I am looking to put street tires on my Specialized Hardrock. I want a set of street tires to see how it performs on pavement.

Can anyone suggest some tires for me? Links would be great.

You can buy slicks or road tires for your bike. The shocks on the bike will absorb for energy then needed for roads.

https://www.amazon.com/Kenda-Bicycle-...5907599&sr=1-5

Geax has a nice 26" tire called "tattoo" They are great IMO and well worth the price tag.

They have a white version and light version as well.

https://www.geax.com/en/products/?cat=5&prod=22

Maxxis makes a couple good 26" tires for a bit more penny but also very good for everything paved.

https://www.maxxis.com/Bicycle/Urban.aspx

These are all pretty wide @ 2.3 but I cant ride anywhere without trying to jump over something Im not supposed too, so more cushion for the pushin

if your on a tight budget .. check out the forte tires on performancebike.com ....

I used to have Hookworms on one of my bikes. They were wire bead and heavy as hell (they were also 2.5s, so a narrower version won't be as heavy), but the traction on pavement was great. See how wide of a tire your frame will accept before going too fat though.
https://www.maxxis.com/Bicycle/Urban/Hookworm.aspx

Love my slick city 1.25". Only $10 apiece and they were even on sale once for $8 apiece. Slick Cities are good for super long or fast road rides on MTB but I think they're overkill for tootling around town.

I like my 1.75" Michelin Country Rocks for that. A little slower, not as grippy on tight pavement turns but way more cushy and better for mellow dirt rides. Amazon has the Country Rock for $14.

I've been having very good luck with my Nasbar City Slicks 1.5 tires. IIRC they were $8 each. Fast as heck and no flats yet.

I've got some Michelin Country Rock's on the way, I like that they aren't full slick so I can still go in grass and dirt, etc.... I hear they're pretty nice, got two of them for 32 bucks shipped. I'll see how they are when they get here

I run a set of Halo Twin Rail tires on my skate park bike. They're a bit on the heavy side, but have flat-protection, are 2.something inches wide, and can take a beating. They have a reverse-tread, so there is a bit of grip on the dirt roads. Mostly I used them in the park.

Does anyone have a link to the City Slicks?

Here is the city slick at Performance. It is on sale in the store this week for $8.99. https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...rm=forte+slick

Good find, S60...though you're a month late to replay

Depends on what you want out of the tyre? travelling, or pulling tricks?

Tioga Skidrow

gotta love them michelin country rocks. nice

Michelin makes a good street tire with a reflective band. It makes commuting at night a tad safer. I think fat tires are better for those surprise bumps when travelling after dark. They handle the road imperfections and stones just a bit better.

Better late than never!

I will be riding on pavement.

I won't be riding at night, so fat tires are necessary.


The link above only has one size in stock, which is 26 x 1.25.

Will those fit my stock wheels?

If your tires are 26 by a decimal number such as 26x2.1 or 26x1.9, any 26 x decimal size will fit. They are all ISO 559 which should be the size of your rim if it is a recent mountain bike (excluding 29er's). Thus, the 26x1.25 should fit your rim. If, on the other hand, your rim is 26 by a fraction, such as 26x1 1/2, then the 26 tires that are followed by a decimal number will not fit. I swapped out my 26x2.1 knobby tires for the 26x1.25 city slick, and they work great for pavement, even cracked sidewalks. They are on sale at Performance this week for $8.99 in the store. They do look skinny on my wheels compared to the 2.1 knobbys, but who cares. They roll great. The other issue to consider is getting a smaller tube, one made for 26x1 to 26x1.5 tires. It will fit a little better in the 26x1.25. I did not do that. I just used the tubes that were in my 26x2.1, removed most of the air, and the tubes fit in the 26x1.25 just fine.

Unless you've got some mega-wide rims then 1.25" won't sit too pretty on there.

Here are some pictures of the bike with the the 26x2.1 knobby tires and the same bike with the 26x1.25 slicks.







ORIGINAL TIRES 26X2.1



CITY SLICKS 26X1.25



One word of caution in moving from MTB tires to slicks. MTB tires run a lower pressure, say 60'ish. Slicks run higher, say 100'ish. If the rim is double walled, where the spokes attach to the first wall, and the tube lays on the second wall, there will be web holes in the second wall to access the spokes in the lower wall. Those holes are protected by rim tape. If the rim tape is rubber, the rubber will not hold the higher pressure of the slick tire, and the tube will push the rubber rim tape into the web hole until the tube pops (see pictures below). The rim tape needs to be upgraded to a cloth (like Velox) or plastic tape. Search for "rim tape" in the title as there are several threads addressing the pros and cons of cloth versus plastic rim tape.

Picture of hole in the tube:



Picture of where the tube pressed into the rubber rim tape causing the flat:



Picture of a double wall rim showing the web holes:

I know this is an old thread of mine, but since it is getting nicer out, I have decided to finally buy these street tires.

Still not sure if I should go with a slick or a tire with some tread.

In my experience Michelin country rocks flat a lot. Especially when its wet out and they pick up rock chips.

https://www.conti-online.com/generato...iew_ct_en.html

Are you going to ride exclusively on pavement, or will the bike still be going off road?

Slicks will have better traction on pavement than any kind of tread. A minimal pattern (mostly done for marketing) is harmless. I've got 26x1.25 Panaracer T-Servs on my old RockHopper, and it rolls like a road bike on pavement. It also rolls like a road bike on dirt, of course.

You can get away with slicks on hard-packed dirt trails if you aren't going to be railing the turns. Beyond that, you're compromising somewhere. You either give up efficiency and traction on pavement or you give up efficiency and traction off road. I'm not sure how much a little bit of tread helps on anything even remotely technical. I guess something with a little side tread could be useful in some circumstances.

More information will lead to better advice.

thanks for the link!


I will be riding on pavement, no off-roading.

With that being said, I will probably going with something with a minimal pattern like you mentioned.

What are some good options?