Swapping my MTB tyres for Road tyres. Advice needed!!

deangy

Hi guys.

When purchasing some new road tyres for my hardtail MTB what size should I buy?? The Schwalbe City Jet tyres I want come in 26" x 1.95 and 26" x 1.5 and Im unsure which ones to buy and if they will fit on my rims. I have 26" x 2.2 Continental Mountain Kings currently on my bike.


Please help!!!

Dean

omegas

Have a look on the web site for your rims as it will tell you what sizes you can use.

cooldad

Buy the fattest ones, much more comfortable.

t4tomo

The lack of nobbles gives you the speed / rollling resistance advantage, slightly different size won't maake a hoot of difference to perfomance, but as colddad says bigger will be a tad comfier

boneyjoe

Personally, I'd go for the 1.5s. Will be a bit faster as (a) weigh less and (b) less rolling resistance (you don't see fast roadies with balloon tyres now do you!). As long as you run sensible pressures (say 40-50psi), they are pretty comfy too.

cooldad

I don't think you understand the concept of rolling resistance. It has very little to do with the width of the tyre, plenty to do with material, sidewall flex and pressure.
And 'fast roadies' have pressure up around 120psi, not exactly designed for comfort.

carcar

Hey!
If I may bring my own experience-

I had the same than you: MTB, I replaced the wheels by "slimmer ones"-
("The Rubber thing", I kept the metallic round-)

:shock: :shock: :shock: HORRIBLE experience!!!

Driving the bike became a pain: loss of grip, sliding everywhere, etc....
(I drove commuting in Edinburgh- Normal weather sliding more; wet weather sliding terribly even in a simple turn on flat surface at the "startup speed" from the red light= just slow acceleration
Then I tried in the local "low mountains" in dirt paths: felt less confident, less grip, sliding to rocks, etc...).

Probably the "frame" being too heavy/big" for "skinnier tyres".

I made the "drive test" for 4 months, never liked it.

So I'm just saying maybe you could try before to make the purchase- Or see if your frame is not too bulky, etc... (it probably impact on the driving).

:?

cat_with_no_tail

I assume when you say "wheels" you actually mean "tyres".

You also seem to like "quotation marks"

The frame wouldn't make any difference. The width of the rims would.

As you don't quantify your statement with any useful information such as what bike you had, what surfaces you were riding on, what rims / tyres you were using, makes, sizes etc, it's very difficult to draw any useful conclusions from your experience.

agg25

The width of the tyres will make a bit of difference. Not because of the rolling resistance but because of the weight of the tyre, I'd go 1.5s, mine don't slip around at all and aren't that uncomfortable even on London's potholed roads. They're still going to be more comfortable than a roadie.

evillittlegoat

Be careful in the wet. I faceplanted spectacularly when cycling to work the morning after switching out my nobblies for city jets.

deangy

Thanks for all your advice guys! Very much appreciated.

d00m

Of course wider rubber makes a difference. Rolling resistance is increased due to more rubber being in contact with the ground.

cooldad

d00m wrote:

Of course wider rubber makes a difference. Rolling resistance is increased due to more rubber being in contact with the ground.

No it doesn't. It's a fair bit more involved than that.

cooldad

For ultimate low rolling resistance try steel wheels.
For commuting comfort and grip are preferable to ultimate low rollling resistance, which will hardly be noticeable by trimming a tyre down a fraction of an inch.
IMHO.

sharky1029

Anyone who has ever ridden a road bike or had a lesson in physics will know that fatter tyres do increase rolling resistance as there is more rubber on the road. Higher pressures are used in order to decrease the size of the contact patch. This is the same as lowering pressures on a mountain bike increases grip.

In answer to the question though, larger tyres will be more comfortable but slightly slower however the speed will probably seem far quicker whichever size you go for if you are changing from mtb tyres to slicks.

cooldad

The higher pressures do not make a difference by decreasing the contact patch as such (although this will reduce grip and comfort) but by reducing the elastic hysteresis, which in tyres is largely due to sidewall flex.

nozzac

http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/ ... resistance

cooldad

I rest my case, more or less.

andysol

For me
Continental Travel contacts are the best cross commuter tyre, for wear, puncture resistance, speed, and grip. 26 x 1.75

Also good are specialised mibus armadillos. 26x1.5 same puncture resistance but less grip. More for tarmac

Both are pricy though, but the Contis will last thousands of miles easy
Andy

agg25

Rolling resistance isn't much of a factor, but weight is and the skinnier you go the lighter they get so they will be faster, you'll just have slightly less grip.

shm_uk

andysol wrote:

For me
Continental Travel contacts are the best cross commuter tyre, for wear, puncture resistance, speed, and grip. 26 x 1.75

Also good are specialised mibus armadillos. 26x1.5 same puncture resistance but less grip. More for tarmac

Both are pricy though, but the Contis will last thousands of miles easy
Andy

I've used the Specialised Nimbus in the past, and now use Conti Travel Contact's (folding version).

Highly recommend both of these tyres.
Never punctured after 000's of commuting miles on either of these.

The Specialised's felt faster but had slightly less grip due to the narrower profile (I occasionally experienced slippage when stomping up hill out of the saddle on a wet road, and they're easier to skid under hard braking).

I think, all things considered, I'd recommend the Conti's over the Specialised's.

As mentioned above, these tyres are not cheap, but they'll last you ages so in the long run are a worthy investment.

Daz555

I'd go for the fatter tyre every time. Skinnies only really make sense aerodynamically and as I doubt you'll be cruising at roadie speeds too often on an MTB you'll gain nowt from the skinny tyre.

Get the fat tyre - comfy and less likely to puncture. They look better on an MTB as well - those skinny tyres leave far too much clearance and make the bike look like its got 24" wheels.

d00m wrote:

Of course wider rubber makes a difference. Rolling resistance is increased due to more rubber being in contact with the ground.

Not necessarily.