Hi,

thinking of converting my hardtail for some winter riding on the road. Just wondering how small I can get away with with my tyres? It’s an old 26″ wheeled hardtail. GT Avalanche.

Wouldn’t mind a little grip on them as it’s winter and might do a little bit of riding on light gravel tracks.

If you could point me to the right type of tyres, that would be great.

Cheers

Rob

1.3″

Ah…. cheers 🙂

I have run 1.25s on my Giant XTC before but prefer 1.5s on my GT at the moment.

1.25 tyre
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panaracer-Ribmo-26in-Folding-Tyre/dp/B0016164G6

pic <scroll down thread>
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/road-bikes-going-to-the-dark-side-for-commuting

1.5 tyre
https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized-nimbus-armadillo-tyre-00101132

pics
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/my-first-bike-build-gt-for-a-runabout

top man keva…. Saves me trying to look in the office 😉

oh yeh forgot to say although you can probably see, those rims are Mavic Crossrides and I’ve not used the 1.25s on any other rims. Also those Rimbo tyres aren’t very good for anything other than the tarmac, if you’re looking to ride short sections off road I’d go for a different slightly wider tyre.

I had 2″ marathons on my 26″ commuter. quick enough, comfy and good on trails too.

Unless you’re attempting to keep up with a chaingang, I’d go 2″. It’ll look better too!

I’ve used Conti GP 1″ tyres on my Mavic Crossrides with no ill effect. Not much good for offroad though.

Apart from the weight penalty, a 2″ slick will likely have lower rolling resistance than a 1.5″ one, plus will be more comfortable and less likely to pinch punctures – better handling too due to the rounded tyre profile giving more progressive grip. Fitting a tyre narrower than the rim isn’t a good idea.

I’ve used Conti GP 1″ tyres

I’ve used the 26″ Conti’s in the past too.

If you’re feeling flush:

http://www.compasscycle.com/product-category/components/tires/26-inch/

“The Rat Trap Pass tires helped us to not only finish PBP in under 72 hours, but to do so safely with comfort and style. It felt like we were towing half of Europe (everyone loves the tandem draft!) around the course at times, and the RTP tires allowed us to ride strong and corner confidently while leading large groups. – J.O., Vancouver, BC, Canada

Schwalbe City Jets in a 1.5 always worked well for me when I wanted ‘slicks’ on my mtb.

Cheers guys… lots of great info….

Never needed to do it before as I usually have a bit of time in the day to get out on the big bikes in the South Downs.

Also, can’t really justify to the wife another bike after spending a bit of dosh on a Capra 😉

Cheers