Originally Posted by
gregjones
Unless you ride in dirt, knobby tires slow you down and increase pedaling effort. The bumps really are not what protects you against glass and goat heads. Good tires do.
You need good
road tires, just in a 26" size. Look
here for a selection of commuter tires for MTBs.
The Schwalbe Marathon Supremes are a top rated tire in goat head land, although they are very expensive. A search in this forum will bring up other offerings. I'm lucky enough to have decent roads and can get away with the cheap stuff.
A nice set of smooth tires will be the best thing you could do for your bike.
They will get you riding at the speed of happy.
I agree about the tires. Knobby tires on pavement suck the life out of you! Why suffer? ;-)
My touring bike has Marathons and they're very reliable. I ride on pavement, dirt road and gravel on a fully loaded bike with no problems. I did get a piece of glass in a rear tire once that caused a slow leak. Pulled it out and was good to go, I'm still using the same tires.
I'm not familiar with your bike, is it steel? If so, I suggest you spray some Boeshield T9 into the frame, especially as the bike will live outside.
Happy riding!