Supple, affordable 26" tires: suggestions?
 

I have a Pug Orient Express that I keep with family in Minnesota. Here's some family riding it in the winter:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4ae146edd.jpeg


I upgraded it with some old Truvativ cranks and WTB wheels, sealed BB, modern derailleurs, spread the frame to 135, put a U-brake on the back because the original rollercam was seized. Great little bike, and beginning to be somewhat lightweight. I'll take a pound off the weight just by switching stems and bars to a proper aluminum setup.

The Kenda tires leave something to be desired. I would like to put on something supple, like Compass (Herse?) Rat Trap Pass or Snoqualmie Pass, in about a 2.3 width, but without the expense, since I rarely ride it, and my folks are embarrassingly just fine with the Kendas. I sorta want to enlighten them as to what nice tires can be like. They are Schwalbe Marathon devotees. I don't think they have ridden nice tires since their last sets of sew-ups in the '80s.

Anyone have any tire suggestions? I was thinking Schwalbe Racing Ralph and Racing Ray. They aren't cheap, but they aren't crazy expensive like the Compass, and seem pretty supple and fast. I am OK with or without knobbies, as long as the casing is very flexible. Are there any other tires out there that anyone here has had experience with? Like a Pari-Moto or Gravelking, but for 26"? Enlighten me!

I love Maxxis DTH's. Available in 26x2.3" with a wire or kevlar bead. I believe the 2.3"s only come as a tanwall these days. The Schwalbe Kojak is also a great lighter weight tire that has a little more flat protection than the DTH, though I have had DTH's on my cruiser for five years or so and only a handful of flats.

I did just see a pair of slightly used Herse Rat Traps would up for auction on eBay, probably would still be quite expensive though.

I did buy a pair for my mom’s Schwinn’s High Sierra as a gift awhile ago, she likes them.

OK with 26 x 1.75? That opens the door to folding Panaracer T Serv Pro Tite tires. I dunno if you can still find Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires in 26 x 2.0; I'm running a set onm my '93 B'stone MB 1 and they're fine tires. Maxxis DTH tires come in wide sizes.

The Gravel King SK does come in a 26"x 2.1 size. Seems to be out of stock frequently, though.

I like the Tioga PowerBlocks I have on "that bike". I'm pretty sure their the 2.10" folding bead tires, which I think are discontinued. Wire beads where available last time I looked around.

Funny that this topic is popping up since I was perusing 26” tires this AM. The Maxxis DTHs are looking good…

Continental Top Contact 26 x 2.0", they are an incredible tire. I run the 700 x 28mm version on my primary road bike and when possible I will pick up more of them to save for the future. They can be a bit hard to find but worth the effort.

Continental Tour Ride 26 x 1.75", less expensive cousin to the Top Contact but still a great tire.

Surly Extraterrestrial 26 x 46 or the 2.5" version.

Bikeinn has got black wall Maxxis DTH’s for pretty cheap. I got the foldable 2.15. Shipping from Europe wasn’t much more then domestic costs. That being said, they’re ok. My biggest complaint is the giant bright yellow Maxxis logo. I hit it with a black paint pen and fixed that. I had a really worn set of rat trap pass on previous, but they’re out of my price range now.

If you/they are not riding regularly on trails where knobbies are needed, then skip them entirely as road or even rail trail performance will make riding the bike with them not so much fun.

I run Schwalbe Big Ben's (26x2.1) on my touring bike. Supple-fast, cushy tires with enough tread to do light trails and very good performance on the road.

They run very quiet also.

Yeah, that looks like Minnesota in winter... :rolleyes:


:D

My parents are long gone. Life is too short.

Get them the Rene Herse EL tires and don't look back.

Technically before the spring equinox, so yeah. But more to the point, they always seem to get a couple 50 degree days in January or February in recent years. It's becoming increasingly common.

I understand the sentiment! I would, but I can't afford it. More than half my income goes to rent because I am in an academic career. They have bought a "pop-up" tent trailer and were recently thinking about a new car until they came to their senses. Only reason I can afford the bike stuff I do have is because of my Craigslist low-end flips, cheap 650b Pari-Motos, importing things via my euro connections, using the Harvard fabrication facilities in the nighttime, and cobbling together my own half-custom frames with my brazing torch as the neighbors call the fire department on me.

Anyways, they are living their best lives, for the most part. I'm barely scraping by. At this point, due to all the stress, I wonder if I may die before them. But at least I have nice tires.

They believe that good tires aren't worth it and I'm trying to get them to see the light, on a budget. My little brother has abetted this, shoving his ultra heavy Surly doctrine down their throats as well. The boy is an animal (and also not yet 30 years old) and can make a 40lb Surly mule fly, so his angle is that nice tires and light bikes are for the weak. So the family is all-in on greenguard Schwalbe Marathons, which are practically like automotive run-flats at this point, and Surlys, which are practically like motorcycles at this point.

All this to say, anything half as good as a Jan Heine tire should get the point across.

Me too. You have my sympathy.

I have been rotating my rides between rene herse rtp, panaracer pasela 1.75 and panaracer t-serv 1.5 and i think i like the t-servs best for 30-50 mile rides.

Schwalbe Billy Bonkers have been recommended to me, but they're fairly expensive. I think that's what I'm trying next, but I want a little bit of tread. If you can find them, the Continental Speed King RaceSport look good.

Our Little Boy lives up in St Paul. You always know it's cold "up that way," but after he moved up there you start paying a little more attention to those -10 temps and stuff...

Regarding goofy temps- I'm pickin' up what you're puttin' down.

Maxxis DTH 2.15 or 2.3

Panaracer Pasela 1.75

not in the same category as a Compass or RH tire - but much less expensive and should be much more resistant to punctures

Couple of threads on this for your perusal

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...el-thread.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ire-30ish.html

The only 26" tire that I have in my notes app that hasn't been already listed previously in this thread is the Schwalbe Kojak in 2.0 wire bead. 570 grams, which is I think 300 grams less per tire than the Marathon green guards! Oddly enough though, the Kojaks have higher rolling resitance (in 2015 at least) https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...-marathon-2015

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...d/rp-prod24794 Also potentially available on the jungle river site that shall not be named.

I’ve been riding Schwable Billy Bonkers on my 26” bike. They’ve been doing great on dirt roads and asphalt.

To paraphrase an old adage, you have three options: supple, durable and cheap - pick two.

The problem with a lot of the inexpensive tires is that they tend to weigh a lot and aren’t very supple.

I am a Jan acolyte but not every situation calls for $90 tires. The best compromise I have found is Conti Race Kings in 26x2.2. They can be challenging to find, but I found them a few months ago. Didn’t need them so I passed. The tread is light, but nice to have on gravel roads - it is uniform out to the sidewalls so you don’t get that annoying squared off tread that cheap/aggressive tires do which makes for horrible cornering.

I’m currently running a pair tubeless on my ‘84 Stumpjumper commuter. I have probably over 1500 miles on them so far and I ride mostly pavement. The tread is holding up well - they’re long-lasting.

I also ride right by a stand of hawthorns and regularly suck up inch-long thorns, but tubeless really does work (and isn’t just for hardcore MTBers)! I need to re-tape my rear rim as it has a slow leak and I regularly forget to pump up it up. As I head to work I often find I've been riding at about 9 psi. Sidewall gets a bit flexy, but it still hangs on - tubeless for the win here again!

Good luck and welcome to the education world :thumb: