Recommend Tyres for a Beginner

ElliesDad

I have just got into mountain biking and have recently bought a Boardman Comp HT which is a great bike and as a beginner appears to tick all the boxes while at the same time will allow me to "grow into" the sport.

At the moment most of my cycling is fitness orientated with a mixture of roads, cyclepaths and blue routes however I am about to take the plunge with red routes and things a bit more technically challenging!

The one area where the Boardman appears to fall down would be the stock OEM tyres (Mountain Kings) which by all accounts are not very good in the wet and lack a degree of grip, I must admit they did feel a bit squirmy when I went out after the heavy rain yesterday, mostly on tarmac! Being a beginner, this has dented my confidence somewhat and I am wondering if it would be a good idea to upgrade the tyres. What I am after is a good all round tyre with plenty of confidence inspiring grip on the trail while at the same time doesn't compromise too much when used on the road, ie rolling resistance.

Also the stock tyres are 2.2 inch, using the same rims am I limited to this size or are other sizes an option? And is it worth just upgrading the front tyre? To my mind this would be the tyre most likely slip.

Thanks

delcol

take your pick different people will recomend different tyres. depends were you ride what you ride.
continental blk chillie compound scores good reviews.
maxxis
schwalbe
panaracer
kenda
specialized
bontrager
to name a few...

depends on the frame how wide a tyre you can get into it,, also sometyres come up wider than others..
and remeber wider tyres tend to drag more so can feel slower but offer more comfort..

The Rookie

For a good all round tyre that works fairly well in most conditions and isn't a disaster in any I'd suggest the Panaracer Fire XC Pro, wire beaded can be found for about a tenner upwards, folding about £20 upwards each, the compound is the same, just lower weight.

ElliesDad

Thanks for the replies.

I think I'll look at the Panaracer Fire XC Pro, only £17.99 on Tredz at the moment. They seem to get good reviews and as you say they appear to be good all round!

The Rookie

Forget Tredz, the folders are a rip off price (£29.99) - that price is for wire bead and expensive for them as well!

Merlin do 2 folders for £43.96 and add 2 tubes for you

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/t ... tubes.html

Plus the over £35 current offer knocks another £2.20 off making them £41.76.