Commuter Tyers for MTB ?

gb155

What would you guys and gals suggest I buy as road tyres for my Giant Yukon ? I have really crappy slicks right now and I have had 2 punctures this week and they have zero grip in the rain

kev2b3

Hi there.
The tyres i use on my mtb are Continental Ultra Gator Skin MTB.I have been using these tyres a around 9 months and i have not had a puncture yet . I think its important that the tyre pressures are checked regularly and keep the pressure to the max.
hope this helps.

gb155

Thanks I will take a look at those, My pressure is ALWAYS over MAX lol

skullthaw

shwable city jets are fookin amazin 9 months no punctures bout well over 700 miles and the tread is still gd!!!

m0scs

I agree with Kev. Ive used lots of different tyres on my Epic but for puncture resistance and speed you cant beat the the Conti Gators.

Spec Nimbus Armidillo are also good but not as fast, poss better grip in the wet.

I ran on the Nimbus all winter and never had a puncture and all summer on the Gators and never had a puncture.

Cue a sucession of punctures in the near future. Damn it, just jinxed myself

gb155

Cheers Guys, I actually thnk I have ridden a mates bike that has city jets on them, What would be the thinnest size I could get ?

gb155

Does anyone use CONTINENTAL Sport Contact ?

markybhoy67

gb155 wrote:

Does anyone use CONTINENTAL Sport Contact ?

I got them with my ridgeback bike and they lasted two nights before I got a pun@ture, although they where fine for about a month after that. I changed to schwalbe marathon plus's and they have been very good although a little slower.

Schwalbe marathon supremes will be my next choice as they are lighter and supposed to be faster and according to schwalbes website they have even better puncture proof than the plus's

NorwegianBlue

gb155 wrote:

Cheers Guys, I actually thnk I have ridden a mates bike that has city jets on them, What would be the thinnest size I could get ?

City Jets smallest size is 1.5", I'm running a pair on one of my bikes at the moment they're good, but I still think they were a mistake.

My preferred road tyre for an MTB has been the Spesh Fat Boy for aeons. Tough as old boots, fast and reasonably cheap (usually 15 quid each). Don't be put off by the fact that they are totally slick, skinny bike tyres do not aquaplane like car tyres.

sc999cs

I have Schwalbe city jets and occasionally have to swap them with my MTB tyres (need to buy a second set of wheels but haven't got around to it yet). These are the hardest tyres I've ever had to fit, the bead is so tight and last time I snapped two nylon tyre levers. They are complete b :evil:

Saying that they run really smoothly.

NorwegianBlue

sc999cs wrote:

I have Schwalbe city jets and occasionally have to swap them with my MTB tyres (need to buy a second set of wheels but haven't got around to it yet). These are the hardest tyres I've ever had to fit, the bead is so tight and last time I snapped two nylon tyre levers. They are complete b :evil:

Interesting. I find I can usually remove and refit City Jets with minimum tyre lever use. I know where you're coming from though, I had a pair of Vittoria Rubino slicks on my road bike that were so hard to fit and remove that they were entirely impractical, I rode constantly in fear of a puncture. However I have met some riders who have had not problems with the same tyres. I sometimes wonder if it's a QC issue, some batches of the same tyre being tighter than others.

My preferred Fat Boys are somewhat harder to fit than the Schwalbes, but not so hard it's a problem.

m0scs

gb155 wrote:

Does anyone use CONTINENTAL Sport Contact ?

I had these for a very short time before getting a puncture. Changed them swiftly for the Gators and never looked back.

thrope

I use the travel contact:
http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle ... tact.shtml

because I was a bit worried about getting full slicks...

They've been brilliant - it was 700 miles before the moulding nubs on the side even starting wearing off and I've done about 1200 now (city commuting) with no visible signs of wear. Seem to grip well and can take all sorts of glass/debris.

Edit: forgot to say I've never had a puncture on them...

UnworthyPapaLazaru

sc999cs wrote:

I have Schwalbe city jets and occasionally have to swap them with my MTB tyres (need to buy a second set of wheels but haven't got around to it yet). These are the hardest tyres I've ever had to fit, the bead is so tight and last time I snapped two nylon tyre levers. They are complete b :evil:

Saying that they run really smoothly.

I agree with all of this. Took me ages to prize them onto he wheel...

Great tyre though. Fast but I do have the ocassional slip in the wet.

NorwegianBlue

UnworthyPapaLazaru wrote:

I agree with all of this. Took me ages to prize them onto he wheel...

Great tyre though. Fast but I do have the ocassional slip in the wet.

Interestingly I find the City Jets do offer slightly less grip in the wet than the Fat Boys. Strangely the 1.5" City Jets on my bike seem to have a harder and shinier compound than the 1.9" ones on my wifes bike. I don't know how they grip in the wet though since my wife doesn't ride in the wet.

I'll still be going back to fat boys when the Schwalbes wear out. It's just a shame that the new ones don't have the big old Specialized script in white down the side, it made them look like skinny motorbike race slicks.

n5gooner

I've bought some new wheels for my MTB for road use, and have put on them Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick, these have got puncher protection. Had them for about 3 months and done about 2500 miles with only one puncher, which was a pinch puntcher because the inner tube had a fold in it. They are compleatly slick, and in the wet they seem ok, except over drain covers ! LOL

Colzer1

specialized nimbus are they way to go

jezcc

as I see it the top 2 choices are:-

Specialized Nimbus - Excellent puncture resistance, bit slow and wooden feeling
Continental Gator Skins - Not quite as puncture resistant, nicer to ride on

What about Shwalbe marathons?

I'm guying some slicks for the MTB in the next couple of weeks and at the moment I'm favouring the continentals.

pst88

m0scs wrote:

gb155 wrote:

Does anyone use CONTINENTAL Sport Contact ?

I had these for a very short time before getting a puncture. Changed them swiftly for the Gators and never looked back.

Had one on the front for 6 months and didn't get a single puncture so I guess it's just luck? Had a City Contact on the back and got 1 puncture during that time. Overall not so bad I'd say.

felgen

I have Kenda Kwik Roller sport on mine.... they take 85 PSI (well more actually as I have them higher than that) 1.35" wide, treaded but with a solid middle rib, and they seem pretty fast. Oh and about 900 miles, tread okay and no punctures whatsoever. All in all pretty happy with them.

Oh and they were cheap too 20 quid for a pair off ebay if I remember, or sprockets online

HTH

alfablue

gb155 wrote:

Does anyone use CONTINENTAL Sport Contact ?

I used them, they punctured often and wore out fast - the rubber compound is too soft and flimsy IMHO, may offer better grip but the punctures were a PITA (and there was a worthless anti-puncture guarantee).

Since then I have used Specialized All Conditions Pro's 26x1.0, great, and no punctures in 4000 miles.

m0scs

alfablue wrote:

gb155 wrote:

Does anyone use CONTINENTAL Sport Contact ?

I used them, they punctured often and wore out fast - the rubber compound is too soft and flimsy IMHO, may offer better grip but the punctures were a PITA (and there was a worthless anti-puncture guarantee).

Since then I have used Specialized All Conditions Pro's 26x1.0, great, and no punctures in 4000 miles.

Where did you get the Spec All Condition Pro's from. I thought they were only available in 700c size? Are they Armadillo?

alfablue

m0scs wrote:

alfablue wrote:

gb155 wrote:

Does anyone use CONTINENTAL Sport Contact ?

I used them, they punctured often and wore out fast - the rubber compound is too soft and flimsy IMHO, may offer better grip but the punctures were a PITA (and there was a worthless anti-puncture guarantee).

Since then I have used Specialized All Conditions Pro's 26x1.0, great, and no punctures in 4000 miles.

Where did you get the Spec All Condition Pro's from. I thought they were only available in 700c size? Are they Armadillo?

Cyclesurgery currently have them in 26x1 at £2 off, plus a few other places (Tredz, Cyclestore). They have "Flak Jacket" not Armadillo (I am not sure of the distinction) - anyway, they have an Aramid (kevlar) belt - mine have NEVER been penetrated! Light, fast, grippy, hard wearing.

duckson

Specialized Crossroads Armadillo Elite 26 x 1.95, nice mix of tyre and puncture proof!

itboffin

My Ridgeback came with sport contact 26 x 1.6 I ran with them for six months and swapped to the 26 x 1.3 - punctures happen regardless it's just the luck of the draw, if you want tough and fast rolling then sports contact get my 26" vote

m0scs

Thanks for the info on the Spec All Condition Pro's, I'll take a look at these but have to say my Conti Gators are doing a fine job a the moment.

Duckson, my first tyres after standard fit knobblies were the Crossroads Armadillo I had these for a while with no problems. I later started using my Spec Epic solely for road use and so I looked for something faster.

I then went for the Nimbus Armadillo which never puctured and from there to the Conti Gators so I could go even faster.

I can recommend all of the above, just depends what use you want to put them to.

Have to say that the Ride on the Gators is noticibly harder than the Nimbus but I guess thats to be expected with a narrow tyre.

NorwegianBlue

Over the years I have found that skinnier tyres seem less prone to punctures. I have come up with a theory to explain this, it could be nonsense but it seems to satisfy Occam's razor, so here goes:

"Whatever tyre you ride there are the same number of sharp things out there. A wider softer tyre has a much larger contact area then a skinnier harder tyre. So the wider tyre is more likely to come into contact with sharp things."

sc999cs

NorwegianBlue wrote:

Over the years I have found that skinnier tyres seem less prone to punctures. I have come up with a theory to explain this, it could be nonsense but it seems to satisfy Occam's razor, so here goes:

"Whatever tyre you ride there are the same number of sharp things out there. A wider softer tyre has a much larger contact area then a skinnier harder tyre. So the wider tyre is more likely to come into contact with sharp things."

I also read (on here I think) that skinny tyres are usually inflated to higher pressures which makes it harder for sharp objects to embed into the tyre. Softer wider tyres pick up debris easier, especially in the tread. It takes a couple of rotations for the sharp to penetrate the tyre and puncture the tube, so soft wide tyres are more likely to puncture.

gb155

Thanks everyone, After a few people here suggested City Jets I also asked people at work and they all said the same CITY JETS, So I now have a pair of 1.5 City Jets with Kenda Tubes, Went out for a quick mile after reconfiguring the computer and they seem really good, much harder than my old cheap soft 2.0's (non branded pants) They are SUPER skinny though, with my size thats my only worry, maybe I should have got 1.75's

sc999cs

gb155 wrote:

So I now have a pair of 1.5 City Jets ...They are SUPER skinny though, with my size thats my only worry, maybe I should have got 1.75's

You should see 18mm road tyres if you think 1.5 inch tyres are super skinny!

NorwegianBlue

sc999cs wrote:

gb155 wrote:

So I now have a pair of 1.5 City Jets ...They are SUPER skinny though, with my size thats my only worry, maybe I should have got 1.75's

You should see 18mm road tyres if you think 1.5 inch tyres are super skinny!

Funnilly enough I find the 1.5" City Jets (actually 40mm IIRC) look rather fat. They look just about as fat as the 1.75" Vittoria Climb 8s on my retro MTB.