Recommendations for kids 26" tyres

[sotal]

I noticed today that my daughters 26" tyres are starting to perish on the side walls.

I'm after something to replace them but not sure quite what to go for. Her bike is used for all sorts. A bit of road on the country lanes round us, a bit of gravel track on the old railway (properly converted to bike trial), and an occasional trip across the moor which can get a bit boggy. She doesn't seem to like the off road riding though.

Her current tyres are the type with lots of cuboid blocks. These have been ok with just one spill whilst turning on gravel.

I don't really want to spend a fortune but want her to be safe,

From a quick look, I found the following:

Schwalbe Big Apple Plus Tyre - GreenGuard 2.15" 26" - £12 each
Michelin World Tour Bike Tyre 26"x1.3/8" - £7 each
VITTORIA TRAIL TECH G+ RIGID TYRE 1.75" 26" - £10 each
VITTORIA ADVENTURE TECH G+ WIRED TYRE 47mm 26" - £10 each

Any thoughts?

 

[Kestevan]

Kenda small block 8s

Cracking all round tyre for 26 inch wheels.

 

[raleighnut]

I noticed today that my daughters 26" tyres are starting to perish on the side walls.

I'm after something to replace them but not sure quite what to go for. Her bike is used for all sorts. A bit of road on the country lanes round us, a bit of gravel track on the old railway (properly converted to bike trial), and an occasional trip across the moor which can get a bit boggy. She doesn't seem to like the off road riding though.

Her current tyres are the type with lots of cuboid blocks. These have been ok with just one spill whilst turning on gravel.

I don't really want to spend a fortune but want her to be safe,

From a quick look, I found the following:

Schwalbe Big Apple Plus Tyre - GreenGuard 2.15" 26" - £12 each
Michelin World Tour Bike Tyre 26"x1.3/8" - £7 each
VITTORIA TRAIL TECH G+ RIGID TYRE 1.75" 26" - £10 each
VITTORIA ADVENTURE TECH G+ WIRED TYRE 47mm 26" - £10 each

Any thoughts?

The Michelin tyres are for a different 26" size, old Raleigh 3 speeds and their ilk

BTW I think there are 5 different 26" wheel sizes

 

[raleighnut]

https://sheldonbrown.com/26.html

 

[Reynard]

Knobblies are a pain when cycling on roads, they're pretty draggy and make things harder than necessary.

Best fit as a do-it-all tyre would be a commuting / touring tyre, which gives you tread for grip, but better rolling on smooth surfaces, and with added puncture protection. I've just bought a pair of Schwalbe Road Cruiser Plus tyres for my MTB / Winter bike build. I ride on poorly-maintained country lanes with lots of mud, gravel, holes etc.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/schwalbe-road-cruiser-plus-tyre/rp-prod193348

And they're on a good offer right now. At £10.99 each, mine (albeit for 24 inch wheels) were effectively BOGOF

 

[CanucksTraveller]

For kids, Kenda are fine. They wouldn't know smooth rolling if it smacked them in the face. Kids just ride, no matter what. Rare is the 12 year old who berates their tyre performance.

 

[Cycleops]

A +1 for the Schwalbe Road Cruisers, I have some and they’re excellent. The problem with the Kendas is their reportedly poor puncture resistance, but at that price may be worth a shot:

“Even puncture resistance is very low with a score of 6 in the puncture test. High rolling resistance and low puncture resistance is not a good combination. All in all, this tire gets outperformed by most other mountain bike tires, even tires that are much cheaper.“
From bicyclerollingresistance.com

 

[MichaelW2]

I have used good old Schwalbe Marathon (plain not plus) commuting, touring and exploring on road, trail and off road. My commuter Big Apples have no grip on wet grass and clay mud.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Schwalbe Land Cruiser are a good general purpose tyre for fitting to 26" MTB rims if you want thee ability to go on muddy surfaces and still have some traction.
Pay attention to what @raleighnut said about 26" wheel sizes; most bikes today running 26" wheels are using ISO 559 mm MTB rims. These are not compatible tyre-wise with ISO 590 mm 3-speed Roadster wheels or the ISO 597 mm 26" x 1 1/4" wheels sometimes found on vintage sports bikes, especially those in small frame sizes.
The only thing all these various 26" rim sizes do have in common is they result in a wheel diameter of approximately 26 inches when fitted with tyres. Nominally same overall size, but the fatter the tyre, the smaller the rim is made to compensate. You either have more tyre and less wheel, or more wheel and less tyre to get to the same outcome.