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Hi folks I've just got hold of a second hand bike with 26" wheels for my son to commute to work,it's a mountain bike with very knobbly tyres,I would like to replace them for something for road use so would appreciate it if anyone could recommend anything that wont be too expensive,I'm happy to pay about £25 a tyre but if anyone has seen anything half decent for less that would be great.So anything with low rolling resistance and with some puncture protection would be ideal.Years ago i used to like the schwalbe city jets but I did feel that the quality dropped after a design change which was a shame as you could pick them up dirt cheap.So any models and where to buy would be a great help,many thanks
Usual answer - conti contacts - come in a variety of flavours. I use travel contacts.
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/continental-contact-road-tyre/rp-prod110518
I have a few sets in the loft if you're interested. Some Bontrager Satellite, Conti contacts and aforementioned Cityjets. The jets are brand new but at least 4 years old, the other two are a fair bit older and have had some use, all are in good condition.
It's pretty hard to find the higher quality Schwalbe Kojaks now but they're a great option- lighter and more "road bikey" than most commuter tyres but still decent puncture protection. Conti Contact Speed is really good too
(I've got a set of Schwable Fat Frank 2.35s here, with the k-guard puncture protection- very lightly used as the bike they were used on got nicked when it had its mtb tyres on. Could do them for £20 posted?)
Bit more expensive but 1000000x more cool are Vans Cult tyres
Hmmmm. I was going to say Schwalbe City Jets.
I used to use DMR Moto's for exactly what you describe. Big round profile tyres with minimal tread. Pump them up like rocks and your bike feels super fast. Drop the pressure a bit and they are super grippy / comfy. Not so good in mud but great on any firm surface. Cheap too if you can find stock. Thank me later.
We use Kenda K-Rads on our roady 26" wheels.
Thanks everyone I'm going to have a look at all of those
If you need/want ability for stuff like towpaths as well, Schwalbe Land Cruisers are pretty damn indestructible.
Used to run Halo Twin rails on my 26", noisy but hard rolling until they got nicked.
Hi @idiotdogbrain are they quite nippy on the road too,I've heard of them before
+1 for city jets
or you could go for a Specialized nimbus which is very similar and a good price
I got some Michelin country rock tyres cheap for my 26” run about. They do the job for me.
@wilko77 - yeah, they're inverted tread with a central ridge so they roll like a slick on the road. They're not folding, or anything fancy, but they're cheap and tough, and suitable for almost any terrain bar proper mud.
I've got Spesh crossroads which are what used to be called semi slicks. Goodish for both road and off-road.
Paselas used to be the ones for road.
These might be worth a try if you don't mind a wire beaded tyre; the prices look good.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVITATGW/vittoria-adventure-tech-g-wired-tyre
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVIRANDTECH/vittoria-randonneur-tech-g-rigid-tyre
Thanks @P jay I bought the tyres on the top link that you gave,the price is great and very welcome as I'm broke at the moment.The puncture protection sounds good too.