putting road tyres on a mtb

[johnson77]

hi there

looking a putting more road style tyres on my mtb for commuting to work has it has the 1.95 knobbly ones on at the mo. will be going on road all the way.

looked at leisure lakes store by me and not sure whether to go with 26* 1.3 continentals or they have some nimbus 26* 1.5s. will my mtb ok with the 1.3 tyres as i read somewhere that some mtb wheels maybe to wide for them to fit

thanks
ian

[[XAP]Bob]

You could take the bike down... the width of rim and tyre does have some relationship, but the acceptable range is fairly wide.

I'd probably stick fairly wide initially (assuming the knobblies are 2" or so) - the difference from knobblis to slicks is huge, the difference between 1.5 and 1.25 is relatively small.

[cyclingvirtual]

Stick with the 1.5's if in doubt.
Wont be much if any diferrence between the 1.5 & 1.3 widths.

[mill4six]

I've used 25mm Specialized all condition pro slicks on my MTB with no problems.

[roadvader]

used to use specialized 1 inch slicks,cant remember the exact name or of there still available?

[Erudin]

I'd take front wheel down to leisure lakes without tyre on, buy some inner tubes and try them. Check they are not to tight too fit and remove and seat in the bead correctly. I've got MICHELIN CITY 26 X1.4 TYRES on one of my mtb's which are good for commuting.

[Gearoidmuar]

I've used Specialized Fatboys as my main tyre for 20 years.
Totally slick, very fast, durable. And, having ridden on them for this time in wet wet wet Ireland I can absolutely guarantee you that you don't need tread on a tyre at all!

[Trigger]

26x1.25" paselas here, one of the biggest upgrades I've ever made.

[Nettled Shin]

Looks wise, you might also consider going wider.
They are particularly good if you don't have a suspension fork or your commute is a bit potholed.

[Vladimir]

Looks wise, you might also consider going wider.
They are particularly good if you don't have a suspension fork or your commute is a bit potholed.

OH yes! you can say that again. those tyres are amazing. I used them for a long time on my old MTB (which I only use on the road) and they were great.

The only annoyance was that they stopped my V brakes from working quite as well as they should; but now that I have disc brakes on my new MTB I shall be going back!

If you have V brakes on your bike, you might want to consider not going for the 2.35, and going for the 2.0 instead. At the same time, if you're going as low as 2.0 inches, then fat frank is no longer the only tyre available to you. You then have the schwalbe big apple 26x2.0, the schwalbe marathon 26x2.0, the schwalbe kojak 26x2.0 (puncture prone - fine for the front, not so much for the back) as well as many others.

[Simon E]

Schwable City Jets in 26x1.5" have served me well on my old rigid Kona MTB for several years now. I use this bike in the wet, salt etc and find it's not that much slower than the road bike. They're cheap too

I bought some Specialized All Condition 26x1" slicks but, despite being lighter, they didn't feel any quicker on my lumpy 10 mile route. When I switched back to the City Jets the additional comfort of the larger tyres run at 55-60 psi was appreciated and the larger contact area gave me more confidence. Schwalbe say that wider tyres can have lower rolling resistance than narrow ones, so don't assume the skinniest slicks are best, especially on the pothole-infested roads or on rough or unsealed surfaces.

[Ayesha]

I run on Conti UltraGatorskin 26 x 1.125 ( 28 - 559 ) with Conti Tour Slim 28/32 - 559 Inners.
Use the 'shouldered' valvestem knurled nuts with the smaller of the two diameters inside the rim ( if the rim is drilled for Schrader ).

Snip a rectangle out of an old tube and use a paper-punch to make a small hole for the Presta valve stem. Place the rectangle of old inner between rim and rim tape so the small hole lays over the drilling in the rim. This will support the valve stem/inner tube joint in the Schrader size orifice.

[gentlegreen]

I use my MTB for weekend rides as well as for daily commuting and rarely feel it's the bike that's holding me back.
I weigh 18 stone and the roads and lanes I use are fairly rough.

I use Conti 1.75 inch "Country Plus" tyres pumped up really hard - 4 BAR / 60PSI .. the labels on my Mavic rims suggest they're too narrow - and if I ride on dust or snow, the contact area looks much nearer to 1 inch ..

My suspension seat post failed a year ago and I can't say I've noticed any difference - and I'm learning to love my Brooks B17.

[CyberKnight]

I have conti travel contacts 26x1.75 on my MTB pumped up to 75 psi and the central strip which it runs on is about 30 mm with knobly shoulders for extra grip if needed.I got these specifially for winter riding and i feel its the bikes weight and gearing that makes the ride harder rather than the tyres.