sevenhills

Hi

We have all seen the bikes with thin tyres and the big knobbly tryes. I have just rebuilt an old bike with standard tyres, but how much difference would thin or knobbly tyres make?
Is the weight of a bike of lesser importance?
I am just going car free, so I want a multi-task bike.

S

Mansram01

Knobby mountain tires or less knobby commuter tires? That decision also depends on what type of roads you're taking to work. Generally I would recommend commuter tires.

ghettocruiser

If you're using the bike for transportation and commuting purposes, you'll probably get more insight if you ask the commuting sub-forum

prathmann

I find that weight differences are over-emphasized when it comes to tires and differences in rolling resistance are frequently ignored. Knobby tread will add a little weight, but the main problem is that the knobs will greatly increase your rolling resistance. As the tire rolls along, the knobs in the contact patch area get compressed and squirm around. The energy to do that has to come from your pedaling effort and it's best to choose a smooth tread pattern that minimizes the amount of squirming. Similarly, having stiff sidewalls also absorbs more energy as they are flexed every time the wheel turns.

On hard surfaces (pavement and hard-packed trails) there's no need for knobs or even any tread pattern at all and it'll take significantly less effort with smoother tires.