jbarros

Hey kids,

I've got a friend who's decided he's not going to invest a whole bunch into bicycle commuting till he's tried it out for a while. So we dusted off and adjusted and fit his old mountain bike to him, but I told him I'd at least like to see him off of knobbies and onto something a little more road friendly.

Any tire suggestions?

Thanks.

Allen

Michelin Transworld Cities are good commuting tires.
As are Schwalbe Big Apples.

greenstork

Continental Sport Contacts 26x1.3"

HardyWeinberg

I'm a major big apple fan. Very tough, as well as big and smooth.

MyBikeGotStolen

I just put Forte City's in 1.5" on my MTB recently and I am happy with them so far. I got them on sale from Performance bike for about $7 a piece.

JanMM

can't beat that price but for a few dollars more the Fast City ST/K 1.25" 90psi from Performance is zippier. Not a delicate tire - we have them on our tandem.

pj7

Any cheap-thin tire will do him, unless you are also wanting him to have flat protection.
You can get plenty of 1.5" slicks for less than $20 a pair and they will do the trick I'd bet.
Lately I've been rolling on 26x1.75" Maxxis Overdrive tires with kevlar and a nifty reflective sidewall strip and I really enjoy these tires.

MyBikeGotStolen

I allmost got the 1.25's. I had never ridden anything skinnier than 2" knobbies and I though I would of killed the 1.25's. Now I regret that decision

Donkey Hodie

+1 on the Schwalbe Big Apple tires.

I just got some 26" x 2.35" Big Apples for my Surly 1x1 mountain bike, and they are awesome.

The 26" x 2.0" Big Apples are nice too. I have them on my Dahon Jack.

Both sizes are nice.

JeffS

I wasn't happy with the Forte City, though it's definitely the price winner.

The Ritchey Tom slick was a better tire in that width range. The Schwalbe Big Apple was a major step up though. I don't currently have a 26" bike, but if I did I would be buying either Big Apples (2") or Marathon Supremes (2"). Obviously not the budget-friendly choices though.

CastIron

Specialized Nimbus Armadillo. Good tire. $hit ride.

ConstantRider

I like the 1.4" Ritchey Tom Slicks. Cheap, fast, and while not as indestructible as the Schwalbe's, I'm guessing, I rarely get flats on mine.

Ritehsedad

Serfas Drifter.

CB HI

Specialized Fat Boy 26 x 1.25. Good puncture resistance, 100 psi, wears well and it handles extremely well. about $20-$25

Cyclaholic

I've commuted on these and can't praise them enough, although virtually any smooth 1" - 2" tire will get him started. If I were you I'd also set him up with Mr Tuffy liners, spare tube, patch kit, levers, and pump, regardless of what tires you decide on.

Also if he has never done it let him change one of the tires so he'll have a degree of confidence if/when he flats.

You've earnt a whole bunch of good karma points for helping someone deiscover the joys of cycle commuting, good for you.

DVC45

I was about to get a pair of those for my MTB turned commuter bike. What's $hitty about the ride? Is it too harsh?

DVC45

What didn't you like about them?

Inthe10ring

+1 fo sho'.

carlton

Could you give us a detailed account of the ride smoothness between the two as well as the speed differences or the rolling resistences?

Thanks Carlton.

rykoala

I have had the Forte Versa Trac/K 26x2.0's for about a month. I really like them. Tough, sturdy tires that ride like a slick on the pavement and like a knobby in the dirt. Great all round tire for an all around bike.

Donkey Hodie

My mother is actually now riding the Dahon Jack with the 2.0" Big Apples. I only took it on a few rides since I purchased it. Yesterday I was taking turns on my surly with the fatter Big Apples and the Dahon with the skinnier Big Apples in order to figure out which tires felt quicker and smoother. Since I have not spent a lot of time on either set of tires(I just installed the larger Apples on my bike last Saturday), I guess it is fair to say that I cannot have a complete opinion as to which tire feels quicker or more smooth.

In my short comparison rides from earlier today, I would have to say that I was leaning towards thinking that the lighter and smaller Apples on the Dahon felt more quick and smooth.. This might be psychological however, and at this point I do not feel it is fair for me to make a final judgment between the two. Keep in mind that the Dahon has more of an upright geometry with the raised handlebar height, plus it is made out of aluminum opposed to the steel surly.

I plan on riding the snot out of my surly for now, and then maybe switching to the skinnier Apples somewhere down the line.

Both tires felt quick, and they both felt extremely smooth for such fatty tires. It might be splitting hairs when comparing these two tires. I think that both sizes have the same amount of road contact, with the main differences being the weight, and the amount of pressure or cushion/shock that can be applied to the fatter of the two tires. The amount of tire air pressure that is being applied is another factor for me to consider.

I also think that both sizes of the 26 inch Big Apples might have close to the same rolling resistance because they have the same amount of tire contact with the road(I am not sure about this).

Part of me wants to secretly switch the tires to see if my mother will notice (she is purely a recreational cyclist).

CdCf

+1

Haven't had a flat yet. And they roll well too!

If you want a bit more cushioning, get the fatter 1.6" version. I use them as well.

Donkey Hodie

One thing for sure is that I am not worried too much about crappy road conditions with either of the Schwalbe Big Apple tires (especially with the larger sized tires). I think these tires are great for city streets, and roads undergoing construction which there is always plenty of in my area.

The tires I was using previously to the 26" x 2.35" Big Apples were huge Maxxis Hookworms at 26" x 2.50"
While not much smaller, the Big Apples in 2.35 " size feel alot more nimble and quick than the Hookworms did.
Those Hookworms are behemoth sized tires!

Another good thing about the fatter tires, is that you can put the max pressure recommended for a faster feeling ride, or you can lower the pressure to act like shock absorbing suspension. Weather the tire pressure is low or high, the Big apples definitely soak up the bumps and the drops from sidewalk curbs very nicely.

Doug5150

Just go to a bike shop or any place that sells bike tires and get some 1.3" to 1.5" wide MTB slicks (and tubes also). There's cheap ones for <$10 each. Inflate to 60-70 PSI.
-------
When I think of a "good" commuting tire I think of puncture resistance, to avoid "unscheduled delays"--and I think the best tire out now is the Schwalbe Marathon Plus--but they cost ~$45 US per tire. The M+'s come in 1.3" and 1.75" wide versions.
-------
I don't recommend Big Apples because unless your bicycle has wider rims, the Big Apples will handle like crap unless you overinflate them. If you get huge fat tires and have to overinflate them, they're not providing any actual advantage to being so wide,,, and you might as well just run narrower tires that your narrow rims can handle better, and get a lot less rolling mass and faster accelleration.

If his bike has "downhill"-width rims (~35mm+) then Big Apples are a good idea. If his bike has the typical ~25mm wide rims that most MTB's come with, then stick with tires 1.5" wide or less.
~

SDRider

I think I had a set of Michelin or Continental tires on my mtb when I was commuting on it. I haven't had the best of luck with Performance brand tires so I haven't bought a set of them in probably 9-10 years.