Tyre recommendations - 26" mtb

itguy2

Hi all

Am in the process of doing a mild conversion of my orange crush into a commuter (have a zesty 514 now for the trails) and I'm keen to swap the tyres.

My commute is 8.5 miles each way with 8 miles of it being cycle way, 0.5 miles gravel/path across field. Of the 8 miles of cycle way, I bet 3 or 4 miles has random leaves covering the ground at the moment too.

So - I hear a lot about cityjets although I'm nervous about fitting them because of the field section and random leaves, so was maybe thinking about something from continental? They seem to do half and half type tyres?

Ideally looking at 26x1.5 I would think, trying to increase rolling ability obviously!

I'll also be looking at my forks - they are fox 140s but without lockout, so am going to see if I can firm them up with increased air.

I know that I should be swapping the bike in an ideal world, but I've still got 2 years left until I can sell it (cycletowork scheme 4 year thing) so need to do the best I can.

tarbot18

Ive had continental travel contacts on my mtb commuter for 2 years and yet to have a puncture they are slick in the middle with knobbly edges in case you go on bridleways etc they have kevlar layers so are pretty puncture proof ive had 1 in 2 years ! if you look round you can get them for £27 ish folding.

nigglenoo

As I mentioned on a another thread, Schwalbe Landcruisers are good for mixed surface use, grip well on mud and gravel but roll well on the centre ridge on tarmac. They are also cheap (£11.89 each with free post here: http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Schwalbe-Land-C ... =Froogle02), tough, very puncture resistant and long lasting and available in 26x2" or 26x1.75"

Long_Time_Lurker

It is always going to be a comprimise. I'm on travel contacts now, had the land cruisers before.
The land cruisers are heavy but provide better grip.
The travel contacts are lighter, roll well but don't have as much grip.
Both are pretty bomb-proof.
I have a route that is 10 miles on tarmac, 3 on muddy trails.
I've gone for better rolling. The mud I can handle - the back end slips-out I can handle it.
It is wet leaves on tarmac that are the problem. Have to be careful and make sure you ride straight or corner at very low speed.
I will probably switch back to full knobblies this weekend and put up with the extra effort for 2 or 3 months. For a ride that short, you are probably only adding another 5 minutes riding time.

zx6man

nigglenoo wrote:

As I mentioned on a another thread, Schwalbe Landcruisers are good for mixed surface use, grip well on mud and gravel but roll well on the centre ridge on tarmac. They are also cheap (£11.89 each with free post here: http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Schwalbe-Land-C ... =Froogle02), tough, very puncture resistant and long lasting and available in 26x2" or 26x1.75"

Yup, these are my choice I have on the MTB

t4tomo

+1 for landcruisers - have them (1.75's) on my station hack mtb that gets the odd bit of offroad use from my daughter. Cracking tire for the money and pretty bomb proof as a commute rgrip well off road, rolls well on tarmac.

Initialised

I got sick of punctures (three in a week) in my Conti Sport Contact so I've put my Snow Studs on for the Winter as they have kevlar and I've yet to find a puncture fairy with big enough teeth to pop them. Did 30 miles on them today, probably less than 10 of those off road but bits of that would have been too much even for semi slicks.

Leaves aren't much of a problem for 1.5 and higher slicks. Conti DF2's did me OK around Kielder on the Blue trails but TBH they aren't much better than slicks when climbing in proper mud and can't corner fast on the road either.

If I was buying now I'd go for Marathon Plus

jonnyboy77

Have you considered replacing the fork with a rigid item (I paid <£30 second hand) and fit 700c Disc Wheels (<£100/set from bike24.de) then fit some 700x28c Gatorskins or similar (~£50/set) ...

nigglenoo

jonnyboy77 wrote:

Have you considered replacing the fork with a rigid item (I paid <£30 second hand) and fit 700c Disc Wheels (<£100/set from bike24.de) then fit some 700x28c Gatorskins or similar (~£50/set) ...

I was wondering about the first bit, but the 700C conversion seems excessive expenditure for a commuter.

If the half mile path is not too sticky or slippery I would agree with tyres around 26x1.5 inch, probably with a touring type tread, e.g. Schalbe Marathon, Panaracer Pasela TG or Vittoria Randonneur. The Paselas have the nicest ride and performance, but the amber sidewalls get stained and can be a bit delicate, but you can get them in all black if you search around.

Even a slick is fine on a smoothish gravel or cinder track e.g. Conti Sport Contact, Schwalbe City Jet

jonnyboy77

My 8-13 mile commute was transformed by switching from MTB to a hybrid 700c equipped bike, average speeds went up, enjoyment went up. Given that the OP doesn't want to buy a new bike, spending a few quid on upgrades is the next best thing. I actually managed to fit the 700c disc wheels on to the MTB with no change in fork, and I already had tyres - so the £89 I spent on wheels was the extent of my investment at that point.

I went on to build the hybrid from scratch, and now the MTB doesn't get a look in for the commute!

- Jon

nigglenoo

jonnyboy77 wrote:

My 8-13 mile commute was transformed by switching from MTB to a hybrid 700c equipped bike, average speeds went up, enjoyment went up. Given that the OP doesn't want to buy a new bike, spending a few quid on upgrades is the next best thing. I actually managed to fit the 700c disc wheels on to the MTB with no change in fork, and I already had tyres - so the £89 I spent on wheels was the extent of my investment at that point.

I went on to build the hybrid from scratch, and now the MTB doesn't get a look in for the commute!

- Jon

Yes I worked out with a similar nominally 26" frame that I could fit 28mm 700c tyres with mudguards, or 32 mm without, but what is the point? You can get slick road style 26x1.25" tyres (=32mm) or even super light 26x1.1" (=28mm) Schwalbe Durano folders, at a price: http://www.fawkes-cycles.co.uk/1546024/ ... PriceComp1 The ride quality difference between 26" (559mm) and 700c (622mm) is grossly exagerated in my experience, i.e. 26x1.25/32mm rides at least as well as 700c in 28mm.

I do have a pair of lightly used Conti Sport Contact 26x1.25" tyres with tubes going spare if the OP wants to try going that way.

EDIT: actually to be fair there is the issue of whether MTB's rim width is suitable for these narrow tyres.

jonnyboy77

nigglenoo wrote:

jonnyboy77 wrote:

My 8-13 mile commute was transformed by switching from MTB to a hybrid 700c equipped bike, average speeds went up, enjoyment went up. Given that the OP doesn't want to buy a new bike, spending a few quid on upgrades is the next best thing. I actually managed to fit the 700c disc wheels on to the MTB with no change in fork, and I already had tyres - so the £89 I spent on wheels was the extent of my investment at that point.

I went on to build the hybrid from scratch, and now the MTB doesn't get a look in for the commute!

- Jon

Yes I worked out with a similar nominally 26" frame that I could fit 28mm 700c tyres with mudguards, or 32 mm without, but what is the point? You can get slick road style 26x1.25" tyres (=32mm) or even super light 26x1.1" (=28mm) Schwalbe Durano folders, at a price: http://www.fawkes-cycles.co.uk/1546024/ ... PriceComp1 The ride quality difference between 26" (559mm) and 700c (622mm) is grossly exagerated in my experience, i.e. 26x1.25/32mm rides at least as well as 700c in 28mm.

I do have a pair of lightly used Conti Sport Contact 26x1.25" tyres with tubes going spare if the OP wants to try going that way.

EDIT: actually to be fair there is the issue of whether MTB's rim width is suitable for these narrow tyres.

The 700c wheels I bought are '29er' MTB rims, so won't accept anything smaller than 700x28, but I felt that the increase in diameter aided my increased pace - given that skinny 26" tyres reduce the overall rolling diameter.

I found the best 26" tyres for me were Schwalbe Big Apple (26x2.35) but they lacked wet/cold weather grip and I switched to Conti Top Contact Winter II Reflex 26 x 1.9 which were a decent compromise in pace & grip. I'm considering the 700c version for this winter ... but the prices make your eyes water ....

- jon

nigglenoo

jonnyboy77 wrote:

The 700c wheels I bought are '29er' MTB rims, so won't accept anything smaller than 700x28, but I felt that the increase in diameter aided my increased pace - given that skinny 26" tyres reduce the overall rolling diameter.

If anything the same width of tyre on a smaller diameter rim will accelerate better due to the lower rotating mass closer to the axle, then once up to speed there is no difference as long as you don't run out of gears. I have a folder with twenty inch wheels and 28mm Schwalbe Durano tyres (actually 20x1 1/8" = 28-451) and it accelerates superbly.

jonnyboy77 wrote:

I found the best 26" tyres for me were Schwalbe Big Apple (26x2.35) but they lacked wet/cold weather grip and I switched to Conti Top Contact Winter II Reflex 26 x 1.9 which were a decent compromise in pace & grip. I'm considering the 700c version for this winter ... but the prices make your eyes water ....

- jon

Not tried the Conti Winter tyres but have heard they are good. For icy conditions I made my own studded tyres using self tappers through the tread blocks of a pair of Landcruisers, worked a treat and very cheap, but admittedly a bit noisy. You could try the same trick with the 35mm 700c Landcruisers if you have enough clearance, would think even Conti Winters are going to let go on black ice?

jonnyboy77

nigglenoo wrote:

jonnyboy77 wrote:

The 700c wheels I bought are '29er' MTB rims, so won't accept anything smaller than 700x28, but I felt that the increase in diameter aided my increased pace - given that skinny 26" tyres reduce the overall rolling diameter.

If anything the same width of tyre on a smaller diameter rim will accelerate better due to the lower rotating mass closer to the axle, then once up to speed there is no difference as long as you don't run out of gears. I have a folder with twenty inch wheels and 28mm Schwalbe Durano tyres (actually 20x1 1/8" = 28-451) and it accelerates superbly.

Hence pace rather than acceleration. It's possible that gearing was an issue, the MTB has lower gearing so with smaller wheels the pace was affected, still relevant though. Your folder no doubt has the gearing to handle smaller wheels.

- Jon