Tyre advice for mixed road / gravel track use

jjsh
jjsh Posts: 142
edited April 2015 in MTB buying advice
Where I live, I have found you can string a fairly good ride together joining bridleways (which mostly also serve as farm access tracks, so tend to be gravel, or hard packed dirt, sometimes hard packed grass) together using tarmac back roads. I don't tend to do this at all when its wet and muddy, as it turns to a clay slog pretty quickly here, and don't do any knarly stuff. The on road / off road mix is about 50/50.

My present knobblies are a pain on the tarmac join sections, and seem overkill for the rest. Can anyone make any recommendations in 26''? Cheap would be good!

Comments

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    What tyres do you have on at the moment just to guage what you think too knobbly is.

    If you arent riding in muddy conditions at all, then the Kenda Small block 8 or Schwalbe Crazy Bob are good options, if you are adding a bit of mud then the Schwalbe Smart Sam is an excellent compromise as it has a near continuous centre tread for rolling on tarmac and then some knobbles off to the side to cope with some mud. This is the more expensive tread compound and folding bead http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYSCSMRTSM ... lding-tyre but the cheaper compound with wire bead can be found for circa £12-15 ea.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • jjsh
    jjsh Posts: 142
    Thanks for the reply.

    Presently, I am running Maxxis Medusa. We can assume that I won't be tackling any mud on the replacement tyres, as I'm bidding on a spare set of wheels, so I can swap between the two if I am on a rare trip to a trail centre of similar, and don't bother going out on these particular tracks when it's been wet, I tend to go on the coastal ones that are more sandy, which I would use the second wheel set / Maxxis for.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Be aware that if you have a second set of wheels you may need to re centre the brake callipers and re-index the rear mech when you swap as not all hubs put those parts in the same place, that may be more effort than changing tyres!

    If it's no mud then the SB8 or CB's are a good bet.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • passout
    passout Posts: 4,425
    I'd say Kenda small block tyres too.
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.
  • jjsh
    jjsh Posts: 142
    Cheers for the advice guys ~ will check the hubs on the 2nd set but they are the same wheel as mine so I am hoping they will be the same.

    Time to go tyre shopping. :D

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