Ok, rather than forking out on a shiny road bike to try and get fit I'm going to try some road riding on my rigid 29er. So I'll need some suitable tyres, my rims have ETRTO 700 19c on them, what would be a sensible width of 700c tyre to go for? Any suggestions on a tyre that would offer speed and a degree of comfort and grip?
I have 2 different slicks i run on my 29ers, some 700c x 42 and some 29 x 2.35" (Big Apples that are great).
I reckon you'll be fine down to 35-37mm, just look at any touring or cx tyres on the market, something will fit the bill.
Road riding on a 29er just doesn't feel the same as road riding on a road bike...
For that rim, tyres in the region of 28-35mm would be about right (which in itself will make it quite different to a proper road bike with 23mm tyres).
I and others have managed 32mm cross tyres. I think it was suggested something along the lines of a 28mm conti 4 season would be ok [but let someone else clarify that before you buy].
[url= http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html ]red and green table[/url] at the bottom of the page.
19mm suggests 28mm tyre minimum.
If you are training on the road, you don't need to be going fast it's the consistency of peddaling which is benificial.
I'd try a 32/35c slick.
succesfully run 28's on that rim size in the past - wouldn't want to go any smaller though - slightly draggy ride but depends on how much you want to spend on tyres - Vin Cox managed to ride round the world quick enough on 28's after all
Thanks for the help. I'll get some ordered.
I've got some 30c Schwalbe Marathon Racers I use for the odd ride. Wouldn't say they gave me road bike speed but decent enough for a good pootle.
32mm on mine atm but I've had 25mm on as an experiment
Give Big Apples a go