Road Tyres for MTB

bungle73
bungle73 Posts: 758
edited October 2015 in MTB buying advice
Atm, for road use, I have a pair of Specialized Nimbus EX 1.5" slicks that I bought many years ago. What I'm wondering is if I swapped to a different, more modern, possibly thinner, set of tyres would I see any noticeable difference?

I was looking at the Schwalbe Duranos, which someone was raving about how fast they are over on Amazon. Worth it, or something else, or stick with what I've got?

I have noticed some cracks in the tyres' side walls (as I said they're old), so maybe I should replace them anyway?

Thoughts?

Comments

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    The Nimbus are the worst of the 26x1.5" tyres I've used (on my commuter or on my daughters commuter), even £11ish Schwalbe City Jets are nicer, there are 4 i'd suggest you consider
    1/ Panaracer RiBMo the funny shaped (V) tread means they run narrower than their 1.5" width and leaves lots for wear and puncture resistance, I have one on the rear of mine
    2/Continental Sport Contact, very grippy and fast rolling, lot of spray though due to the minimalist tread, I run one on the front of my commuter
    3/ Decathlon do a 1.2" very cheap (about £7) I've briefly tried them on a mates bike and they roll fast and felt good, no time to assess grip and didn't try them in the wet
    4/ For the ultimate fast road 26" tyre try the Continental 1.0", quite a harsh ride though (even compared to the 80psi I run my 1.5" at), but feel very fast (very light as well), more puncture prone due to the thinner tread and also feel skittish when it's damp.
    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.
  • bungle73
    bungle73 Posts: 758
    Thanks. I'll look into the ones you mentioned. :)
  • snowster
    snowster Posts: 490
    +1 for City Jets 5600+ Miles and still going and only one puncture thanks to Farmer Joe...
  • bungle73
    bungle73 Posts: 758
    I decided to go with the Schwalbe Kojaks. I wonder if they come with a lollipop? :P
  • bungle73
    bungle73 Posts: 758
    So, was that a good choice (I went for the 1.35 version), or should I have gone for something like the Continental Grands Prix? But they seem to have quite a few cons.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    I've not tried the Kojaks but they are Schwalbe and they make very few duds and their compounds are usually good, the 1.35" will give you a slight aero advantage over a 1.5" but will only really become relevant above about 16-17mph..
    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.
  • bungle73
    bungle73 Posts: 758
    Ordered Saturday - delivered Monday morning. Excellent service from Wiggle again.

    They do seem quite a bit faster than the Numbuses. There's a road local to my house where I've been testing my speed, and according to my bike computer I am able to obtain a significantly higher speed with these. There are some mini-roundabouts that I need to slow down for, and with the other slicks I was able to keep accelerating until I needed to slow down for the first one. But with these I hit such a high speed before I got to them that I actually felt I needed to stop accelerating earlier because it felt too fast for the road (it's on a curve)!
    I've not tried the Kojaks but they are Schwalbe and they make very few duds and their compounds are usually good, the 1.35" will give you a slight aero advantage over a 1.5" but will only really become relevant above about 16-17mph..

    The Nimbuses are treaded where as these are pure slicks - that should make them faster, correct?

    Edit: Oh, and these are quite a bit lighter than the other ones.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Rolling resistance will be fractionally (and I mean fractionally) lower on a full slick, aero will also be slightly better, but the biggest gain will come from the narrower tyre (aero - the Cd of a rolling tyre is dreadful, so a small change in width makes a big improvement) and the fact that the Nimbus seem to have a lot of hysteresis (rolling resistance) much more than any other 1.5" I've tried (including the budget CJ's).
    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.