Another what tyre - but which width too?

apreading

I will shortly have two sets of wheels for my MTB (Felt Q820) and am thinking of putting commuter tyres on one and off road on the other, rather than a single compromise which isnt ideal for either.

For the commuter tyre it needs to be OK on a stretch of canal towpath but nothing more than that, and not a disaster if the roads are a bit damp. Puncture protection is obviiously crucial too...

I am thinking Schwalbe City Jets at present as they are cheap, seem well regarded, fast and puncture resistant.

Considered the Marathon Plus but dont really want the weight.

But I can get the City Jets in either 1.5 or 1.95 widths. I am 17 stone and thinking that I might need the 1.95 but presumably the 1.5 would be faster.

Any help with choosing appreciated - especially regarding the width.

Cheers

Rob

rolf_f

I just put City Jets on my MTB - 1.95s I think. I went for 1.95 basically because I didn't want to humiliate my poor P7 with narrow tyres. I'd have thought you could use either.

The only snag is this - I used the City Jets to replace my Conti Speed Kings - which are known to be fast for knobblies. So far, I can't be sure that the City Jets have made any difference to my commute times. Maximum speed and cruising speed all seem much the same. The only benefit, as far as I can see, is a likely longer life and cheaper purchase price. No bad thing but I was expecting easier, faster commuting

Does make me wonder if the narrow tyres would have been faster. Or not.......

BTW - advice might be recommended on your two pairs of wheels set up. I changed tyres with the personal proviso that it would't stop me doing proper mountain biking and I'd live with the hassle of the tyre swaps. A second set of wheels is not a bad idea but you might get problems with chain wear unless you swap the sprocket as well. Not sure how big a problem this might be - probably depends on how many commute miles you do against how many hardcore offroad miles you do.

apreading

If I have identical cassettes and disc rotors I should be OK shouldnt I?

Why would I have chain wear problems?

Are you thinking that the indexing might need to be different for the two wheels? I was hoping with the same componentry this would not be the case...

If my family had to wait for me to swap tyres at the weekend or on an evening to go out cycling this would be a non starter - plus some of the tyres (particularly schwalbe) are a nightmare to get on/off. So I am really hoping this idea will work.

Thinking now that I will try the 1.5 City Jets but I suspect it will mean a firm ride.

cyberknight

i have 1.5s and i love them very nice for their price not any punctures yet and i ride on a cycle path that regulary has glass and bits that have fell passing lorries

apreading

looked at the City Jets at lunchtime - the centre looks ideal but they have really thin sidewalls - does this present a problem for anyone?

Is tere something else to consider with slightly stronger sidewalls, or should I not worry about that?

Looking for 1.5 or 1.75 I think...

rolf_f

apreading wrote:

Why would I have chain wear problems?

Because recommendation normally is to replace the chainwheels at the same time as the sprockets at the same time as the chain (though you should get through a few chains before the rest of the system needs replacing). This way, everything wears together.

If you keep swapping the sprockets round, they will be wearing less quickly than the chainwheels. Still, to be honest, I can't help thinking it probably wouldn't make much difference - would be good if someone who really knows their stuff could comment. The same approach could be quite handy for winter turbo training.

cyberknight

I have not had any problems with them TBH

I am not up on every tyre i can only speak from my experience.

apreading

Decided to go with something different - Michelin City 1.85

Main reason was that I wanted something a litle wider but not as wide as 1.95 so set out to look for 1.75 as a compromise between the two. Cant get City Jets in that and also I was concerned about the sidewalls.

Found the Michelin Citys for £10 each on Chain Reaction and figured they were worth a punt at that price. At least then I will have a better base point to decide if I buy soemthing different.

Not many reviews for these so will be interesting to see what they are like.

cheers