Clueless which new tires for my hybrid bike.



hy_tek

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Sep 24, 2007
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I have a Giant Nutra cross/hybrid bike I think you call it. I need some new tires. I am overwhelmed at the sheer number of types and sizes available online. My current original OEM tire size is 700 X 38C. My riding is primarily on trips of no more than 30 miles. 90%+ of my riding is on asphalt but I do ride on crushed limestone paths on occasion. The limestone paths have some loose stones and debris on them so I am thinking a strict treadless road tire would not be best for me. Can anyone suggest a tire that would serve me well. I want something that is durable and puncture resistent since I weigh in at about 260 pounds. I do not need the best tire but something middle of the road in price since I am just a recreational biker basically.

Any suggestions on a specific tire and/or a good place to purchase bike tires online would be appreciated. I am familiar with Nashbar and Performance Cycling online stores only at this time. Thanks in advance.:)
 
hy_tek said:
I have a Giant Nutra cross/hybrid bike I think you call it. I need some new tires. I am overwhelmed at the sheer number of types and sizes available online. My current original OEM tire size is 700 X 38C. My riding is primarily on trips of no more than 30 miles. 90%+ of my riding is on asphalt but I do ride on crushed limestone paths on occasion. The limestone paths have some loose stones and debris on them so I am thinking a strict treadless road tire would not be best for me. Can anyone suggest a tire that would serve me well. I want something that is durable and puncture resistent since I weigh in at about 260 pounds. I do not need the best tire but something middle of the road in price since I am just a recreational biker basically.

Any suggestions on a specific tire and/or a good place to purchase bike tires online would be appreciated. I am familiar with Nashbar and Performance Cycling online stores only at this time. Thanks in advance.:)

Continental Contact in 28mm in width. From any decent local bike shop.
 
Peter@vecchios said:
Continental Contact in 28mm in width. From any decent local bike shop.
Can I go with that narrow a tire given my OEM tire I use now is 38mm wide?
 
hy_tek said:
I have a Giant Nutra cross/hybrid bike I think you call it. I need some new tires. I am overwhelmed at the sheer number of types and sizes available online. My current original OEM tire size is 700 X 38C. My riding is primarily on trips of no more than 30 miles. 90%+ of my riding is on asphalt but I do ride on crushed limestone paths on occasion. The limestone paths have some loose stones and debris on them so I am thinking a strict treadless road tire would not be best for me. Can anyone suggest a tire that would serve me well. I want something that is durable and puncture resistent since I weigh in at about 260 pounds. I do not need the best tire but something middle of the road in price since I am just a recreational biker basically.

Any suggestions on a specific tire and/or a good place to purchase bike tires online would be appreciated. I am familiar with Nashbar and Performance Cycling online stores only at this time. Thanks in advance.:)
FWIW. I would recommend something like the 700x30/32 WTB All Terrainasaurus which I think could have been classified as a cyclocross training tire because a CX clincher will fit better on your rim which I presume is probably something like a 622-20 ...

The tread on the WTB tires that I have is a little more open than the tread on a HYBRID tire ... the WTB's tread is thicker than a typical road, TRAINING tire ... but, probably not as thick as on a HYBRID tire.

I don't think the WTB tires are available, now, but OTHER cyclocross clincher tires are available (e.g., from EXCEL).

My only other reference for a CX tire are the tubulars I had which had minimal tread (typical of all tubular tires) + the knobbies on a larger casing (about a 700x25 casing on one set & 700x28 on another) ... so, I can't recommend any particular CX clincher ... don't buy the one that is the most expensive since those are actually designed for competition rather than "training."

BTW. This may be stating the obvious, but here goes -- if you choose a DIFFERENT size tire, you will need to buy new tubes because your current tubes will be too large to fit in the smaller tire.
 
Peter@vecchios said:
Continental Contact in 28mm in width. From any decent local bike shop.
I use the Continental Contact, but went I little wider thean 28mm (I went with 1 1/4"). I like the tire a lot, appears to be long lasting, puncture resistent and was not too expensive. I use it on my computer bike, and I carry about 20 lbs
on the rack.
 
alfeng said:
FWIW. I would recommend something like the 700x30/32 WTB All Terrainasaurus which I think could have been classified as a cyclocross training tire because a CX clincher will fit better on your rim which I presume is probably something like a 622-20 ...

The tread on the WTB tires that I have is a little more open than the tread on a HYBRID tire ... the WTB's tread is thicker than a typical road, TRAINING tire ... but, probably not as thick as on a HYBRID tire.

I don't think the WTB tires are available, now, but OTHER cyclocross clincher tires are available (e.g., from EXCEL).

My only other reference for a CX tire are the tubulars I had which had minimal tread (typical of all tubular tires) + the knobbies on a larger casing (about a 700x25 casing on one set & 700x28 on another) ... so, I can't recommend any particular CX clincher ... don't buy the one that is the most expensive since those are actually designed for competition rather than "training."

BTW. This may be stating the obvious, but here goes -- if you choose a DIFFERENT size tire, you will need to buy new tubes because your current tubes will be too large to fit in the smaller tire.

Well I may sound like a real noob now but the tubes are just 27" generic tubes I picked up at Walmart. Why would I need new tubes as long as it is still a 27" tire? I am just a recreational biker and don't really know the technical aspects of tubology. :)
 
hy_tek said:
Well I may sound like a real noob now but the tubes are just 27" generic tubes I picked up at Walmart. Why would I need new tubes as long as it is still a 27" tire? I am just a recreational biker and don't really know the technical aspects of tubology. :)
Take a glance at your NASHBAR catalog ... you will see that there are different size tubes for different size tires ...

While the same tube CAN be used with a range of tires, at the extreme, think about fitting one of the tubes you are using for your current HYBRID tires in a BMX tire ... or, vice-versa.
 
Nashbar sells this tire the
Vittoria Randonneur Pro Touring Folding Tire

is it a good tire for my purposes?


How about the Continental Contact line. I would like something with relatively low rolling resistance and puncture protection.
 
How about the Continental Contact line. I would like something with relatively low rolling resistance and puncture protection.[/QUOTE]
You want to replace the tubes anytime you replace the tire. Inner tubes wear out too. Older ones are more prone to flats. Besides, it is inexpensive to replace the tubes.

As for buying tires, I use Bike Tires Direct. Good selection, good prices and the service is good too. http://www.biketiresdirect.com/
 
buckybux said:
You want to replace the tubes anytime you replace the tire. Inner tubes wear out too. Older ones are more prone to flats. Besides, it is inexpensive to replace the tubes.

There's no real reason to do that. Tubes are easy to inspect: fill 'em with air; if air comes out they need patched; and if air doesn't come out, they don't need patched. It's a waste to fill up landfills with perfectly good tubes.
 
I use Schwalbe Marathon tires on my touring bike and they work great for that kind of riding.They are very puncture resistant and have little rolling resistance.
They come in all kinds of sizes so finding a size close to what you are riding now should not be a problem.
 
27x1-1/4 tubes are a lot bigger than 700x23 tubes, and the 27" size is actually 8mm larger in diameter than the 700. You may be physically unable to stuff the tube in there if your tire is too small. The tube will bunch up and may stay pinched under the tire bead, which will flat pretty quick. I could not use 27X1-1/4 tubes with a 27X1" tire. I have never tried to use 27" tubes on my 700C.

Do your old tubes have a schraeder (rubber) valvestem? If they don't then the walmart tubes are sure not to fit.

I find narrow (23,28) tires don't handle too well on a path. You have to be much more careful because they'll slip in the corners and the bike will go in the direction the rear wheel is pointing if the front hits a deeper patch of loose gravel. You just have to take it real easy. It's really the narrowness and high pressure rather than the amount of tread, and you can't reduce psi or you'll get a snakebite flat.

Also, a 27X1 which is about as wide as a 700X23 rides real rough if the road is a little rocky and bumpy.

You may not realize a great speed benefit from narrower tires if you're sitting upright, especially if you're wearing street clothes.

Also, when you patch a tube with a solid rubber patch and rubber cement, they're as good as new if done properly. Carry a spare tube so you don't have to rush the drying of the cement, then patch your tube at home.
 
I have a Trek MTB which Ive changed over to a hybrid. I put a set of Cane Creek 700c wheels on it and run Continental 32 tires. I am happy with these tires and they seem to work fine. I know I could have gone narrower but every once in a while I ride on a dirt or gravel road and the 32s provide a little better performance there. Also, the 32s are a bit smoother than my road bike with the 23s.

Mark

hy_tek said:
I have a Giant Nutra cross/hybrid bike I think you call it. I need some new tires. I am overwhelmed at the sheer number of types and sizes available online. My current original OEM tire size is 700 X 38C. My riding is primarily on trips of no more than 30 miles. 90%+ of my riding is on asphalt but I do ride on crushed limestone paths on occasion. The limestone paths have some loose stones and debris on them so I am thinking a strict treadless road tire would not be best for me. Can anyone suggest a tire that would serve me well. I want something that is durable and puncture resistent since I weigh in at about 260 pounds. I do not need the best tire but something middle of the road in price since I am just a recreational biker basically.

Any suggestions on a specific tire and/or a good place to purchase bike tires online would be appreciated. I am familiar with Nashbar and Performance Cycling online stores only at this time. Thanks in advance.:)