Swapping tyres - Advice needed

Mr Cummings

Hi all

Just looking to get into commuting again. I've changed jobs and this one is a further 15 miles away. I ride a Genesis Core 20, and previously the 3 miles was okay on the existing tyres. But I think my bobbly 2.3 tyres will just be too much for the extended trip!

Any advice on how thin I can go and what tyres might be best to use?

I don't want to get a road bike, I want to see how I go first...

cheers

Michael

JayKingFunk

I used to commute on my GT and swapped from 2.35 high rollers to 2.1 Schwable city jets.

They cost £20 for a new set from an ebay power seller.

Reasonably light weight, never had a puncture and according to my old speedo gave me a 5 to 6 mph increase on my average speed and I could really feel it!

J

peter413

Get some maxxis holy rollers (2.4 60a)

Roll very well on the road but still work well off road (I am using one on the back at the moment for the dusty trails )

If you are only going to be doing road then some thin slips, maybe 1.8's.

Another tyre to consider would be the Maxxis Wormdrive (semi slick)

Plaisir

I used to commute a similar distance running specialized nimbus armadillo's. Thousands of miles riding through all sorts of road crap and crud and the occasional off road trip without a single puncture. 26X1.5 was the size

glauciaregina9

+1 for Plaisir's post

I used Spesh Nimbus Armadillo's for years, never single puncture.

I always thought slick tyres make an mtb look a bit like a pram, but for commuting they're well worth the cost, your ride will be so much more pleasant if you're not bogged down by rolling resistance...

bails87

glauciaregina9
Agreed, I'd go as thin as possible and as slick as possible. Something like the Schwalbe City Jets.

Is that a 36 mile round trip you've got then?

Mr Cummings

Thanks for your replies.

Yeah, it's a 36 mile round trip..

delcol

delcol hides behind chair ready for his onslaught..

if commuting this distance on road i would personally get a road bike..

i put conti slicks on my hardtail for my 12 mile commute and it was still a chore way to much resistance and old men on hybrids kept kicking my ass,
after 5 weeks i thought foooook it and went and got a cheap road bike i never looked back,, and this knocked over 5 mins off my commute time...

peter413

delcol wrote:

delcol hides behind chair ready for his onslaught..

if commuting this distance on road i would personally get a road bike..

i put conti slicks on my hardtail for my 12 mile commute and it was still a chore way to much resistance and old men on hybrids kept kicking my ass,
after 5 weeks i thought foooook it and went and got a cheap road bike i never looked back,, and this knocked over 5 mins off my commute time...

Your tyres probably weren't pumped up that well.

Pump them up to the maximum pressure for on road use

delcol

tyres were at the max around 80 psi. but in my opinion there was still to much drag off them,,, the 23s on my road bike have no drag at all they just keep rolling. i have them at 120 psi...

peter413

delcol wrote:

tyres were at the max around 80 psi. but in my opinion there was still to much drag off them,,, the 23s on my road bike have no drag at all they just keep rolling. i have them at 120 psi...

Ok, yeah that is enough pressure lol.

You will find part of that resistance is from the extra weight of an mtb and the suspension

delcol

true i guess one of the other reasons i got the roadie was i was sick of the bobbing on the forks when i put the power down...

still think road bikes are better for the road especially for this kind of distance...

peter413

delcol wrote:

still think road bikes are better for the road especially for this kind of distance...

Well the clue is in the name :roll:

JamesBrckmn

road bikes also have lighter wheels, so they have less rotating weight, so accelarate and climb much faster

Mr Cummings

thanks for that chaps.

I'm only wanting to try the commute first, see if it's better than the drive, which can be a nightmare. I'm not adverse to considering a roadie, but at this stage I don't want to shell out. I've tried a road bike before and hated it. But this will have a reason behind it I suppose.

mancjon

18 miles on an mtb with slicks isn't that bad to be honest and think how much fitter you'll get

delcol

mines a flat bar road bike,, simlar position to a mtb, with all the advantages of a road bike..

bbug

JayKingFunk wrote:

I used to commute on my GT and swapped from 2.35 high rollers to 2.1 Schwable city jets.

They cost £20 for a new set from an ebay power seller.

Reasonably light weight, never had a puncture and according to my old speedo gave me a 5 to 6 mph increase on my average speed and I could really feel it!

J

I bought a cheap bike to use as a trainer. It had really knobby Kendas with blue rubber. Hard work. The next weekend I went to a car boot sale and found a pair of City Jets, still with the pimples on for £3.50 . What a transformation. The cross section of the tyre is sort of triangular, so if I pump it up hard, there's hardly anything touching the road.
But, on my round-the-block loop there's a bit of muddy bridle track. With these tyres I get wheel-spin when putting on the power on the wet bits. If you're going to do any wet off-road, then these tyres are not for you.