Offroad tyres for my commuter?

[2Loose]

I have been invited to Sherwood Pines for a ride, but I have semi slicks on my Giant Escape M0 because I use it for my daily commute.

I am looking for a pair of reasonably cheap tyres that would do me for the ride, can anyone suggest anything that would be ok-ish for the road as well?

I don't want to spend a fortune as I am not sure that I will do the trails very often, but I have been looking at the Chainreaction website and there are so many to choose from, some for mud, some for gravel, some for hardpack etc. Some are over a kilo, some are half that, etc. etc.

Does it really matter what I get if they have knobs on?
And is a dual purpose tyre just a dream?

 

[GilesM]

The problem is that a dual purpose tyre is just a dream.

The trick is to get a good knobbly tyre with lower rolling resistance, the Continental Mountain King Supersonics are pretty good for this, but expensive, another choice would be:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=34658

If you are happy with the slightly heavier non folding tyre, not a bad price right now, pump them up to the max for the road and drop them to 40 ish psi for the trails and things should be okay. Remember they will make your commute harder and/or longer, but if you are happy for a slightly slower ride, and you are by yourself, does it matter.

 

[02GF74]

Does it really matter what I get if they have knobs on?
And is a dual purpose tyre just a dream?

for smooth road you want narrow tyres, smooth tread

for muddy offroad, you want wide tyre, with knobblies.

clearly there has to be a compromise.

you will get nowhere in mud with the former but the latter will work on the road, albeit requiring a bit more pedalling effort.

Take a look at knobblies but with a continuous centre tread

e.g.

^^^^ best photo I could find, the ones on my bike are a better example

not like this.

 

[2Loose]

I think I may well get a couple of tyres that buzz on the road and change them for the weeks commute depending on how I find them.
I can get a pair for 30quid so they are hardly going to break the bank. If I enjoy it, maybe a pricier pair (and n+1 ) may be in order further down the line.

 

[scouserinlondon]

I've got these for offroading

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=9409

Just swap em with my normal tyres for offroad use. I think that I'd rather have a specific tyre for each job rather than a 'best of both worlds'

 

[JiMBR]

I think that I'd rather have a specific tyre for each job rather than a 'best of both worlds'

+1

 

[marzjennings]

I've always like semi slicks as a middle of the road option and Maxxis High Roller's work for me.

Great offroad in dry to damp conditions and fine on the road in a straight line(cornering gets interesting). I've even ridden them in muddy conditions without too much hassle. The tyre sinks into the mud allowing the aggressive tread on the side to engage. As a DH tyre they're bullet proof and cheap, but they are a bit heavy.