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Thinner tire sizes for mountain bike

Old 07-26-19, 09:11 PM
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My LBS has these for $14/pc, I think I’m gonna get a pair to replace the knobbies on my kid’s bike.

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Old 07-27-19, 03:22 AM
  #27  
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I’ve used 1.0 - 1.3” on my repurposed HT.
Geax Street runner I think was the 1.0”
Got rid of those for two reasons:
1) they were a wickedly, tool-breaking tight fit. A roadside tube replacement with cold fingers was a gamble.
2) 1” on a bike with a pannier wasn’t a great combination when dealing with curbs.

I had some Hutchinson Top Slick, which I really liked for unloaded riding. But again, they weren’t fully pannier-compatible.
Mostly, I’ve run Conti Sport Contact in 1.1-1.3”.
These will play nice with a pannier bike, service-friendly and good enough in grip and rolling resistance for me not to think about it while JRA.
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Old 07-29-19, 12:10 AM
  #28  
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26" is a tricky bicycle wheel size, with several different and incompatible rim sizes in it. For peace of mind, track down the Bead Seat Diameter - where rim and tire overlap - in millimeters, and use that to verify fit. Most likely you need tires with a 559 mm diameter.
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Old 08-03-19, 10:19 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by MrProsser
I recently got a bike from a friend and I would like to use it for commuting, and generally getting around town. This means it will largely be driven on pavement, and the most off-road use it will see will be on very fine crushed rock walking paths. However, it needs a bit of love, especially the tires which are badly worn. The current setup is a bit weird, with a front tire that is 26"x1.95" on a 559x18 rim, and a rear tire that is 26"x1.75" with a 559x27 rim. I would like to move to a thinner slick, but I am not quite sure how low I can go. I've seen a few threads like this one:
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...tain-bike.html

which include links suggesting that the front could go as low as 1.1" or so, but I am not sure about the back. One of the examples on that thread mentioned they moved from 2.125" to 1.5" which would be fine with me, but they do not mention the rim size. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had experience with this, or knows of a lower limit I should make sure to shy away from for each of those rims.
So? Have you picked new tires? Enquiring minds want to know.
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Old 08-04-19, 07:22 PM
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IMHO "slick" is more important than "thin" if you're primarily on pavement. 2" slicks at fairly high pressure will roll well and will give you a higher error margin with cracks and potholes and so on. The other factor is your ride distance; unless you're doing over 10mi or so, it really won't matter at much. Remember, "any bike is better than no bike", so you're already on second-order optimization here.
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Old 08-05-19, 10:45 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Korina
So? Have you picked new tires? Enquiring minds want to know.
Analysis paralysis must have set in.
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Old 08-05-19, 04:34 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by no motor?
Analysis paralysis must have set in.
Oooo, too much info; it's a killer.
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Old 08-12-19, 10:28 AM
  #33  
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I changed back to wider tires over the weekend. I still had them from before I switched to the 1.5s and figured I'd go back to them for a while after getting tired of the rough ride and erratic handling.
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Old 08-16-19, 12:16 PM
  #34  
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After having several trips with the new/old wider tires (26x1.9 Continental Town and Country) I'm glad I reverted back to these. They are heavy, but the ride is so much smoother and the handling is much more stable.
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Old 08-17-19, 06:07 PM
  #35  
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I like the Schwalbe Kojak. They were on sale at Chain Reaction last I looked, and are available in 26". I put them on my son's 24", ride road and gravel road.
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Old 08-17-19, 07:35 PM
  #36  
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Well, I used to have 2" tires on both front and back... But because I ride mostly pavement I switched to 1.75" front and kept the 2" for the back... I love it, except when I go on to a trail, every time I think I made a mistake, switching to the skinnier tires for the front while riding the trail... It's just the way it is...
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Old 08-23-19, 07:26 PM
  #37  
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I prefer slicks or slick like for pavement because I don't want to pick up debris that would work its way into my tire/tube. I will one day put some commuting "slicks" on my Cimarron and they will be at least 1.5 inches wide and at least as subpoenas as my 28mm GP4000s I have on my current 700c commuter. My old bike path 18 mile commute just changed to a 16 mile very urban commute and 28mm or 1 1/4 is as skinny as I would go. When I grab my Ironman with the 23s, I know I will regret it.
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Old 08-26-19, 06:25 AM
  #38  
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i would suggest keeping a large tire on the rear and a narrow on the front with about the same psi.

say 50(2") rear, 40(1.6") front.

the rear should be pressured tuning rolling resistance and comfort, the front should be pressured to ensure grip both dry/sand and wet.
i now have a 2" nobby on the rear (no budget for a proper road large tire) which is puncture resistant by virtue of the tread pattern (downside is less grip when wet but i can't be bothered, it's a rear tire, not a front) and a 1.6" dureme on the front which has good puncture resistance. it works very nicely.

sudden front punctures are more dangerous than rear punctures on the road and less psi with a large front tire affects both grip when wet and also is more puncture prone.

a bit offtopic... be sure to generously put talcum powder because it helps in multiple ways. mounting and dismounting is easily done, better grip because the tube won't stick to the tire, better rolling resistance, corrosion inhibitor, prevents flats because the tubes that do not stick to the tire are harder to penetrate by stuff that would eventually be going out of the tire,
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Old 08-26-19, 07:14 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by adipe
i would suggest keeping a large tire on the rear and a narrow on the front with about the same psi.

say 50(2") rear, 40(1.6") front.

the rear should be pressured tuning rolling resistance and comfort, the front should be pressured to ensure grip both dry/sand and wet.
i now have a 2" nobby on the rear (no budget for a proper road large tire) which is puncture resistant by virtue of the tread pattern (downside is less grip when wet but i can't be bothered, it's a rear tire, not a front) and a 1.6" dureme on the front which has good puncture resistance. it works very nicely.

sudden front punctures are more dangerous than rear punctures on the road and less psi with a large front tire affects both grip when wet and also is more puncture prone.

a bit offtopic... be sure to generously put talcum powder because it helps in multiple ways. mounting and dismounting is easily done, better grip because the tube won't stick to the tire, better rolling resistance, corrosion inhibitor, prevents flats because the tubes that do not stick to the tire are harder to penetrate by stuff that would eventually be going out of the tire,
I think that’s an interesting idea about wider rear, narrow front, equal pressure. I had just never thought about it.

FWIW, I don’t have decades of cycling experience but I tend to get more punctures with knobby/armored tires than slicks. I’ve never set out to understand why, I just stick to what works.
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Old 08-27-19, 08:30 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Phamilton
I think that’s an interesting idea about wider rear, narrow front, equal pressure. I had just never thought about it.

FWIW, I don’t have decades of cycling experience but I tend to get more punctures with knobby/armored tires than slicks. I’ve never set out to understand why, I just stick to what works.
first off you'll tolerate a higher pressure (semi)slicks which are usually narrow too.

rear gets punctured more often than front (dunno if you had slicks front);
knobby are usually used offroad where goatheads etc. do nasty stuff;
knobby are more often ridden in mud and mud prevents stuff from being ejected from the tire - it stands to reason that on road a knobby tire would have the slippage disadvantage (rear is no big deal) but also keep less debris for it to have high chances to work into the tire;
there's tire pressure to be considered and some knobby tread pattern can get you choosing a lower pressure; lower pressured tires are punctured more easily because there's more surface and more mud kept etc.

by knobby i mean dimpled knobby being best. the dimples are thicker, the area between them press less on the ground.
i'm just saying that i don't mind having a knobby on the rear right now on the road and can tolerate it until i get a proper grooved tread WITH a puncture resistant tire having some good belt to resist debris going in.

schwalbe mondial would be the nicest thing but there's no bigger size than 2" and they're not cheap so i'd rather pick the Big Apple 2.35. this gets slightly offtopic... any sugestion for a not so expensive tire (the G-One have low mileages and they aren't cheap) so that the puncture resistance would better than Big Apple's and also be available in 2.35 width? weight is one concern too, i'm not interested in Marathon Plus which are low quality anyway and i'd rather put some extra (cut) tube under the pressured one or a tire liner than use heavy and low quality kind like Marathon Plus.


the narrow enough 1.6" Dureme front is a given and i won't take it off unless it gets destroyed - worn out in about 5 years i guess.

the rear tire does not have to be knobby, i just tolerate it being low budget. 2" works and i'd have 2.35" but budget and unavailability of proper tires like Mondial in that size are factored in delaying the meh knobby (race kings) taken off.

the larger rear can tolerate a larger tire to rim width ratio, the front is critical to be able to stay put and not flex in turns.
front needs a not too low pressure to cut throuh water and mud. you should not ride at speed through sandy or muddy portions and when you see such thing hit the brakes so that you won't need to brake when you dig into it. a narrow tire is not to brake in such stuff, it's use being narrow is to allow a precise steering even in nasty stuff and you have to lower speed right after you see nasty ahead.

large tire in the front makes steering less agile so i'd rather say it's why certain motorcycles have a 40:60 ratio front to rear.
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Old 08-27-19, 09:30 AM
  #41  
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Traditionally, my dropbar MTB commuter had 1.5s (Panaracer t-servs)...I've sized up to 2 and haven't looked back. It's rocking the conti basketball tires, which I heartily recommend as a relatively fast, fun, durable commuter tire that sheds water nicely.

I'm not sure if it's moving up in size, or going from panaracer to conti's...but I like these a lot. I generally have loathed panaracer's offerings.
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Old 08-27-19, 09:39 AM
  #42  
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I'm still glad I went back to the 1.9 Town and Countries. I had to take 3 detours this morning due to road construction and rode through more rough roads than I have in a long time. That would have been much more unpleasant on the firmer 1.5s with the flat guards.
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Old 08-27-19, 11:50 AM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by KonAaron Snake
Traditionally, my dropbar MTB commuter had 1.5s (Panaracer t-servs)...I've sized up to 2 and haven't looked back. It's rocking the conti basketball tires, which I heartily recommend as a relatively fast, fun, durable commuter tire that sheds water nicely.

I'm not sure if it's moving up in size, or going from panaracer to conti's...but I like these a lot. I generally have loathed panaracer's offerings.
a larger tire has a bit of an impact regarding handling. you might be glad you did choose a larger tire on the front as well for the main reason that your current stem does not need to be changed for a longer one, neither is your frame too long now in effect. all this because you have now a larger trail comparing what you had before.

a very small difference can have a serious even if not understood effect that adds up to the gyro one that helps keep your front wheel stable at high speeds, not only improving bump absorption.

your MTB commuter i suspect has a short fork after it once was having a longer one and therefore has now a still small-ish trail with 1.5" tires, larger than normal road bikes chainstay length and still a just a bit high bottom bracket for all that.

either you changed the suspension fork for a shorter rigid one or someone else did before getting the bike. no importance now. what is important is that you have the bike and it works.
maybe you will find interest regarding frame and fork geometry.

a very small trail is not alright, even with a longer stem for such a bike - 420mm chainstay and a bit high bottom bracket as a typical MTB has. short trails are for road bikes with competition like geometry: 73 degrees fork angle, 44-45mm offset, designed for being as aero as possible, not much regard for comfort.

google this... perhaps:
fork angle, fork offset, trail.

i might suggest a cyclocross bike with about the same geometry you have now only for a lower q factor. riser bars is what i prefer and bar ends mounted on the inner portion, as to be used with a closed up space between the arms.


this setup you have right now would not handle well with riser bars because you need a larger distance from the fork tube (stem + bars) for the still quite short fork that i guess you have now.

cyclocross bikes have about 71 degrees head angle, 44mm for offset (rake), 275mm bottom bracket height.
it is not my intention of making you feel that you still don't have the dream bike or something like that, i am just trying to help you see the differences in geometry in case you would be interested about this stuff.

Last edited by adipe; 08-27-19 at 11:54 AM.
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Old 08-27-19, 12:33 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by adipe
a larger tire has a bit of an impact regarding handling. you might be glad you did choose a larger tire on the front as well for the main reason that your current stem does not need to be changed for a longer one, neither is your frame too long now in effect. all this because you have now a larger trail comparing what you had before.

a very small difference can have a serious even if not understood effect that adds up to the gyro one that helps keep your front wheel stable at high speeds, not only improving bump absorption.

your MTB commuter i suspect has a short fork after it once was having a longer one and therefore has now a still small-ish trail with 1.5" tires, larger than normal road bikes chainstay length and still a just a bit high bottom bracket for all that.

either you changed the suspension fork for a shorter rigid one or someone else did before getting the bike. no importance now. what is important is that you have the bike and it works.
maybe you will find interest regarding frame and fork geometry.

a very small trail is not alright, even with a longer stem for such a bike - 420mm chainstay and a bit high bottom bracket as a typical MTB has. short trails are for road bikes with competition like geometry: 73 degrees fork angle, 44-45mm offset, designed for being as aero as possible, not much regard for comfort.

google this... perhaps:
fork angle, fork offset, trail.

i might suggest a cyclocross bike with about the same geometry you have now only for a lower q factor. riser bars is what i prefer and bar ends mounted on the inner portion, as to be used with a closed up space between the arms.


this setup you have right now would not handle well with riser bars because you need a larger distance from the fork tube (stem + bars) for the still quite short fork that i guess you have now.

cyclocross bikes have about 71 degrees head angle, 44mm for offset (rake), 275mm bottom bracket height.
it is not my intention of making you feel that you still don't have the dream bike or something like that, i am just trying to help you see the differences in geometry in case you would be interested about this stuff.
I have a lot of bikes...far too many bikes...including a rather nice cross bike (used as a fat tire roadie, and with lower than typical BB) and an "adventure" bike that is a relatively similar build. Also quite a few sports tourer'ish builds that make for nice commuters as well. I especially like the drop bar MTB because it blends in at a bike rack, I have it outfitted with racks, and I don't need to worry about paint chips (or rust). The frame is pretty much indestructible...and has already survived one incident with an SUV.

As far as the fork, it was almost certainly a suspension fork when originally built, and I swapped it for a tange rigid. As I'm sure you're aware, handling issues are often endemic to alternate use of a build, but it's a fun bike; for stem I went short and high, with dirt drops. It was pretty much necessary to use a shorter stem in order to get a reasonably comfortable cockpit, but there are handling compromises.








Last edited by KonAaron Snake; 08-27-19 at 12:49 PM.
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Old 08-29-19, 12:48 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by KonAaron Snake



Where did you get that headbadge??
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Old 08-29-19, 01:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Korina
Where did you get that headbadge??
The awesome, amazing, talented, humble Jen Green:

Jen Green -- Custom Jewelry -- Philadelphia PA -- Jeweler's Row
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Old 08-29-19, 04:28 PM
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What, me worry? That's great!
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Old 08-30-19, 04:47 AM
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Originally Posted by no motor?
What, me worry? That's great!
Thanks! It’s a fun bike to ride, and the build definitely reflects me.
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Old 08-30-19, 09:59 AM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Phamilton
I think that’s an interesting idea about wider rear, narrow front, equal pressure. I had just never thought about it.

FWIW, I don’t have decades of cycling experience but I tend to get more punctures with knobby/armored tires than slicks. I’ve never set out to understand why, I just stick to what works.
I've done that for decades, but mostly with smaller road tires. You can measure yours, but bikes are often 40/60 weight distribution, so to get the same size contact patch, you need less pressure in the front tire. By putting the smaller tire up front (which normally would need more pressure), and putting the same psi front/rear - it equalizes for the 40f/60r weight ballance.

I don't know about you, but I almost never get a flat in the front. The front throws debris at the rear - so the rear is more likely to hit something at an odd angle where it would actually puncture (and it is carrying more weight). And, all other things being equal, my slicks get fewer flats than my knobbies - as the knobbies tend to grab the bad stuff.
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Old 08-30-19, 01:11 PM
  #50  
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Mountain bikers will often run a smaller/harder/smoother tire in the rear where they’re more interested in rolling resistance and a bigger/softer/knobbier in the front for steering
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