Tyre sizes for 26" "urban" tyres

waddlie

I'm a new addition to the commuting community and am about to splash out on a pair of Panaracer Ribmos to speed up my Rockhopper. I'm used to big bouncy tyres but now have an option of 1.25, 1.5 and 1.75. I was thinking I'd get the most benefit from a pair of1.25s for weight reasons - what are the benefits of the bigger sizes?

Wooliferkins

A bit more cushioning and weight and real skinny tyres can look a bit odd on an mtb.

waddlie

So can a bit more weight be a good thing?

Wooliferkins

Well it's more weight you have to shift so not really. The narrower tyres you have the more responsive/twitchy (depending on your view) the bike will be. There are limits on the width of tyre you can put on certain rim widths see here under "Width considerations". I cant see your rims not taking 1.5" tyres and they should be fine. We sell loads of Schwalbe City Jets for MTBs on the commuting run so I think it's a good balance

ride_whenever

technically, heavier tyre will result in less damage being caused to you in the event of being hit, however it's a pretty insignificant effect...