Itrium

I'm JUST getting into bikes after about 14 years, and I'm curious what all needs to happen when tires are changed. I'm going to put road tires onto my MTB, but as with anything in life, I've got to assume changing a tire is more involved than it sounds. Advice? What about changing wheels and tires?

Thanks,
Brian

BHOFM

Unless the wheels are crap, you only need tires of the proper size and
new tubes. 26" I assume? Plenty to choose from, I have Kenda slicks
on mine. Love them! Quiet and fast.

Retro Grouch 

You said MTB so I'm thinking 26 inch wheels. 26 X 1 1/2 isn't the same as 26 X 1.5. If the tires you have now have the size in fractions, look for tires with the size in fractions. If the tires you have now have the size in decimals, look for tires with the size in decimals.

Itrium

Oops. Poor choice of words on my part. I don't have my MTB yet as I'm still trying to decide. I'm also trying to decide between 26" and 29". Thanks for the suggestion BHOFM.

Retro: Wow, I bet that's an EASY mistake for beginners to make, thanks for the heads up!

Old Hammer Boy

A couple suggestions:

1. Slightly inflate the tube before inserting it inside the tire casing.
2. Some folks like to apply some talcum powder on the tube to "lubricate" the process.
3. Do your best to avoid using a tire tool to install the tire. You may pinch the tube--be careful. On a new tire, this can be a bit difficult.
4. Center the label on the tire, along side of the valve. This can be handy to locate debris stuck in the tire casing. If you know where the leak is in the tube, you now have a reference relative to the valve on the tire.
5. Partially inflate the tube just enough to examine that the tube isn't wedged between the bead and the rim. work your way around the wheel on both sides of the rim looking for tube that can get pinched.
6. Fill her up and ride!!!

BHOFM

If you are going to buy a new bike, rather than a MTB with road tires, check out
the hybrids and fitness bikes. Some sweet rides out there.
I ride an old vintage Trek fitness bike. Nearly as fast as a road bike but a lot
more nimble.

Al1943

If you want a road bike get a road bike, if you want a mountain bike get a mountain bike.

Amesja

I like the big fat kenda slicks on a MTB. They are like a motorcycle road tire, have good stiff sidewalls, and roll as well as a skinny road tire on 26" MTB rims. Unless you live on a velodrome I think that a "road" bike isn't a very good idea. Most roads in the USA are crumbling as the nation slips into 3rd-world status and a MTB with slick tires or a Cross bike with slick tires is a much better choice on the decaying roadways of America than a skinny-tired track bike.

Remember when you order tires online that there are about 4 different sizes of 26" wheels out there. If you have a MTB with 559mm wheels do NOT get a 26x1 and a fraction. 26x1.75" does NOT equal 26x1-3/4", 26x1.5" does NOT equal 26x1-1/2" and 26x1.25" does NOT equal 26x1-1/4" In fact you can get away with 26x1.x but not interchange any of the fractional sizes even with each other.

FastJake

OP: why buy a mountain bike so you can put road tires on it? There are plenty of road-type bikes out there. You don't have to get a "race" bike with drop bars.

What would that be, exactly? As far as I know they didn't call them fitness bikes back in the day

Amesja

Easiest thing is to just take the bike to your LBS (Local Bike Shop) and they will hook you up.

If you are handy, changing tires is REALLY easy. It's a simple matter of removing the wheel from the bike, letting all the air out of the tube, prying the tire off of the bead with your thumbs (you probably don't need tools on a 26 MTB-type wheel) and then putting the tube back into the new tire.

The hardest thing is getting the right size tires. Like I mentioned above it's not very intuitive about the tire sizing. Sheldon Brown has a whole web page devoted to the weirdness of tire sizing systems over the years. the easiest way to make sure you get the right size it to look for the ISO size of the tire on your existing tire or engraved on the rim itself near the valve stem. Another thing to look out for is clearance issues with fenders or the frame. Wider tires might rub. the Kenda 838 makes a really nice fat slick tire but runs a bit wide. For a full-on MTB they usually fit but some of the narrower-frame 'fitness" bikes or "cross-bikes" built like MTB's but lighter-weight tended to have narrower frames. Some of the later ones even had 700c wheelsets.

As for the tubes, they last forever pretty much as they are protected from the atmosphere. I restore old English 3-speeds and often the tubes are like new even after 50 years of sitting around as long as they were inside the tire. The thing that kills tires is ozone and UV-light -neither of which reach inside the tire and work on the tube's rubber. Even if they are bad they are not very expensive, it's good to have at least one spare to carry around with you in case you have a flat. I always patch a tube but avoid it out on the road. It's easier to do at home and then I put it back into my saddle bag after I test it to make sure it holds air.

BHOFM

720 Multi Track, LBS told me it was a '91. Looks just like the Trek fitness bike of today.

Amesja

According to this Trek Catalog you have 700x35c tires on this bike. Verify to make sure.

You can put any tire on it with the name 700c up to 35mm (and maybe a little wider like 38mm but you have to look and see how much clearance you have.

Road tires will not make as much noise as knobbies and roll smother and MUCH quieter. There is no need to have knobbies on a bike unless you are taking it off road or maybe riding it in the snow although I know a lot of people who ride with slicks in the snow if they are narrow.

Itrium

I've got a thread in the Commuting forum that explain my desire for a MTB. Regardless, thanks for all the info everyone.