Haffster

Newbie here, looking for opinions on getting a 2nd set of wheels/tires for riding on pavement.

I only just got back into biking (recreational). I usually go on light trails or bike around the neighbourhood but recently went to a very nice stretch of paved surface along the lakeshore (about 22 KMs total) and utterly fell in love with it! I much prefer that to biking on trails.

The bike did fine - I was riding top speed of 22 kmph and average of about 14. Did that route a couple of times and just can't wait to go back on it now. Got me thinking maybe I should look into getting a road bike (and keep the Toughroad for light trail duty). But given that I just bought the Toughroad two months ago, I'm having trouble justifying spending another $2k+ on a nice road bike (from the ones I've seen, those are the ones I like).

So I was thinking maybe for the rest of this year, I get a second set of wheels with thin tires on them and swap on the Toughroad for pavement riding. If it works, might even save me buying a 2nd bike. Would love to hear your thoughts on whether this is a good idea, will it make a noticeable (significant?) difference in speed, ability to ride longer with same energy spent, etc., thanks.

ColonelSanders

A 2nd set of wheels and tyres would definitely make a difference, whether it makes enough of a difference is a bit like "how long is a piece of string".


But it never hurts to have a back up set of wheels, unless you are doing it tough financially, so worth the experiment in my view.


Right from the start I put on Schwalbe Marathon Mondials on to my Toughroad, but I pretty much am only a pavement rider, although the Mondials can handle gravel roads.

Haffster

Thanks. Is the tire noticeably better on pavement compared to the stock?

ColonelSanders

Yes it is.


When I first test road my bike, I was slightly disappointed that it didn't seem that much faster than my 20yr old mountain bike with road friendly tyres, and just thought "oh well, I guess bikes haven't improved that much over 20yrs".


But when I rode it after I put the Mondials on it, I was much happier.


Now I went for the Mondials(the Evo folding version), because I really, really didn't want to be dealing with flat tyres too often and whilst I am pleasantly surprised how fast they seem, next time round, I will probably go with a faster, better rolling tyre from Schwalbe, either their new Marathon Supreme or their Almotion range.


The flat protection on both those tyres is still pretty good, just not as good as the Mondial.


So if you aren't as concerned with flats as I am, you will be able to buy a tyre that may be noticeably faster than the Mondials, which I thought were noticeably faster than the stock tyres that come on the Toughroad.

hasnolimits

I would definitely get some new tires. I THINK you could go down to a 32mm on the stock rim. If I were you, and I pretty much was until I traded my toughroad in for a fastroad, I would get a second pair of rims with 25-28mm tyres on it. I'm pretty sure that I would've kept my toughroad had it been pre-modded with proper road tyres. I ended up getting ones too big for the road/paved trail and it really felt sluggish. 25-28mm is what you want for the road. I got the schwalbe pro ones and can really move on the road (first 20 mile ride avg 16 mph!)! Continental GP 4000's are also good. Maybe even invest in new grips like the Ergon GP5 for a few different hand positions.

I think a second pair of rims with good road tyres will be just what you need to get by for a year or two. I think it will also help you really figure out exactly what you want in a road bike. That is literally what I was about to do before Giant did a full exchange on my toughroad for a fastroad comax.

Haffster

Thanks. I ended up getting new tires on existing rims.

X'PLOR USH | Clement Cycling, Cyclocross Tires, Adventure Tires, Mountain Bike Tires, Road Bike Tires

They seem to be a lot more versatile than the stock tires. Tried them on pavement yesterday, they were fantastic. Very noticeably faster and so much superior handling on turns and corners.

Real test will be how they behave on light trails/gravel (will be going out this weekend and report back). LBS told me to keep inflated to 80 on pavement and dial down to 60 on trails. Hope it works, because I knew they would behave a lot better on pavement but am still a tad worried about trails (the stock does absorb a lot, being quite a bit wider).