Hello,

I have a Specialized rockhopper (standard MTB) and I am going for a long tour with friends (approx 170 km), and probably will be tour more often if I like it.

I am a bit confused about the tire standards I see everywhere. Would 1.5 or even 1.2 tires fit on the same rim as my current large tires (2.0 or more) ??

I see some nice tires at https://store.airbomb.com that they call 26" Street tires. Can anyone suggest me a good one for touring ??

Thanks for even reading this )

Specialized Nimbus Either the regular or the Armadillo version

I pretty much exclusively run touring tyres on my MTB. I've recently swapped from Vredestein Spiders which are nice fast 1.95 semi-slicks to Schwalbe Marathon Plus (1.7) which are very fast rolling, should be nigh on puncture proof but are heavy. I liked the plain Nimbus - it's an okay tyre but found the Armadillo version lacking suppleness and spring - okay on very smooth tarmac but on rough tarmac...

Conti top touring 26" X 1.75, I'm using a set for commuting and have over 3500 flat free miles on them, most days the bike weighs over 60 pounds, the tires still have plenty yo go. I'm so impressed with these tires I just put a set on my touring bike.

I have tried cheap Kenda 1.5" slicks, Panaracer Paselas 1.25", and some cheap-o reverse tread 1.5" tires. The Panaracers were lightweight and felt fast, but they were too delicate for anything but paved roads. The Kendas performed well enough for thousands of city commuting miles (and even some singletrack!). But so far I am totally into my reverse tread 1.5" tires. They are basically a more durable version of my Kendas with some extra traction in muddy conditions. I would steer you away from the narrow 1.25" offerings, but otherwise you can't go wrong with 26" tires.

Peace
BK

Specialized Hemisphere Armadillos are a good compromise between knobbies and slicks if you plan to be on gravel or other non-pavement. Very flat resistant.

Try not to get too cheap a tyre ... you don't want a flat every 50 miles. Get one with some form of protection, like kevlar belting, etc. My slicks suck (Performance City Slicks), coz all the flats I get are on the slicks. My ATB tyres have never gotten flats yet (knock, knock). Also, be sure to look at the weight of the tyre. You want to conserve as much energy as possible so you can go as far as possible in one ride. Obviously the width of the tyre is directly proportional with its weight.

I agree with Chi. Get good tires. My ATB came with Kenda Koyote (cheap) knobbies. The second ride I hit a piece of glass 2 miles from home and blew out the rear tire. A total loss. I've been on Armadillos ever since and have had zero flats in six months and 600 miles on the ATB. Zero flats in 9 months and 2500 miles on the road bike.