itsernst

I love MTB'ing, but I also have a park that is great to ride in the evenings. It is paved all the way around. People continue to tell me that slicks on paved roads make world of difference. I have been researching them and still unable to decide. Any recommendations on a good mtb slick to run with?

Many Thanks,

Sean

starvingdavid

I have slicks on my old hardtail. It really makes quite a difference, not quite the difference a real road bike makes, but still.

I'm not really sure about putting slicks on and then trying to use them for mountain biking. It would probably work, but your sure to slip around some. Or were you planning on changing them every time?

I ride on Specialized Nimbus tires, plenty of grip for road and hard pack trails. Kind of pricey.

itsernst

If I find the right slicks, I don't think I would be opposed to switching on a case by case basis. I just want something that does not sound like a chain saw on pavement. It also would be nice to get some more speed out of my ride so i dont feel like I am wasting energy.

surreal

I've had slicks on hardtails before. It makes a world of difference, if you pick something truly slick with a light total weight (look for folding bead tires). However, there are some things you'll need to consider:

-if you're riding at a fast speed on a paved granma trail, paved and intended for mixed users including toddlers, geriatric men with vision problems walking overweight welsh corgi's, roller-bladers, aspiring acrobats, mimes, and power-walkers, you will be cursed for being a total DB. To achive and maintain the speeds appropriate for such a path, you're better off sticking with knobbies.
-98.76% of trails will require you to switch back to knobbies before you ride 'em. It's no big deal, but it's also no fun. Fatcats and obsessive types tend to have 2 wheelsets, each with a different type of tire on it. It's much quicker to just swap wheelsets when you need to swap rubber, and you can run the burlier wheelset with the knobbies to withstand the abuse, and lightweight wheels on the tarmac, to be slick&trick. (Sarcasm intended, but in a friendly way.)
-If you're going to commit to some slicks, you'll probably find yourself moving off the paved rec path, and onto the road, where you belong (sometimes). This is fine, but it could get expensive. Make sure the slicks you get have a system in place to prevent flats. Beware; this sort of behvaior often leads to the purchase of a CX bike, a road bike, and/or commuting habits.
hth
-rob

surreal

PS- i love the sound of knobbies on asphalt, which is half the reason why i sometimes ride to the trail

itsernst

Ok First...you just explained my evening ride exactly...although you may want to substitute Great Dane and Pomeranian for Corgi Kudos to you sir. I think two wheelsets may be a good idea because less wear and tear when not riding on what the tires are designed for. I just want to be able to cut my ride time down a little and possibly push myself further. I was looking at a set of Tioga City Slicks possibly.

The one good thing is I never have to announce myself when passing, people can usually hear me from a mile away.

jim-bob

I've been using Kenda K-Rads on my mountain bikes lately. They're a total compromise tire, they're a bit too knobby for pavement and they're not all that great on anything but hardpack/fire roads, but I've been pretty fond of them anyway.
Here's a shot of the 26x2.3 version on my singlespeed - they also make a 26x1.95 that's a little quicker.

ProEdgeBiker

Specialized Nimbus 26 x 1.5 on our Epics:

vik 

1.6" Schwalbe Marathon Supremes on the bike above...

Lebowski

maxxis hookworms are fun.

SpiderMike

You forgot bike shop employees.

An alternative jim-bob's K-rads, Maxxis Holly Rollers. I find it to be a trade off. The K-rads were smoother on the pavement, the Holly Rollers grabbed better in the dirt.

Fat Boy

If you're just riding around a park, go with the cheapies from Performance. They're like $12 and they aren't too bad. Not as sticky as the expensive tires, but it doesn't matter if you're just riding around a park. It's what I put on my wife's bike, and it's a good gain over knobbies.

9kBud

I've tried the Kenda Kross semi slicks, which are really nice on pavement. The ride definitely turns into an adventure as soon as I hit the dirt. I prefer running knobbies the whole time.

invasionusa

it makes a huge difference, you can get them pretty cheap too, I got a pair at nashbar.com for $11 or so a piece....

Ka_Jun

+1 Specialized Nimbus 1.5s on my hardtail dedicated commuter/urban rig.

surreal

Bike shop employees are rarely fat cats, but they're often obsessive types. I'm an obsessive, ex-bike shop employee. I'm thinking of those ven diagrams or whatever you call them, with the 3 intersecting circles...

as for k-rads, holy rollers, kiniptions, et al: BMXicans tend to run these semi-knobby/"urban" tires under, seriously, pretty much *all* conditions. I haven't run anything like em since my 20" days (which were way less adventuresome than most kids' 20" days), but they are a good com[promise, if it's a compromise ya seek. I sometimes take the wheels off my surly LHT so i can run my 26"er with flatproof semislicks: schwalbe marathon plus 1.75". They roll fast enough once they get rolling, but they're HEAVY and you feel it while accelerating. Balancing these are my Nevegal 2.1" knobs. Having 2 wheelsets/sets of tires makes for a split personality bike.

-rob

-rob

Austin Rice

Holy ****!!! That bike is awesome! I hope you don't mind me asking, but how much did that thing cost?

ghettocruiser

I post this again only because it's such a fugly setup.

dminor 

I was gonna run Mickey Thompsons on Convo Pros but they're just a bit wide for the chainstays - - even for the Blindside.



Do the brackets go out to 1:00+ at the strip?

Austin Rice

Are those 700c wheels on a MTB!?

-_RebelRidin'_-

I put my old bonty connection trails on today, to save my IRC Mythos. I've been doing a lot of urban/road lately and I can see it tearing the mythos up.

jim-bob

Ugly but functional..

skipratt

I have Schwalbe Marathon Plus on my old bike
£26.99 good puncture proof tyre

ghettocruiser

Indeed. I've been told Open Pros are also often used on lightweight 29er builds.

joetronic

Not ugly at all. Would make a nice SS. What slicks are they?


Bonty makes a really nice slick, cant remember the name, and I think they only come in 29. so... My post is pointless, like normal.


Edit: They are the Hank tire. 26, slick, and sweet. Boss has some on is barhop MTB ss, very nice ride. HERE they are