Moving from Knobblies to Slicks

[Losidan]

I got some Conti City contacts for my MTB the other day and had my first commute on them this morning.

I was pleasantly suprised at the difference in performance compared to my old worn panaracer knobblies. I dont know if the effect was psychological as much as anything but it seemed far better. I seemed to spin a slightly bigger gear on the flat towpath and get better rolling on the roads...They definitely pick up quicker on the descents too.

 

[mr_cellophane]

What width did you get ?

 

[Losidan]

1.75....My old ones were 1.95.

 

[Mr Pig]

Yeah, massive difference. I have 1.5 Specialized Nimbus for the road, great isn't it? :0)

 

[bazzadigz C+]

I went from standard Halfolds fitted slicks too Schwalb Marathon Racers and knocked 5mins off the commuting time! they were/are both 1.5s

My LBS said that I should stick with the Halfords ones :S

 

[cycling fisherman]

changing tyres does make a massive difference to your speed, but you have to be careful in the wet !

another thing as well mate, try and make sure you maintain good high pressure in the tyres that makes another difference, try and not let them slip below 40 psi

 

[domtyler]

changing tyres does make a massive difference to your speed, but you have to be careful in the wet !

another thing as well mate, try and make sure you maintain good high pressure in the tyres that makes another difference, try and not let them slip below 40 psi

Do you mean that slicks don't grip as well in the wet as knobblies on road?

 

[domtyler]

Knobblies only make a difference in the wet if you're riding through mud.

What about if you are literally underwater? I.e with scuba gear etc.

 

[Mr Pig]

Do you mean that slicks don't grip as well in the wet as knobblies on road?

Not really. Knobblies aren't brilliant in the wet on road either. It's more that you'll run higher pressures in the slicks, so they're more likely to loose grip than knobblies with lower pressure.