Good tires for paved but slippery trails?
 

We had lots and lots of rain here in North Texas recently and right now there is no end in sight. Most paved trails on my commute run through woods and are partially covered with a thin layer of soil which has washed across the trails. This has made them very slippery. Almost like riding on ice with the wheel suddenly going off when hitting a patch in a curve. On op of that there are tons of leaves. Because of the weather I am back riding my trecking/touring bike with 700c/32 tires. Front one is a no name brand which I need to replace soon and rear one a Marathon Plus. I am looking for a tire that might have some better grip on this very thin but slippery layers of mud.

Thx
Stefan

Do you intend to leave them on afterward or is it just for a couple months? There are lots of medium sized tires with slick tread in the middle and knobs on the side. There are others that are more outright knobby, but I'm sure at road bike width and pressure they wouldn't last long.

Schwalbe Marathon Tyres are the best in the business.

The GT 365 is an excellent option for your conditions if you're worried about mud/sand.

Should run around £25/$30.

Schwalbe Marathon GT 365 Road Tyre - DualGuard | Chain Reaction Cycles

Thanks. This sounds like a good option. I will keep the tires on the bike as this is going to be my "bad weather" bike.

which VSF Fahrradmanufaktur bike do you have? TX-/T-/S- series?

Not sure what kind of tyres would cut through (wet?) leafs and through sand/dirt over pavement. Knobby come to mind, but from my experience, they don't provide improvement on such terrain. For me, wide tyres at lower pressure, with a slick profile work best (or least bad). Being cautious with cornering and lean angle works best, with lower speed and more caution, to avoid hard braking if possible.

I've been getting this numerous times a day, this week, "You picked a hell of a day to ride your bike to work."
"I ride everyday."

These tires came, stock on my Kona Rove and I'm really digging them: Schwalbe Delta Cruiser Plus w/Puncture Protect 700x35c

They roll pretty smooth on pavement, but I've take through gravel, mud and trails.

Mine is a 1994 Trekking bike from Fahrradmanufaktur. This was from their early times when they started building bikes in Bremen/Germany. I bought it brand new. I don't think they had the TX-/T-/S- models back then. 60 cm steel frame, 700c tires, Sachs 7x3 gearing. Almost still original. New rear hub, Surly front rack, Upgraded to the old dynamo power lights to B&M LED lights.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b704252eb8.jpg

Wow, nice ride, that's even pre-VSF.

Not Pre-VSF. VSF in Bremen was actually founded in 1987 and their 1st bike was built in 1988. At least according to their history on their website
https://www.fahrradmanufaktur.de/en/...nternehmen.php

Sorry. I always get Verbund Service und Fahrrad e. V.and Verbund Selbstverwalteter Fahrradbetriebe confused.

You are correct. The old VSF became the new VSF in 2010.

To alleviate confusion we should use the full name, Verbund Service und Fahrrad eingetragener Verein Fahrradmanufaktur, when discussing their awesome bikes.

Sorry I don't have a specific recommendation, but knobby tires are about the only thing that might help. There's plenty you can do if the road surface is clean(ish) but wet. But a layer of mud on it...there's just only so much a tire can do.

Knobby tires can dig into dirt and mud a little and give you a little extra traction. That's what knobs do...and why they're only effective on surfaces they can dig into.

On mud over a hard, paved surface, knobs do get through mud, but have nothing to grip into. While they are squishy and grip worse on paved roads. I've not had much luck from using knobs on surfaces described by the OP. Also, when knobby tyres slip on pavement, the slip is much harder to control than it is the case with slick tyres. Apart from soft compound slick tyres at low(er) pressure, I'd guess (haven't tested these) that Continental Top Contact Winter tyres are the least bad choice. The rubber compound is made for soft and hard slippery surfaces.

I've been loving the Specialized Sawtooth tires I put on a few months ago. The smallest size they come in is a 700x38 so I don't know if that would even fit.
So far I have ridden dry pavement/concrete both clean and with dirt/sand on it. Wet pavement/concrete both clean and with dirt/sand on it. Also have used my commuter bike as a mountain bike when taking the long way home and the tires had pretty good grip on the rocky trails. Reviews I've heard that it has good grip even in snow but I can't find snow in the Phoenix area.
Tire rides very soft and very smooth. Durability seems good so far, still look new after about 500 miles.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2171a14a27.jpg

I wouldn't put much confidence in any tires on wet leaves. I would ride over them as if I expect to fall down at any moment, with any tires. Basically, I'm not sure this is a question about tires.

On that type of surface, nothing. Almost worse than ice IMHO. Best to take it slower in the turns.

Studded tires should work on a wet leave. Multiple leaves? Good luck.

I go to tires of grippy compound, larger, use lower pressure and regard wet leaves as one of the slippriest situations out there. For narrower road tires I like the VIttoria Open Pave and Corsa G+ tires a lot but they are not cheap. (Open Paves have come down a lot since they are now obsolete since the G+ tires came out.)

The new G+ tires with their ribbed tread may well have the best chance at re-gripping after a slide starts (assuming you slide off the leave that started it). That simple tread of thin lengthwise ribs is very forgiving; something that we all knew 40 years ago when it was the most common tread on cheap to good cotton sewups. I am really glad to see it come back. There is no better tread for climbing out of ruts and cracks.

I hear the Vittoria Rubino G+ are good tires. I haven't tried them but they are a real step cheaper and may well be more flat resistant.

Ben

Wet cobblestones can be a challenge too sometimes :-(

Personally, narrow tires with knobs work best. Narrow cuts through to what is solid underneath, and the knobs at least try to claw their way through things. Biggest benefit of knobs is that they break away relatively gradually where a slick tire goes down fast and hard. Actually, dedicated mud tires are narrow with large voids around the knobs.

Lower pressure helps a lot too – giving you a wider contact patch and helping prevent the tire from bouncing over road irregularities. I tend to go 10-20% lower in my front wheel as that wheel takes about 2/3 of the weight of the rear wheel. For 32mm, 50psi frong should be plenty (depending on your weight).

Your best bet is probably a CX mud tire for your front tire at 50psi.

I don’t like studded tires in the wet. Actually, I don't like studded tires at all
MfG

Thanks for that tip. I have a pair of knobby tires I might try this winter.

If you are talking about slimy, loam soil, algae, wet leaves, decaying organic matter, then NOTHING is going to work as far as tires go. Sorry. Nothing to grip. Basically the paved trail is lubricated. Just hope the maintenance crew cleans it. Even then, when wet from dew, fog, or rain it may get very slick again even though it looks clean. I doubt even a fatbike tire with 5psi will grip but would be your best hope. A larger contact patch is the only way. Maybe ice studs? I doubt it.

I have been really digging 28-32mm marathon supremes in similar circumstances

I took my road bike out yesterday, and forgot the pucker factor I get when I come across wet leaves on slicks! Made me think of this thread.

One thing about slicks, they let go fast and with no warning in these situations (I was careful enough this time). I do like riding my gravel bike in winter conditions because the fatter, softer (PSI), knobbier tires gives me a lot more control in touchy situations.

Continental tour rides actually ride pretty well in the described conditions. I had them on my district in Alaska and in Seattle and the center rib on them cuts right through most ick, the side knobs hold on pretty well too. Its not the fastest tire I have used but it was definitely a good choice on my commute since I had about 2 miles of washout on my way to work in Alaska. Seattle only about 100 meters of nonpaved but it was nice to have the traction