Newby Need Help Please ^^

krishan
krishan Posts: 14
edited January 2012 in The workshop
Hi there, as this is my first post to the forum, I apologise in advance if this is the wrong section for this type of topic.
Anyways, i'm in the following situation:

1. Currently own a Carrera Vulcan Mountain Bike...this one - http://reviews.halfords.com/4028/946467/reviews.htm

2. I use it only for commuting, and only plan to use it for this purpose

3. I have tried to replace the tyre after 2 punctures, and found it impossible without my fathers superior strength (probably made more difficult because it was very cold at the time, but seriously what is the point if I cant swap them myself!!!)
They are 26x2.35s btw- so super chunky, and make my commuting on 95% tarmac, a nightmare.

So I need a new set of tyres, which will be used to occasionally on grass/mud, but as above 95% tarmac (roads/pathways)

So I'm guessing semi-slicks are best?

I'm in the UK, so I bike in wet conditions a lot more than I hope and I'm not a very good cyclist so...

Any recommendations please post away, my budget is anywhere up to £20 per tyre, but would much prefer to spend as little as possible for good puncture protection, speed and durability my 3 main criteria.

Thank you for your time ^^

Comments

  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Schwalbe City Jets are supposed to be pretty good for road-bound MTBs...

    This is a decent vid on how to fit a tricky tyre (assuming that's the part you're having trouble with).
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • krishan
    krishan Posts: 14
    ah, cheers for that video link, seems very interesting, not sure if it will work but if it does then muchos gracias, in terms of the tyres, i'm not sure the grip on those will be sufficient, though upon searching the same site I came across some "Land Cruisers" also by Schwalbe that seem much more appropriate. More help is very much appreciated.

    Edit: Also been looking at the Continental Travel Contacts, which offset the fact that they are the upper limit of my price range because they come with inner tubes ^^

    Also would like to know what width I should be looking at, from my own research 1.75 seems right but what do I know ><
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    The std commuter tyre is probably Schwalbe Marathon. I find them good for most things, roads, trails, heavily loaded, puncture resistance.
    You can get fancy tyre levers such as crank bros which aid removal and refitting. Usually mtb rims and tyres are a looser fit.
    1.5-1.75 is a good size. for mixed road/trail use, 1.75 sounds about right.
  • krishan
    krishan Posts: 14
    Cheers for the reply, the guy at my lbs recommended me the marathons, i respect their opinion, but questioned whether they suggested them due to a lack of alternatives.
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Marathon Pluses are renowned for their puncture protection, but the way they do it is not sophisticated; basically it's a thick tough strip between the grippy rubber and the main carcass, so there is a significant trade off in terms of weight and speed. They are also notoriously difficult to fit.

    I don't think you'll have any problems with the Land Cruiser's you found. 1.5in is typically about as narrow as you can go on a MTB rim.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • krishan
    krishan Posts: 14
    Yeh, and the price is right on the land cruisers ^^ and their puncture protection will easily be better than the innova stocks, :D now to find a good price somewhere, and pray they make the difference i require.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/cr/B000Q1 ... _cr_sports. Slightly concerned by the reviewers comments, should i ignore and go for it!?
  • Blue Meanie
    Blue Meanie Posts: 495
    Good tyres, good price.
    http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... ctID=14514
    •Continental City Ride 26 x 1.75 tyres will turn almost any mountain bike into a fast city bike.

    Keep your tyres pumped up as hard as you dare, a good, hard (dry) tyre will handle almost anything and at the same time reduce your rolling resistance. A good pump is better than a good tyre.
    http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... uctID=9027
    I've beasted these pumps in a workshop enviroment (albeit the Pro @ 17.99) and they last years.
    FCN16 - 1970 BSA Wayfarer

    FCN4 - Fixie Inc
  • krishan
    krishan Posts: 14
    Hmmm, well ive already bought the land cruisers, but how will that pump size up to the topeak jo blow?
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Remember that you're on MTB rims and they will NOT be designed to take high pressures (i.e. much above 70psi or so); you could cause the rim to fail. I have experienced this and it is not much fun if it happens while you're moving.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • krishan
    krishan Posts: 14
    Yer, the issuee i have is my current track pump hasnt got a working pressure guage, but ive just dug out my portable hand pump, and that appears to have a working one.

    Also one note regarding the difficulty i have with the tyres, its no problem now, utilising a number of techniques i learnt/self taught i shud be gd now ^^ still mite pick up a speed lever at som.e point

    I managed to get a 1.9 kenda tyre from a scrap bike just to test out. I stuck it on the front wheel and took the bike for a spin, i noticed i was much more nimble, and the rolling res certainly dropped to a more comfortable level during some of the steep inclines. Sticking the other one on will probably give me 80% of the desired effect, so hopefully the land cruisers gimme the last 20 and make me a very happy campe- ahem cyclist ^^

    Again I really appreciate the help guys ;)

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