Tires

[Lee Tharps]

Hi

I have a mongoose switchback. I am looking to put slick road tires on it, since I only really ride
in the city. I'm a bit confused about tire size though. I have 26" Wheels. My current tires read
26x1.95 on the sidewalls. I'm assuming that is the circ and width of the tire. Will other 26" tire
size fit on my rims? Like say a
26x1.5 or 26x1.8?

Thanks for any info. I'm new to bike part swapping.

-lee

 

[Zoot Katz]

Wed, 18 Jun 2003 14:52:17 -0400 (EDT),
<[email protected]>, Lee Tharps
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Will other 26" tire size fit on my rims? Like say a
>26x1.5 or 26x1.8?
>
>Thanks for any info. I'm new to bike part swapping.

Yes though not a 26" X 1 3/8" and a few others loosely referred to as twenty-six inches. Always
double check and compare the ISO sizes.

This article explains tires. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

The site is extensive, comprehensive and well worth your perusal.
--
zk

 

[E & V Willson]

Tires marked with a decimal like 26 by 1.95 and 26 by 1.5 are typical modern mountain bike tires and
are interchangable. They are not interchangable with tires marked 26 by 1 1/4, or 26 by 1 3/8 etc,
which are old classic bike tires typical of those on old three speeds. Tires marked 26 by 1 3/8 etc.
have an overall diameter of 26 inches. HTH, Ernie

Lee Tharps wrote:

> Hi
>
> I have a mongoose switchback. I am looking to put slick road tires on it, since I only really ride
> in the city. I'm a bit confused about tire size though. I have 26" Wheels. My current tires read
> 26x1.95 on the sidewalls. I'm assuming that is the circ and width of the tire. Will other 26" tire
> size fit on my rims? Like say a
> 26x1.5 or 26x1.8?
>
> Thanks for any info. I'm new to bike part swapping.
>
> -lee

 

[Grl]

I have the same bike and put Ritchey "Tom Slick" 26 x 1.4" tires on it a couple of months ago in
search of greater speed. Work swell.

Funny part is I did not get much more speed, but I did get a smoother ride (on pavement). The old
tires were Bontrager Select Inverts 26 x 1.95" street tires that I kept at 75 psi and I keep the new
tires at 90 psi.

Go figure.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic programmer)
"Lee Tharps" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> Hi
>
> I have a mongoose switchback. I am looking to put slick road tires on it, since I only really ride
> in the city. I'm a bit confused about tire size though. I have 26" Wheels. My current tires read
> 26x1.95 on the sidewalls. I'm assuming that is the circ and width of the tire. Will other 26" tire
> size fit on my rims? Like say a
> 26x1.5 or 26x1.8?
>
> Thanks for any info. I'm new to bike part swapping.
>
> -lee

 

[Chsb]

Lee Tharps wrote:

> Hi
>
> I have a mongoose switchback. I am looking to put slick road tires on it, since I only really ride
> in the city. I'm a bit confused about tire size though. I have 26" Wheels. My current tires read
> 26x1.95 on the sidewalls. I'm assuming that is the circ and width of the tire. Will other 26" tire
> size fit on my rims? Like say a
> 26x1.5 or 26x1.8?
>
> Thanks for any info. I'm new to bike part swapping.
>
> -lee

irc makes a metro slick in 1.5 & 2.0, good price. haven't ridden them yet.

 

[Flashsteve]

I ride 1.25" Nashbar brand slicks at 85 psi and they move right along. You could go as 'radical' as
Conti Gran Prix 1" wide, but I would consult with you LBS first to see if your rims will accomodate
them. If they do, you can run 125 psi and rock.

Steve Scarich

 

[Bernie]

chsb wrote:

> Lee Tharps wrote:
>
> > Hi
> >
> > I have a mongoose switchback. I am looking to put slick road tires on it, since I only really
> > ride in the city. I'm a bit confused about tire size though. I have 26" Wheels. My current tires
> > read 26x1.95 on the sidewalls. I'm assuming that is the circ and width of the tire. Will other
> > 26" tire size fit on my rims? Like say a
> > 26x1.5 or 26x1.8?
> >
> > Thanks for any info. I'm new to bike part swapping.
> >
> > -lee
>
> irc makes a metro slick in 1.5 & 2.0, good price. haven't ridden them yet.

You might like Kenda Kwiks in 26 x 1.7 A small middle tread and smallish knobs on the side. A not
bad all round tire imho. Cheap too. Bernie

 

[David Snyder]

I did that, replacing the ultra-knobby oem tires on my trek with Kenda Kross Plus... I also had
26x1.95 but the kenda kross are the exact same size. I bought them from nashbar.com for $10 each.
Nashbar has been great getting orders out to me... opt for the 2 day fedex shipping as ground is
shipped via. post office. If you keep your eyes open, you can get coupon codes from fatwallet or
some of the other sites... they run 20% off of $75 specials quite often.

"Bernie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>
> chsb wrote:
>
> > Lee Tharps wrote:
> >
> > > Hi
> > >
> > > I have a mongoose switchback. I am looking to put slick road tires on
it,
> > > since I only really ride in the city. I'm a bit confused about tire size though. I have 26"
> > > Wheels. My
current
> > > tires read 26x1.95 on the sidewalls. I'm assuming that is the circ and width of the tire. Will
> > > other 26" tire size fit on my rims? Like say
a
> > > 26x1.5 or 26x1.8?
> > >
> > > Thanks for any info. I'm new to bike part swapping.
> > >
> > > -lee
> >
> > irc makes a metro slick in 1.5 & 2.0, good price. haven't ridden them
yet.
>
> You might like Kenda Kwiks in 26 x 1.7 A small middle tread and smallish knobs on the side. A not
> bad all round
tire
> imho. Cheap too. Bernie

 

[Bernie]

David Snyder wrote:

> I did that, replacing the ultra-knobby oem tires on my trek with Kenda Kross Plus... I also had
> 26x1.95 but the kenda kross are the exact same size. I bought them from nashbar.com for $10 each.
> Nashbar has been great getting orders out to me... opt for the 2 day fedex shipping as ground is
> shipped via. post office. If you keep your eyes open, you can get coupon codes from fatwallet or
> some of the other sites... they run 20% off of $75 specials quite often.
>

How do you like them? That's about my price range. Bernie

 

[David Snyder]

They have been great so far... I ride on the road and a multipurpose trail (hard packed crushed
stone) and my pace has definitely picked up. One nice thing about the tread on the side is it gives
you more control jumping curbs or berms...

They only have about 60 miles on them at this point, so I can't say much for how they will hold up
long term. They seem good quality, though.

Dave

"Bernie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>
> David Snyder wrote:
>
> > I did that, replacing the ultra-knobby oem tires on my trek with Kenda
Kross
> > Plus... I also had 26x1.95 but the kenda kross are the exact same
size.
> > I bought them from nashbar.com for $10 each. Nashbar has been great getting orders out to me...
> > opt for the 2 day fedex shipping as ground
is
> > shipped via. post office. If you keep your eyes open, you can get
coupon
> > codes from fatwallet or some of the other sites... they run 20% off of
$75
> > specials quite often.
> >
>
> How do you like them? That's about my price range. Bernie

 

[Steve McDonald]

I've tried a lot of smooth-tread tires for mountain bikes and the Trek City-slicker is by far the
best. They are 1.95 X 26 and I pay $19. for one at a local outdoor store. I average 40 miles a day
with a total weight of rider, bike, cargo box & contents at an average of 300 lbs. This goes up to
350 lbs. with a full load of groceries. The rear tires last me about a year and a half and the front
tires about two years. With heavy, thorn-resistant tubes, i've had only one flat in six years. Every
other type of smooth-tread I've tried on this workhorse rig has lasted from one week to two months.

Steve McDonald

 

[Bernie]

David Snyder wrote:

> They have been great so far... I ride on the road and a multipurpose trail (hard packed crushed
> stone) and my pace has definitely picked up. One nice thing about the tread on the side is it
> gives you more control jumping curbs or berms...
>
> They only have about 60 miles on them at this point, so I can't say much for how they will hold up
> long term. They seem good quality, though.
>
> Dave
>

Thanks, I'll check them out. Bernie

 

[Robin Hubert]

"Bernie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>
> David Snyder wrote:
>
> > They have been great so far... I ride on the road and a multipurpose
trail
> > (hard packed crushed stone) and my pace has definitely picked up. One
nice
> > thing about the tread on the side is it gives you more control jumping
curbs
> > or berms...
> >
> > They only have about 60 miles on them at this point, so I can't say much
for
> > how they will hold up long term. They seem good quality, though.
> >

Don't know if anyone's mentioned it, but Avocet makes a 26" slick as well.

--
Robin Hubert <[email protected]

 

[Bernie]

Steve McDonald wrote:

> I've tried a lot of smooth-tread tires for mountain bikes and the Trek City-slicker is by far
> the best. They are 1.95 X 26 and I pay $19. for one at a local outdoor store. I average 40
> miles a day with a total weight of rider, bike, cargo box & contents at an average of 300
> lbs. This goes up to 350 lbs. with a full load of groceries. The rear tires last me about a
> year and a half and the front tires about two years. With heavy, thorn-resistant tubes, i've
> had only one flat in six years. Every other type of smooth-tread I've tried on this workhorse
> rig has lasted from one week to two months.
>
> Steve McDonald

That's an impressive report. What do you call "heavy thorn resistant tubes"? I used CCM tubes - sold
in Canada. They are thick and heavy, still flatted on blackberry thorns. They take a while to get
thru, but the do the job eventually. Mainly I'm interested in good tires. I had good results on my
hybrid with Cheng Shin nylon tire in 700 x 35. Wrecked the rear by cutting the sidewall on railway
**** or a piece of metal. The replacement tire has worn out far too soon. I'll get another Cheng
Shin if I can find one, otherwise was thinking Continental Top Touring because of reports in this
ng. But you mention a tire I've not heard of and it's performance is impressive. Will see if they
make it in my hybrid's size. Do you like the ride? Bernie

 

[Bernie]

Robin Hubert wrote:

> "Bernie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >
> >
> > David Snyder wrote:
> >
> > > They have been great so far... I ride on the road and a multipurpose
> trail
> > > (hard packed crushed stone) and my pace has definitely picked up. One
> nice
> > > thing about the tread on the side is it gives you more control jumping
> curbs
> > > or berms...
> > >
> > > They only have about 60 miles on them at this point, so I can't say much
> for
> > > how they will hold up long term. They seem good quality, though.
> > >
>
> Don't know if anyone's mentioned it, but Avocet makes a 26" slick as well.
>
> --
> Robin Hubert <[email protected]>

There's lots of them out there. Kenda makes some very inexpensive ones, tho. We started this thread
when I mentioned Kenda Kwiks, which have a small chevron shape tread in the centre and smallish lugs
on the sides. I like them, and have ridden them in the desert in Death Valley and S. Nevada and had
a great ride. I did read several negative reviews in MTB Review, or similar name? Maybe I haven't
challenged them enough, or the unhappy reviewers really needed more tire than they bought. I don't
ride all that hard, unless I get the happy opportunity to do a fast downhill scream. Did some fast
downhills on them (with the tires on backward to the direction arrow) and had a ball on bad blacktop
and hard white clay. Go figure.

 

[Bernie]

Steve McDonald wrote:

> I should have included mention of my thorn-resistant tubes. I use Inline brand with good
> results, although I haven't tried other makes. I couldn't ask for better performance, so no
> need to look elsewhere. They are heavier overall, but especially thick on the part under the
> tread. They come in large boxes and have a "TR" in their designation code. The added weight is
> well worth the flat-free confidence I have when I need to be somewhere at a certain time. They
> also don't have to be pumped up to full pressure as often, as the thickness limits the oozing
> of air through the pores. Without them, I used to average 3 flats per week, a constant drag on
> my cycling. Now it's one flat per 6 years.
>
> Steve McDonald

Thanks for the great report! I have a Cheng Shin on the front of my hybrid that is original with the
bike (Marin Larkspur). Bought it Sept 02, 2001, and ride at minimum 60 miles a week, but rarely
restrict myself to the min. Tire looks like near new. I destroyed the rear thru rough surface
riding, cut the sidewall. I can't fault the tire. It was pure abuse. I think Cheng Shin nylon is my
first choice. If I cant get one, I'll seek out the Trek tires. As for the heavier tubes, how could
it hurt? Will check them out. I have a collection of repaired tubes, both 26 inch and 700c. Flat
repair is a skill I have mastered, don't need more practice!

Best regards, Bernie