John Ummel

I currently have two mountain bikes but am beginning to do much more common commuting on paved roads. So I going to convert one bike; get rid of the nobbys and use some kind if hybrid tire. (I don't want slicks; I want to have tires that still look like MTB tires as much as possible) Bike stores suggest Continental Traffic or Town and Country. Want to limit my cost to $20 per tire. Any suggestions other than these?

John

CastIron

At that price point I'd just say cruise the bins at your LBS and on-line sellers. I run Panaracer Speedblaster tires when between slicks and studs. Good for the use, but priced a bit higher than you called for.

rykoala

+1
You're not going to find any special tire in your price range. Look at what nashbar and performance are selling, maybe even harris cyclery. What you're going to want in a tire is a solid center lug so that when the bike is upright it is on that smooth center. These would probably be perfect for you:
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5425

penanaut

+1 about the cheaper stuff not available for what you want. At the beginning, I thought going cheap was the way to go, out of practicality and budget concerns. I learned the hard way that the cheap stuff had me at my work bench or along the side of the road more often. The expense, which is not much more when you consider your time and patch kits and tubes, is not that much more. I have been super happy with my Conti Travel Slick on my hard tail MTB commuter. There are big slices going through the rubber, but not into the chamber from glass and stuff I couldn't avoid. I'm convinced that the "gator" technology I paid for held up to expectations. Worth the money.

GreenFix

Why?

I am not trying to razz you, I am just curious about your reasoning.

Performance has some semislicks on sale for less than $20. THey have some true slicks for less than $20 and some for less than $10. Jenson has some semislicks for less than $20 too.

In my experience (which is not much with semislicks) the semislicks may roll nicely in a straight line, but they have horrible traction when cornering on pavement, especially when it is wet. A true slick will give you the best performance on the road. IF you want a Mountain tire, a low profile knobbie may give you the most consistent performance on the pavement. Jenson and performance both have some on sale right now.

Cheers,

GF

CBBaron

Again Why????
If it a commuter used primarily on road then a slick is your most efficient tire and will have the best traction. I also don't like running a cheap tire on a commuter. I perfer something I can trust. Cheap tires seem to flat way too often.
How about a Big Apple? Available in 2.0" and 2.35", kevlar belted and only a little over your budget. These will have the same size as your knobbies but will roll much better.
Craig

Doggus

I just loaded up on 6 Specialized Turbo Pro Classic ATB tires to convert our MTB into touring bikes for our European trip. Then when I get back I'm gonna wear em out commuting on them. They went from $30.00 per tire to $16.00 on clearance at Specialized. I think I'll top post about this in case other people wanna get in on it. Someone else told me these wouldn't be good to commute on but gave no reasoning. If they're good enough for touring the highways they're good enough to get to work on using highways.

marqueemoon

I like my Specialized Fat Boy 26x1.25s. With Mr Tuffy liners they are pretty bombproof. They will take 100 psi (fasssssst), but lately I've been running them a tad lower (85/90) for a little smoother ride. They are exactly $20 each most places.

I don't see the point in not going with a true slick unless your commute takes you over rough roads, especially if you will still have a second bike for off-roading duty.

rykoala

I agree. I ride 1.25" performance brand slicks and they are fine. I don't even get very many flats on them! I keep trying to justify different tires. See, I am a tire freak. I LOVE trying out different tires. Knobbies, studded, slick, semi-slick, fat, skinny, etc. I've tried probably 6 different set of tires for my commuting and they each have their place. But unless its just plain slick out because of snow/ice, I stick to the 1.25" slicks. They're fast, relatively comfy (esp on a steel frame) and they just work. I still pine after some of the semi-slicks out there, but when I look at the 700+ gram weight (currently my 1.25's are half of that) I remember how slow such huge tires are and I keep to my current tires.

Now, if the commute was only a couple of miles (mine is 5.5, still relatively short) and comfort was more of an issue, I'd swap back to my 26x2.125's at 40psi. Talk about cruiser tires, those things ride smooooooth. But they are so slow because they are so heavy, even heavier than my Nokian W160's. Yikes.

Obviously I like talking tires but really if a commute will allow for it, thin slicks is where its at.

WhiteRabbit

I'm using a set of Nimbus III's on my commuter MTB. They work great for me.

JohnSFO

Panaracer Pasela Tour Guards are great tires similar to Schwalbes but quite a bit lighter. They can be had on sale for about $20/each.

Wheels4

+1 I really like my Fat Boy's.

jeff williams

I use a Serfas Vermin rear with a Kevlar mat, was 25$ Can.
Can be used offroad except in mud, very good wet asphalt.
Very fast rolling, I only use rear (XC front), but corners well.
1.9 only.

knykersnatchurs

GEAX - street runners : 1.6 size, also in 1.25 (couple LBS' here sold em for 20 a pop), if they don't have em, jsut have your LBS order some.
or
Look around for some Kenda's, you can find some durable kenda's @ that price.

good huntin'

squeakywheel

Get over the vanity and just buy some street tires. I use Specialized Nimbus 26x1.5 tires. They are about $20. Maybe a couple dollars more.

Roody

I've had good use from slicks too, both 1.25 and 1.5. They're significantly faster, at least for 8 months of the year, and give you good contact with the road. Maybe you think they would look a little funny on your mountain bike? You'll get used to them.