flyagaricus

Hi folks

I'm fixing up an older mountain bike and want to get new tires (26"). I'll be riding probably 60/40 road/trail respectively (nothing too aggressive off-road)

I've read that you want a fatter tire upfront and thinner in the back, but that seems to be for mostly offroad.

I'd like to suggestions on a good dual-purpose combination of tires.

Thanks

Iride01 

Buy for the surface you are going to ride the most. At 60/40, I'd get another bike. Trying to make one thing do both, it's going to suck at one greatly or suck at both a little.

flyagaricus

Fair point

bOsscO

If you keep the MTB I can recommend the Maxxis DTH; https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-320-137-dth
They come in 26" and either 2.15" or 2.3" widths. I'm running a set that are 2.15" wide and they're light, comfy, and have a file-type tread that work well on gravel trails.

flyagaricus

I'll be keeping it I think - perhaps I'll just keep it for offroad only. Are you using the DTH on both front and back?

bOsscO

Yes both front and rear. Since my other two bikes have 700c wheels with 25c and 35c tires (respectively) the 2.15" DTH's look plenty wide and feel super plush.

AeroGut

Bontrager Trail tires also roll pretty smoothly on pavement, and at 1.95” are a good balance between road and mountain. I’ve had no trouble with them on mildly technical trails, though they do pack with mud easily

Geepig

Don't give up on wanting to use it on and off road, unless you want to use it competitively. I probably ride my off-road bike on the road about 60% of the time because I ride to the trails, and my bike does not suck. My skills might, but my bike always manages to look the other way...

26" seem very small these days, but that is what we were riding before and during the birth of mountain biking, and today I regularly ride 24" on and off road.

Your bike = your fun

flyagaricus

Definitely not competitive! For now, it's my only bike, but I want to cover more distance so it's time to upgrade for that, once I do, I doubt I'll use the MTB for much more that trails after that - but who knows. Also, I generally will ride to the trails and that's all road.

cpach

Go ahead and get relatively wide tires; they'll do better offroad and aren't really slower offroad. Given typical options, this means probably 2"–2.3". Maybe go for some minor tread in the front and almost none in the back, if any. Really you can ride a lot of easy offroad terrain with a nearly slick 2" tire if you run lower air pressure and use some care cornering. Kenda Small Block 8 is a pretty nice low profile knobby for the front. Lots of good lightly treaded xc/gravel options for the rear. Spending more for more supple tires (generally, higher tpi) gets you both lower rolling resistance and grip.

02Giant 

Kenda Kniption; https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...n-26-inch-tire

I have ran these on my 80's mountain bike drop bar conversion. They roll good on pavement and work good on hard pack trails.

Darth Lefty 

I buy off-road tires for my MTB and just tolerate them on pavement. Softer, wider, and knobbier on the front. Right now on mine, soft Nobby Nic front, hard Rocket Ron rear... They were on sale.

hokiefyd 

I can offer two tire recommendations. Both have very similar tread patterns: the WTB Nano and the Vittoria Mezcal. I own both, have used both on mixed surfaces, and both offer what I think is a pretty nice mix of off-pavement traction and a reasonable level of efficiency and comfort on the road. The tread patterns on both are similar -- they have a broken center rib and angled tread blocks sweeping towards each shoulder. The Nano was introduced at least a decade ago, maybe two (as the Nanoraptor) and this is a proven tire design. The Mezcal is much newer, but appears to be an evolution of the Nano's design concept. I recommend either one.

I have the TCS/Light version of the Nano, with relatively thin and what I consider to be supple sidewalls. I have the TNT version of the Mezcal, with the attractive anthracite sidewall. It feels a bit thicker and more reinforced than the casing on the Nano, but both tires feel about the same once mounted. The Nano has a touch more of a taller/rounder "U" profile. The Mezcal has a more traditional "flattened C" shape to it once mounted.

The WTBs can be a bit hard to find. The Vittorias seem to be in stock on more websites.

tyrion

Panaracer Gravelking SK 26x2.1"

https://www.panaracerusa.com/product...g-gravel-tires

There's a "plus+" version if you want extra puncture protection.

flyagaricus

Thanks - Are you saying you use the same tires for both front and back?

hokiefyd 

I'm not near serious or skilled enough of a rider to ride two different tires to optimize steering or drive traction. I've only ever run these as pairs.

flyagaricus

Haha - likewise.