I have a Giant Sedona LX that came with Kenda Khan 26x1.95 semi slick tires. I mainly ride on city streets and paved bike paths, which can be pretty torn up; and an occasional dirt trail. I've been riding on these tires for 6 years, and they have held up really well. And, they seem to be well suited for the the type of riding I do.

I'm considering getting another set of Kenda Khans, but an online bike shop suggested the Origin8 Devist-8er as a superior alternative. Does anyone have experience with these? What are some other good alternatives?

Thanks, RSBG

I have a set of Kenda Kwest tires that came on my Transend and they've held up really well, too. Like you, I'd be inclined to purchase the same ones again since they've done a great job. I only ride on pavement, but the times I have been on a dirt trail the soil wasn't very loose and I didn't feel like I lost traction.

I have a Giant Cypress. I love it! The Kenda Kwik Roll tires that came with mine recently started to come apart and I have replaced them with Continental Travel Contact. I love the new tires, but what has struck me most about them is how similar they are to the Kenda Kwik. I imagine the Continentals will last longer, but on a budget, I would have no problem going back to the Kenda Kwik. They performed equally well on the road and on gravel paths.

Schwalbe Marathons are a good compromise for me (not the heavier marathon plus, just old marathons). Decently quick, bombproof on bad pavement and grip well on dirt tracks, grass etc (anything but sand or mud). Coming from an off road one cold night, took a thorn out of the front tyre and it wasn't busted. That made me very happy for not having to stop in the dark and change tubes.

I'd personally go after thinner tires for the riding you describe, 1.5" max. Though I have noticed very wide slicks are quite popular - are they just ultra comfortable? What sort of pressure are they at?

Wide slicks are popular on 26" MTB wheels. They are not as popular on hybrids with 622mm/700C wheels that I have seen.

At least, not as wide. I frequently see 'balloon tire' 1.9" - 2.2" slicks on MTBs and beach cruisers. I rarely see a slick on a hybrid and if so it's generally 35mm or less. This is probably because a hybrid could install a 25mm road tire, so what's the point of a fat slick if you want to go fast..

Oh, regarding pressure. I've not asked my mother-in-law what she weighs, but I typically setup her semislick 26x2.0" tires with 45psi rear, 40 front. They ride and roll well at that speed for her.

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...s-26-inch-tire

Thanks everyone, for your replies. Giant billed my bike as a "comfort" bike. As I remember, it was also available with a narrower tire/wheel combo. The 26x1.95 semi slicks ride really smooth; I run 65 psi front and back.

Thanks, RSBG

What's the max pressure on your tires? Is it 65psi?

Sounds a little high for a 1.95" tire.

MIN 40 - MAX 65 psi is printed on the sidewall.

Unless you are well over 200 pounds you can go lower pressure for better comfort and still roll well. Try 55 your next ride, see what you think!

Your weight is not evenly distributed on a bicycle. The rear wheel supports the majority of weight, and your tires should be inflated accordingly. Inflating both tires to max recommended pressure suggests you're doing it wrong.

Tires should compress slightly under the burden of rider weight. The amount of compression is sometimes called "tire drop" and can be measurably close to a 15% reduction in height. If the sidewalls don't squish out slightly at the bottom of the revolution, the psi is likely too high.

Automobile tires have max psi ratings listed on their sidewalls, too, but you don't just inflate them to this max pressure. Rather, you inflate according to what your vehicle (and load) requires - and that's typically considerably less.

Very interesting. It sounds like I can bring the psi down a bit for a nicer ride. And, I should run a little more psi on the rear, than on the front. I've always run my tires at the max on every bike I've had; now it's time to experiment a bit.

After I get some new tires, or patch my front tube. My bike came with slime already in the tubes. After a while, it started clogging the valves. So, my LBS fixed me up with some new heavy tubes and a different sealer (I don't know which one). My flat tire days were over. I haven't even thought about flats for a few years now. But, fall is thorn season, and the front just won't seal any more. The tires really do not show much wear, even though I've ridden a lot of miles. But, I know they deteriorate over 6 years, and it's probably time for some new ones. And, there's probably quite a few holes in that front tube.

Is there a generally preferred sealant here on the bike forum? I also see that some tires are advertised as being more thorn resistant. I'm in Colorado, and we have these nasty "goathead" thorns that will really do a number on your tires and tubes.

Thanks for the info, everyone. RSBG

I still do find this preference for very thick tires to be a bit confusing, but fair enough. I guess you can ride down stairs on them if you want to

In the old days, narrower tyres were lighter, higher pressure and had lower air resistance so were quicker. Big balloon tyres were heavy, cheaply made and cumbersome.
Schwalbe applied some high tech to balloon tyres and made the Big Apple. It has the flexy sidewall of a racing tyre so is very efficient and fairly lightweight. I think is it a bit more efficient than Marathon in similar sizes. My bike came with 26x 2.0" (thinner) size and it is great for rough roads, cobbles, a bit of decent trail and it is fairly speedy for cruising around town. It is not a tyre I would choose for long distance, for going as fast as possible or for slippery surfaces.

Giant advertised my bike as a mountain bike style; but built for comfort. It not only came with the big tires, but also with disc brakes. It looks like a MTB, but the riding position is more upright. I don't know if it's actually a hybrid or not; but "hybrid" seems to cover quite a few different combinations of features. Giant currently has a Sedona in their catalog, but it's not like my 2005 model.

I wound up ordering a pair of Kenda Pathfinders, 26x1.95, from Amazon. They have very positive reviews. And at $36 for the pair, with free shipping, I figure I'm not risking too much if I don't like them.

Interesting, it seems not all tires are created equal. I've only ever had cheapo 1.5" slicks before (kenda I think).

If they don't seem to be drying out and cracking, don't worry about deterioration, they're still good to go.

I installed the Kenda Pathfinders today, along with new Slime tubes. I guess my old tires still had some life left, but, they were loaded with thorns; and I was kind of curious to try something different. That's also why I didn't get another pair of Khans.

I took a long afternoon ride arond the hood, and so far, I'm really happy with these. The first thing I noticed is that I seem to be riding faster, and I'm riding in higher gears than usual. These tires have a 1/2" raised center rib, with knobs on the sides. Judging from how the new black rubber turns grey after riding for awhile, it looks like I'm on the center rib most of the time, and on the knobs when cornering, or on soft stuff. I'm running 65 psi, to start.

These tires feel more secure on the various urban obstacles than my old ones, too. They feel "stickier". So, I think they're pretty nice tires. From what I've been reading, Kenda is generally considered to be a "cheapie". But, so far, I've gotten good performance and service from Kenda tires.

RSBG

Kenda makes some top-notch offroad racing tires and a variety of inexpensive to midrange offroad and road tires.

The slime tube, unfortunately, I cannot suggest. My father-in-law tried them and they do help somewhat but they won't stop a flat caused by a goathead thorn.

Mr Tuffy Liners are a lot better. Use them in combination with regular tubes.

I have Tuffys in my mountain bike, and they have worked well. I've actually got an extra pair, and may put them in.

My bike came with slime tubes installed. They won't stop a flat, but I found that they would seal the hole, and I could pump the tire back up. But, I started having trouble with the valve stems leaking. So, my LBS put in some heavy tubes and a different sealer (I don't know which one). I had a few flats, but I was able to pump them back up. But, eventually one of the tubes wouldn't seal.

Yes, that was my slime tube experience as well. (I'm a good son and do all the maintenance & repairs on my FIL's bike. ) The valves are prone to leak, you often get a little slime out of the valve when airing up your tires, and they DO help with some punctures but not nearly all. Plus they're heavy as all hell!

I have Mr Tuffy Ultra Light in my road bikes and they work great. The standard liner is definitely thicker and I use those in my off-road bikes.

Here is their web site www.origin-8.com Check out their tires for yourself. I have the first set of Elimina8er 700x25 no flats yet and look cool with whitewall color on them. I used to have a Giant Sedona SX model year 2002. I loved the bike alot. I even had Panaracer UFF'DA 26x1.125. looked real bomb proof and were too!

I loved this bike when I had mine,before it got stolen. It was a 2002 model SX so it had the deore xt rear d. I also did my first MS150 Ride with that bike,had a road bike 9spd cassette 12-26 on it and it was a whole lot faster this way. My tires I never keep one set on I had a few from 26x1.50 to 26x2.125. so one week or month I would change to what I would like to ride it around.

At least, not as wide. I frequently see 'balloon tire' 1.9" - 2.2" slicks on MTBs and beach cruisers. I rarely see a slick on a hybrid and if so it's generally 35mm or less. This is probably because a hybrid could install a 25mm road tire, so what's the point of a fat slick if you want to go fast..

I love 700x40 semi-slick Michelin Citys on my hybrid. Fast but durable for the flat gravel trails that I ride. Plenty fast on the road for a hybrid.