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So,
My OH is wanting to throw some road tyres on her HT to go and do something a bit different for a change (well, actually, she wants a new bike, but she's not having one).
Other than the obvious PITA of swapping tyres on a whim, is there anything I should know here? I'm assuming I can just drop a pair of slicks onto the existing rims and away she goes. If so, what would people recommend tyre-wise?
yes, if you get very narrow tyres you may need lower volume tubes.
I'm using Schwalbe Kojaks currently - quite big (which helps get diameter of wheel up) - but nice and slick and don't make rest of bike look silly like very narrow tyres can do on an mtb.
any recommendations for road tyres for MTB's?? good in wet would be an advantage given our climate. looking for some at the moment.
I use Schwalbe City Jets and they seem to do the trick. You'll need lower volume tubes with them.
I only got them as Wiggle were doing a ridiculous deal for something like 2x tyres with tubes for £20.
I don't have a road bike, so use my Inbred for commuting duties. I ended up asking my LBS for a cheap set of wheels so I could have them permanently available to stick on, rather than having to swap tyres over.
Total cost including the tyres/tubes, cassette, rim tape & QR's was only about £130. I got home and noticed the wheels were exactly the same as the ones fitted to her indoors' Spesh Myka HT.
continental contact sports on mrs antigee's commute bike with nothing but praise
assume still available - came with some wheels i bought
ps as only uses on road i switched the fork as well for a carbon rigid
I ended up asking my LBS for a cheap set of wheels
I was wondering if this might be a better option. Cool. What's rim tape?
I use Schwalbe Kojaks as well, totally slick so nice and fast. Surprisingly grippy too.
As for tyre pressure, not as hard as you would think. I started off with 90psi in the Kojaks but am down to 70psi now. On all but the smoothest roads (and where are they in the UK?) a bit of give in the tyres makes for faster and more comfortable progress
I used Schwalbes when I did this, and was fortunate enough to have a spare set of wheels with a similar rim profile to mean I could switch between wheels without having to faff around without brake blocks.
Cougar - the tape that goes round the inside of the rim to stop the spokes puncturing the inner tube.....
I forgot to mention that I already had a spare set of brake rotors....so you'll need to factor those in too, if required.
WTB Slickasaurus, but mainly as they came as a pair with tubes for £20
Seem just fine anyway
If you want to go really quickly Conti GatorSkins, veryfast and excellent punture resistance. If you want something with a bit more volume then I swear by Conti, Travel Contacts. Fast puncture proof and will get by on mild offroad
the tape that goes round the inside of the rim to stop the spokes puncturing the inner tube.....
Aah. I assumed this was part of the wheels. Ta.
Aah. I assumed this was part of the wheels. Ta.
Yeah, you'd have thought it would be included but it's normally extra. Only a few quid though.
Conti Sport Contact - 1.3 if you want skinny and fast. On offer at on-one for £10.99 at the moment.
Schwaplbe super motos or big apples 2.3s if you like fast & comfortable 🙂
If you want skinnier than 1.3's theres these 26" x 1"
I've got a pair of these, great tyres, although I paid £24 each.
Two for £35, make sure you select 26" x 1" from the menu
1" wide may sound skinny but it's perfect for the road.
[url= http://www.mailordercycles.com/products.php?plid=m2b0s121p808 ]Specialized All Condition Pro 26" x 1"[/url]
i use Vittoria rubino pro slick 1.5's they are fairly light but still offer good puncture resistance. not punctured mine but do have a big slice in one but hasnt punctured..
no worse than other slicks in the wet imo
It shouldn't be too much of an issue but if you use small slicks you may notice that you run out of gears. Going from 2.1 to 1" will decrease the diameter of your wheels markedly.
I suspect that something with a bit of 'bounce' is going to be preferable to hardcore skinnies.
All good stuff though, thanks all.
I use Conti Town & Country 1.9" and love them for comfort and grip in wet.
Geax slicks (26x1.25") are super fast but wooden in feel, similar to Bonty tyres off a Trek hybrid e.g. 7.5FX.
I used Hutchinsons, Schwalbe, Continental and Geax and they proved reliable. Maxxis, on the other hand, utter waste of time, puncture after puncture, no grip in wet, never managed to convince me I should keep them, very unlike their off-road products.
Other than the obvious PITA of swapping tyres on a whim
Get new whim tape. Better in the long whun.