What tyre that is good on the road but can still cope with trails?

[RSV_Ecosse]

Having read a few threads here I realise I'm probably asking for you to recommend me a good Holy Grail.

However, any suggestions for a good tyre on the road for an 36 mile round trip commute that will also cope with trail and light off road use on my new Cube Acid 2010?. It has Schwalbe Smart Sam's as OEM and they are really hard work on tarmac.

Looking at Schwalbe Big Apples ( perhaps a wee bit too road orientated? ) and Continental Town And Country Semi Slick MTB Tyres so far.

 

[jayonabike]

I changed my MTB tyres for some specialized armadillo crossroads, http://www.specialized.com/gb/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=44503&menuItemId=10838&eid=5098
great on the road and still gave me enough grip on a tow path and disused railway line last weekend.

jay

 

[RSV_Ecosse]

Those look pretty good, cheers. Will add them to my list of possibles.

 

[piedwagtail91]

i'm using the conti town and country. done a couple of hunderd miles on them on the road and think they're good. no problem keeping up with the clubrun on them, even on single speed!
good on hard packed tracks and towpaths but not so grippy on mud, which is pretty much as i expected.

 

[jethro10]

I fitted Schwalbe Hurricanes

http://schwalbe.com/gbl/en/produkte...ruppe=44&ID_Produkt=187&ID_Artikel=369&info=1

Got em for £20 per pair off ebay

Pumped upto 60psi and suit my mix of road and bridleways / off road etc.

they are a bit lighter than the specialized armadillo crossroads mentioned above, always a useful thing.

Jeff

 

[Kestevan]

Schwalbe Land Cruisers - The missus thinks they're the bees knees.

Nice big central ridge for the road, and just enough tread for light XC. Not exxactly brilliant in the mud though, although tbh nothing in this class of tyre is going to be much cop for that.

 

[Cyclist33]

Just fitted a pair of Geax Easy Riders... pretty heavy but cheap, will let you know in 6 months time if I've had any probs... Cyc

 

[Globalti]

TBH you can ride most stuff offroad with almost slick tyres. It's only in deep mud where you'll lose traction and most people will be off and walking by then anyway. I rode a pair of Kona Crossroads for years until they wore out, they had just a central ridge and some light side grips. Wish I could get some more like them.

I'm always amazed at the numbers of riders I see on those charity sportive rides using knobblies on tarmac. Madness.

 

[RSV_Ecosse]

Thanks for all the replies folks, appreciate it.

I'm going to ask a n00b question here regarding MTB tyres. What tyres will actually fit my bike, size wise?. I'm looking on eBay at some of the tyres you guys have suggested but the sizing is confusing me. 26x1.75, 26x2.1 etc, what does it all mean?. I'm guessing that the likes of a 26x1.75 is narrower than a 26x2.1?. What does this mean in terms of how they roll and perform?. Narrower ones roll better?.

 

[Cyclist33]

Firstly, a quick report on my new Geaxes. They're heavy, but roll fast. I used to do my 5 mile commute in 18 minutes on my road bike, which I matched today without really trying. On the knobbly tires I just took off, the same commute took 22 minutes. I like them and they were dead cheap. It's a harsher ride now but of course it is.

To look at your questions, it is in a nutshell not as simple as all that but you're sort of right. You're Acid is a regular mtb, right? Then it takes 26" tires. Next, look at the wheel rims - they might have a width marked on them or you might measure them yourself. Anyway they say your tires should be about 1.5-2.0x the width of the rims. Now you need to check your inner tubes - mine have it printed on them that they are suitable for 1.9" TO 2.1" tires. Stay within the tube's limits or get new tubes to taste.

Mathematically, 26x2.1 would mean 26" diameter (in practice it varies a little), 2.1" in width. If you took two tires of equal tread pattern and equal build, the wider one would be better for gripping but would also be slower. That's a gross generalisation really because it depends what sort of riding you do. Conversely, a 2.1" smooth tire would roll better than a 1.5" that was covered with tall knobs. It would be crap off-road though.

Weight plays a part in performance but also remember that it really sucks to get a puncture so sometimes you should go heavier to get the extra protection.

There isn't really such thing as the perfect all-round tire as they all do different jobs.
Best bet is, you tell us exactly what riding you want to do and someone will suggest the right tire for you. Don't forget to tell us your budget too!

Cheers

Cyc

 

[Globalti]

Narrower tyres are faster because there's less tread to squash around, wasting your energy and turning your effort into noise. Narrow tyres are also better in snow or mud because their ground pressure is higher and they will cut down to find grip - this is why a 1960s Land Rover with skinny tyres will out-perform a modern Range Rover on a slippery surface; the wide tyres are great on dry tarmac but don't have enough ground pressure on a slippery surface.

Edit: to answer your original question, Panaracer Fire XC pros in 1.8 width are pretty fast on tarmac and grip well off road, though they do wear out quite fast.

 

[sleekitcollie]

When I went on a small tour Last year I stuck a pair of conti travel contacts on . They r great for mainly on road but I used them on some very muddy tracks , they managed fine and they r great on the canal toe paths and forest tracks as well . Also they have built in Kevlar puncture protection ( with a garentee from conti . Any air loss the will replace tyre and tube as long as u use the tubes provided and keep the stickers that home with tyres )
so far after a year the tyres have had nothing puncture them and r as solid as the day I put them on .