Winter commute tyres

Focus-rider
Focus-rider Posts: 126
edited December 2012 in Commuting general
Hey all, sorry but I'm new to this section of the forum so forgive my ignorance. I commute to work 4 times a week, 18 miles in each direction in all weathers. Half of my commute is on single road back roads and half busier city roads in Aberdeen. Up to recently I was using my focus road bike but recently I've swapped to my MTb, it's nothing fancy but does the trick. I normally use fully slick vittorie road tyres but with the weather taking a turn for the worse up here recently and nearly going on my ass in ice several times I'm swapping to some Schwalbe Marathon Winter tyres. What's the narrowest size I can fit to a standard MTb wheel and still be safe and reliable. Sizes are as follows

26 x 1.0 25-559
26 x 1.25 32-559
26 x 1.5 40-559
26 x 1.75 47-559
26 x 1.9 50-559
26 x 2.125 57-559

Any suggestions would be a great help.

Comments

  • corshamjim
    corshamjim Posts: 234
    Welcome!

    It's surprising how many sizes of mtb tyre will fit on a rim. You'll find Schwalbe's advice on the subject in their Technical Information pdf ...

    http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/downloads/

    Personally I'd go for the widest tyre that will fit so as to get as much rubber (and as many spikes) on to the road as possible, and to allow lower tyre pressure on those particularly icy days, although 26x1.75 is the widest that will fit under my mudguards on the Pashley. Are you sure that range of sizes are available for Marathon Winter though? Schwalbe only list the one 26" size on their UK website...
    http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/spikes/marathon-winter/

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