Yen

I don't tour (yet) but I'm not sure where else to post this since there are so many LHT riders here.

I ride a 2008 54cm LHT with stock WTB Slickasaurus tires (26x38/32, 1.5"). I'm looking for a narrower tire, 1.25" or perhaps narrower, with better rolling resistance but one that can take light trails and wet surfaces, in addition to good puncture resistance. The LTH is my all-around bike for group rides of any distance and short commutes.

The LBS has a couple of choices that fit my wheels but I wanted to do some research first. I couldn't find any posts that answer this specific question..... though no doubt there are some.

Are there any current favorites that meet this criteria?

late

I didn't like the ride I got from a one inch tire. I'd suggest just getting a better tire in the same size.

Yen

Well, yes, I suspect the ride would be similar to the ride on my Roubaix. What about a little narrow, e.g. 1.25"?

BengeBoy 

I was searching for the same recently and looked at the Continental Sport contact, listed as 1.3 inches:

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/pcosp...ct_tire/pp.htm

I have not tried them yet.

late

https://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup....177942&TID=367

classix

seconding the idea to get a better tire in the same size. thats what I did. the smaller tire i tried was not good. go with a marathon 1.5 or equivalent

LeeG

I don't think you're going to get better rolling resistance AND better puncture resistance AND light trail riding but if you're a light person I could see the WTB tires being too slippery when pumped up. 240g. folding Pasela TG make sense if you're a light person. In 1.5 it's still light and I guess would grip better than the WTB tires. I've been riding Pasela TG in 35mm and 1.5" tires and like them a lot for city riding.



https://www.bikeman.com/TR2261.html

spike57

Under the specs for the tire at link is...

PSI: 29 - 58 PSI

Can that possibly be correct? Seems awfully low for a narrower tire.

robow

I rode these for a short while and mine, like many of Conti's actual tire measurements, they were much smaller than listed, closer to 1.0 rather than 1.25. OK on smooth pavemnet but not as comfy on rougher roads. I was going to try the 1.6" knowing that they will probably be closer to a 1.25' but never got around to it. Peformance used to carry a Kevlar belted 26" 1.25" fairly smooth city tire that was a pretty nice compromise and a nice price, but like most Performance brand anything, the supplier can change and the quality can change as well.

Yen

OK, then what would be a "better" tire --- is there a particular Marathon 1.5 often recommended?

I should clarify about wet roads: my current tires are just fine on wet surfaces. I want their replacement to be the same. Someone told me about a certain replacement tire being slippery on wet surfaces, so I want to avoid that in the new tire.

X-LinkedRider

26" wheels on the LHT? I would have thought that would all be 700c.

LeeG

You mention the desire for a "better" tire with lower rolling resistance appearing to be a high priority. I think you will lose those other desirable attributes of puncture resistance and trail handling fairly quickly coming from the WTB slickasaurus. The Panaracer TG fits the bill better than the slicks. The Schwalbe Marathon Racer will be very nice low rolling resistance but not lower puncture resistance than the PaselaTG. The Schwalbe Marathon Supreme will work very well on wet roads, puncture resistance and be very expensive but I don't think it's lower rolling resistance than the PaselaTG. The standard Marathon 368 will NOT be lower rolling resistance than the above tires but it will be durable and good on trails. I'm undecided on the 1.6" Conti Sport Contact for wet roads or trails but I don't think its worse than the Slickasaurus.

TruckerMike

I recommend the 26x1.35 Schwalbe Kojak's. The roll fast (I would guess faster than Paselas) and have puncture resistance pro-guard strip and have reasonable weights. Kojak's are a complete slick, but their rain grip is really really good - just like the Ultremo's.

If you have flat trails, they'll do fine, but muddy uphills should be avoided with this rubber.

Dellphinus

Yen, I swapped the SLickasaurus's on our LHTs for Panaracer Pasela tourguards- 26x1.25. Luv em. Highly recommended.
We ride good smooth roads, rough country roads, gravel roads, limestone trails, gravel trails.