I Want to Run Road Tires

[Bob Santana]

hey, i have a mountain bike that i have been using for riding to a from work/school/anywhere and i have recently decided that i wanted to make this bike a little better.

right now i am running the heavily knobbed tires that come standard and i figure that is the first thing to go.

the tires i am running right now are 26x1.95
the rims have a marking that says 26x1.75

i would like to use the thinnest tires i can seeing as i am always on the pavement.

so my question is what size tires does my rim support? and what size would you recommend?

also, what kind of tread should i get?

 

[Scotty_Dog]

Read this:
Tire Sizing Systems

I ran Ritchey Tom Slick 1.4" on 26" mountain bike rims with great results. My best advice would be to measure the rim width and choose a tire of at least that measured width or more. Buy a tire with slick tread, as a coarse tread will be of no benefit on pavement.

 

[bigpedaler]

The Ritchey Tom Slick comes in 1.0 & 1.4.
Specialized makes one, the Fat Boy Crit, I believe, that's 26 x 1.25.
Michelin makes a Country Rock, a multi-purpose tread that's good for pavement, in 1.75
Kenda Kwest is 1.5.
Maxxis (Xenith, I believe) makes a 1.5, also.
There's another Michelin, can't remember the model, that's a very fast-rolling 1.85.

That should give you some choices, anyway.

 

[freeagent35]

I have a Litespeed Obed that I have been running Michelin Transworld 1.4 for about two years. I have had one flat. Since you are commuting, there are real advantages to a slightly thicker and tougher tire. Weight is not as big of an issue and the penalty is not bad (about 150 grams). They only take a 1.25 to 1.5 x 26 tube which is a little hard to come by. They are also a severe pain to take on and off so I carry three levers. But, overall, these likely will fit the bill giving you a slick exterior, good speed, respectable weight, and excellent durability and puncture resistance. I believe I paid all of about $20 a tire. Peace.

 

[greeno]

Continental also makes 26 inch slick street tires. I've had nothing but luck with Continental tires on my road bikes.

 

[roadhouse]

i used Metro 1.5's that were around $15 dollars each and well after a years worth of stair dropping, curb hopping, car racing and even trail riding they were practicaly still new. even rode 60 mile road routes numerous times on those and not a scratch.

they should work on your rims but you'd have to check what is printed on the tires themselves to be sure.

 

[Rustyhole]

I'd add my 2-cents as I've always has great success with Specialized. In a 26" road format they make the Fatboy (slick tread) & Nimbus (standard road tread)that should meet your needs but would do little to nothing off pavement. If you'd like a little more versatile tread, they offer the Hemisphere (hardpack/bike paths) and Crossroad (light gravel/harpack) that offer a decent tread for light off road/gravel trail riding but a relatively smooth profile for road riding. Certainly better than knobbies for sure! And you get them with Armadillo or FlakJacket anti-flat protecetion!!

 

[new_rider]

I run 1.25" slicks and they are great!

1. super fast

2. super quiet

3. The only down side is, putting slicks on a mountain rig makes you want a road bike!

The faster you go, you'll notice that mountain bike gearing is just less than optimal for road riding, to put it politely. I can't wait to get to those very tight ratios for road bikes!

Overall, however, if you are riding a lot on the road with a mountain bike, you won't be disappointed with narrower slicks. And the 26" wheels wind up to speed rather nicely as well. Just another bonus.