobblies, you need some suitable for muddy UK conditions, not dusty California. Mud knobbles are fewer, spaced wider and have curved edges and corners rather then sharp ones. Continental make a good mud tyre.

Are these going to be back-up wheels, or for specific rides? Let the tire match the purpose. I prefer high pressure street slicks on my MTB for the roads and fat, 2.125, low pressure semi-slicks for groomed trails.

Hi Rich,

I run slicks every now again...and they're great..much better than semi's or knobblies.

You can corner really well and there's very little drag. I've had mine for ages...at least 7 years.

Good investment :)

Rich

Given the choice, I prefer "tire" over "tyre".

Thats what this thread is about, right?

Umm ... not really. Did you forget a smilie?

Cheers...Gary

You have included too many images in your signature or in your previous post. Please go back and correct the problem and then continue again.

Images include use of smilies, the vB code [img] tag and HTML <img> tags. The use of these is all subject to them being enabled by the administrator.

Say what?! :confused:

Cheers...Gary

Richard,

well, i'm not exactly sure what your goal is here (also is this a mountain bike or toruing bike or what? -- i'll assume basic MTB) - and is your goal just to have the option of something different or for other kinds of riding...

in general, i think ljbike's suggestion is right on:

** i have MTB 26" 1.25" wide high-pressure (90-100psi) slicks that i use for road touring
** i have semi-slick 1.9" (Panaracers) that i use for commuting and dry summer off-road
** then i have my varios wet/dry knobbies for off-road

i personally just bought my 4th bikes, so i have extra bikes rather than wheelsets... but in general i'm lazy and don't like changing the tires/wheels very often -- that's why i run the semislicks for my commuter rather than the slicks b/c they go for various conditions.

as far as comparing MTB slicks to semi-slicks, as i see it there are 2 main differences:
** slicks are usually much higher pressure and therefore faster on road
** semi-slicks are way-faster than knobbies b/c they're smooth in the middle which is all that contacts on the road
** semis are great b/c they're fast when it's flat but then the knobbies grip only when it's rough or muddy or in corners -- also you can reduce the pressure if you go offroad and then they really work well (compared to slicks)

i would say try the semi-slicks if you will also be doing some off-road and don't aleady have knobbies --- but if you're pretty much going to stay on road, then slicks are plain faster and you don't need the added off-road cornering of semis.

So if he's putting on new tires, does that mean he's retiring?