commuting tyres

blablablacksheep

Bassically my MTB tyres are on thier last legs and sinse my Hardtail bike now my commuting bike to and from work im looking for some tyres..

But i dont just use roads as i also do around 80% of the ride along the tow paths(River Lee), while only 20-30% tops along the road.

What tyres do you suggest i use as i dont want to buy new wheels specifically for commuting tyres.

Current tyre size i have is 26x2.2 any suggestions?

so far i have
Halo Twin Rail

davewalsh

Maxxis Crossmark ?
Nice solid centre section for fast rolling and should give enough grip for towpaths.

bails87

Depends how well surfaced the towpath is. Does it turn to mud in the winter or is it hardpacked gravelly stuff?

If the latter than some Schwable Marathon Plus's, otherwise, something semi slick. If it's really bad, then a narrow XC tyre.

Long_Time_Lurker

I have Specialized Crossroads. Wouldn't recommend them.
Heavy, and throw spray everywhere when wet (even reversed the front tyre - with little improvement).
Great for firetracks and gravel/scree. Average or poor in other conditions.
(On the plus side the Armadillo version seems pretty bomb-proof).

tenfoot

bails87 wrote:

Depends how well surfaced the towpath is. Does it turn to mud in the winter or is it hardpacked gravelly stuff?

If the latter than some Schwable Marathon Plus's, otherwise, something semi slick. If it's really bad, then a narrow XC tyre.

+1 for Marathon's. I had two punctures on my way home one evening on my old Tioga tyres, so I changed them for something a little more puncture resistant. No punctures since. They're ok on loose pack towpaths too.

blablablacksheep

do you mean these
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Basket/Pr ... MTB-OR.htm

If so are they worth the money given they cost of them?
And if they are will they work on my wheels even if they are 2.1 not 2.2 .

Depends how well surfaced the towpath is. Does it turn to mud in the winter or is it hardpacked gravelly stuff?

Its the River Lee, so its loose track/hardish in places but isnt id say gravel loose, during winter it can be a little muddy but its hard to describe unless you been on the River Lee.

thanks for advice,

The Rookie

Schwalbe city jets are a great budget option for a wider slick MTB tyre, they can be picked up for not much over £20 a pair, not as puncture resistant as marathon's though.
If you don't mind going skinny, you'll gain rolling speed with something like the WTB Slickasaurus or similar in a 1 3/8 or 1 1/2 inch widths.

Simon

blablablacksheep

so to confirm
If i get these marathon plus tyres
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Basket/Pr ... MTB-OR.htm

26x2.1 they will fit my MTB wheels on my rockhopper?

The Rookie

Do you really need off road knobblies for your commute, they will be a lot of drag!

These in the 1.75 would be better from what you describe of your route http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop ... MP-MTB.htm

Simon

blablablacksheep

The Beginner wrote:

Do you really need off road knobblies for your commute, they will be a lot of drag!

These in the 1.75 would be better from what you describe of your route http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop ... MP-MTB.htm

Simon

as long as the tyres can go along the River Lee paths as well as on roads then they will do,the River Lee paths i use are sort of like Fireroad surface conditions.

those tyres look nice but they rather exspencive, also i not sure if my rockhopper wheels would work with them.(1.75)

But if those Schwalbe Marathon Plus Smartguard Rigid tyres areone of the best and are good enough to be used along the River Lee as well as on road then i might consider the price.

be interested to hear what others think though on this issue or whether those "ridgid" ones are good enough for River Lee paths compared to the MTB ones.

stellamandude

Have you looked at the WTB Graffiti ?



Chain Reaction did have them for only £9 each, however I can't seem to find them listed on the site any more ?

bails87

Your wheels will be fine with any of the tyres mentioned.

I've put 1.25" City Jets on my old 'hack' MTB with no problems.

The thinner and slicker you go, the quicker they'll be, but you'll lose grip on muddy stuff.

blablablacksheep

thanks Bails

Will order some of those Schwalbe Marathon Plus Smartguard Rigids 1.75s and hopefully they will be good enough for the River Lees tow paths ie fireroads.

Matt88

I've got a pair of those marathon plus's, very good!, decent grip and rolling resistance even in wet and seemingly puncture proof. Havnt used them off road though, i just use them as a winter tyre on my commuter.
I got them for £20 each at on-one, might be worth checking if they still have some in stock

thegiantbiker

Maybe Conti X King as they have fairly low-profile knobs but should still have some grip.

blablablacksheep

going to go with the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Smartguard Rigid 26" but it seems there are different ones and types floating around, Merlin selling them as a pair for £53.98 ..

looked at On-One and all i could find were these
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYSCMARPPW/ ... wired_tyre
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYSCMARA/sc ... _wire_bead

Are these the same/simular to the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Smartguard Rigid 26" 1.75s??

tenfoot

The second link is the ones I have. As I say, they've been puncture free since I bought them (6 months agao) and are perfect for routes that are mainly tarmac. They cope well on loose gravel, but I would think mud would be a no-no. A couple of weeks back, for instance, I cycled 5 miles along the tow path at the side of the River Medway, which is mainly gravel, with no issues at all.

blablablacksheep

thanks for help, im still confused over the difference between the 3 different tyres though.

Schwalbe Marathon Kevlarguard Snakeskin Tyre Wire Bead £11.99
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Performance Wired Tyre £19.99
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Smartguard Rigid £29.99

Whats the difference? they seem exact copies of each other, was going to get the "rigids" but is it worth the extra tenner over the performance wired?

cooldad

Go for the cheap ones.

tsenior

these seem pretty good, light like..

wouldent pay full price though :shock:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYSCBALSKGF ... lding_tyre