i just bought a bike, the first for 50yrs and first new one ever. most of my bikes came off the local tip, i had 20 one time and i never replaced a puncture, just found another wheel that wasnt, in fact the only bike i ever bought cost 30bob £1.50p it had double front forks with a big spring between them and cow horn handle bars, it was way more fun than my new merida crossway 20. my question is, when i ride with my brother on his road bike with tyres thinner than my thumb i notice my tyres (what ever came as standard) make a lot of noise compared to his and this noise makes it feel like its harder work riding, is this the case? and if it is what thickness of tyre should i get for road used? cheers
Firstly, congrats on getting back in the saddle - it looks like you've got a pretty decent all-round bike there, which should be a lot of fun
And I'd emphasize the fun - while your brother and his skinny-tyre road bike might be faster on the road, you should have a much better ride if you venture on to any gravel or other off-road tracks.
But yes, fatter tyres can make a lot of noise - the knobbly tyres I have for my mountain bike make a terrible racket on tarmac and sound like they're sticking to the road. But then when I ride through the woods on them and tackle the mud baths they're great fun.
Right now I have 42mm semi-slicks on it, and I find them a great all-round choice, even though they are noisy on some surfaces. On tarmac I'm only a couple of mph slower than my road bikes, and on hard or gravelly off-road surfaces they provide a very nice ride.
As Pat "5mph" suggests, you could go for thinner tyres, but right now I'd agree with the suggestion of trying different tyre pressures. I have my semi-slicks pumped to near the top end of their indicated pressure range, which gets over the possible sluggishness but leaves them still comfortable. My knobbly tyres have a lot less pressure, which works better off road on soft surfaces.
But most of all, just have fun!