Tyre change, perhaps?
undermanager
Posts: 42
I'm using my Ridgeback Expedition touring bike a lot at the moment on the roads around my house in these strange times, with the odd dirt path. Good fun but sometimes hard work and wonder if I can do better. Can the Schwalbe Marathon 26 *1.75 be improved on for this type of riding? Thinking of 26 * 1.5 Schwalbe Spicer. Opinions, suggestions or alternatives? Thanks.
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I use a 26 x 1.5" tyre, Specialized nimbus, on my commuter/winter bike, so yes give that size a try. It's a matter of what is available, most brands seem to have discontinued 26" tyres now, Panaracer still do the Pasela in that size, though but, I'm told by my mate Terry.0
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So, I got a pair of the 26 x 1.75 Schwalbe Silentos from Halfords, price £13 each. They were very easy to fit, and pumped them up to 60 psi (max is 65 psi). There was just me on an unladen bike. After two rides mainly on dry road, some pavement and a bit of gravel / dirt, the question is, has the ride improved over the Marathons for this type of riding? There is noticeably less resistance on the roads, maybe 10 - 15% if you had to put a number on it, but you noticed it especially going uphill, where life was much easier and I reckon it was 20% better than the Marathons here. The Marathons are thicker all over, much less supple and I guess stronger than Silentos when side by side, as you'd probably expect, but the Silentos don't seem particularly flimsy compared to the slicks on my road bike, for example, and are going to be fine. I didn't notice any difference in grip but I would guess in mud, loose dirt or similar, there might be a difference. The tread down the very centre of the tyre is minimal but it looks similar to the Marathons as you move out away from the middle so I guess that explains it.
I'm going to play with these for a few weeks, then plan to get some slicks, Kojak maybe or City Jets, and see what they bring to the table.0
