Possibly very Dumb Question but…..
 

Trying to decide what tire to put on my new bike. I will be doing a mixture of pavement and light trail.

going back and forth between Marathon Plus and Marathon Plus Tour which have a slightly chunkier tread.

For reasons that likely exist only in my head, I convinced myself a Plus Tour on the front and Plus on the back would be a good compromise

I agree with the title.

Because if everyone tells you should do one thing, will you ignore and just go ahead with what your already decided to do?

Depending on the “light trail” surface, I’d probably go plus tour on both. But your plan sounds good too.

Check out Conti Top Touring II tires. They come is various sizes. I good on both road and gravel/unpaved surfaces. They are all I have ever toured on. Ebike rated.

If you are truly going to be on the unpaved trail a fair amount of time, then I see no issue with the half and halt solution. Though for getting traction in loose dirt or mud, I'd put the knobbier tire on the rear. Certainly you don't what the front tire to slip in turns, but how fast are you going to be going in a turn on dirt that you need that much traction on the front. Just slow down if you do.

If you are only going to be on that dirt or off road trail a couple times a year or only for very short segments, then I'd put much smaller patterned tread on it and make it a better rolling tire too which will improve the ride feel on a paved road.

All good to know.

I thought there may be some hard and fast rule about running the same tread front and back like the dont put snow tires on just the front of a car kind of deal.

Mixing treads is very common in MTBing, and I know some folks (including me) that do it on their gravel bikes. Road bikes tend to run the same front and rear, but I have seen pro examples of a little wider version of the same tire on the rear.

I'm a veritable expert, possibly a top level professional (currently retired) at dumb questions. I'm only average at answering dumb questions, though. Fortunately, I have a little experience in riding surfaces which you may find yourself riding.

I've toured on Schwalbe Marathon Dureme (which I think means durable) and found they are heavy, very resistant to flats, and last for an estimated 10k miles. They were not a particularly comfortable ride. I have used Marathon Plus and currently use Marathon tires on my current ride. I've experienced the same flat resistance and the same lack of comfort. So from the touring point of view, on pavement, at least, they're great. But I experienced a decidedly deficient lack of traction with tires of this type on gravel. In one case, I simply veered left into the other tire track and found my wheels slid out from under me, while coasting downhill, maybe 12 mph. I slid, drive side down, for 20-30 feet. (BTW, you should carry a spare derailleur hanger with you on tour.) I might have avoided crashing if I'd reduced the tire pressure to 40 psi or less, and had more compliant tires. The marathon tires are anything but compliant. However, compliant tires are generally less resistant to flats, so there's that. A semi knobby tire that has a center ridge and is cushy at 35-40 psi but can run pavement at 55-60 is what I'd look for. I like the Surly Knards if they will fit, at 41mm.

I would run the widest tire you can. In terms of running different tires you do whatever you want on that front. I would certainly run the more puncture protectant tire at the back since you put more weight on the back and are more likely to get flats there.

In the end I generally don't run different tires front and rear except maybe on a mountain bike and I prefer on most of my bikes a more supple tire because it generally feels better and rides nicely but if you are prone to punctures a more puncture protectant tire might be the ticket but it will lead to a less than idea ride.

Not a dumb question but I feel like gravel tires will be a better choice for mixed pavement/trails than a commuter/touring tire with respect to ride comfort and traction.

There isn’t. I ride maybe 3/4 light trail, 1/4 road and paved trail mix. Currently I’m running small knob tires on both wheels but the optimal choice was a small knob tire in front and a smoother tire in back.

More grip in front helps when the light trail gets rain and the lower spots are soft. The knobs help you from losing the front tire on a corner and taking a fall. The back tire can muddle along without the knobs if the front tire stays put and you can modulate your pedal effort to keep forward progress.

The benefit of the smoother tire in back is that it tends to be a faster rolling tire, and that effect is amplified because more weight is borne on the rear wheel.

OTOH, I’m totally fine running Continental Race King tires (26x2.2) front and rear. That’s only a big tire option. So, maybe consider one of the groovy new small knob gravel tires if you need something narrower.

Otto

If it's going to be 50/50 (or thereabouts) kinda thing, then getting a second set of wheels makes sense. If it's skewed one way or the other, get the tires that best fit that use. it really comes down to specifics of the rides in question along with personal preference. Different tires front and back makes sense if most of the riding is going to be on trails that are a bit loose or challenging a large portion of the time,

https://www.schwalbetires.com/Marath...s-MTB-11101005

Smooth on pavement, just a tad of tread to keep traction on not-pavement
Puncture resistant.

Over thinking.

no need for different tires front and back

also tire choice has to ensure that tires will work with a 30 mm side hookless rim, that I see in the spec for he bike

I have posted this multiple times so will try again.

the bike MikeDeason ordered is super nice. this bike deserves really good responsive tires not heavy schwalbe marathons

I know the concern with commuting and flats but putting marathons on that bike will take so much life out of it it is a sacrilege....kinda like going to Tim Horton's and not getting a donut

You can get a super nice tire and choose the level of durability from the Rene Herse line.

the smallest tire that will fit you rim from that line is this one the hatcher pass at 48mm https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop...-pass-tc-tire/

you can get it in a "Endurance casing is reinforced for extra sidewall protection and puncture resistance, while retaining the speed and comfort for which Rene Herse tires are famous. "

and then add in the TPU tubes

but whatever you do, for saftey ensure that your tire works with a hookless rim and is not too narrowPlease refer to theofficial ETRTO / ISO tire and rim compatibility chart (below). If the rim is too wide, the tire can blow off, because it doesn’t properly engage with the rim’s sidewall.
https://www.renehersecycles.com/wp-c...2-1024x820.jpgNarrow tires (≤30 mm): To allow optimizing the aerodynamics of racing bikes, the ETRTO chart is pushing the limits of how wide the rim can be. If all dimensions of your rims are perfectly to spec—usually the case on high-end rims—that’s no problem. If you are running rims that came stock on your bike, it’s safest to keep the rims at least 20% narrower than your tires (≤21 mm rims for 26 mm tires; ≤23 mm rims for 28 mm tires).

When I changed the tires on my Tout Terrain Silk Road from chunky Marathons to some smooth treads, my (low) average speed went up a couple on MPH.

Is this considered a reputable site ? They give the Marathon Plus good marks for rolling resistance I’m not racing anyone and I am willing to lose a bit for puncture resistance

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...thon-plus-2015

The site does not list Herse or Gran Bois tires among the ones they test, so it has little credibility for me.

They do list several Rene Herse tires such as "Rene Herse Hurricane Ridge TC 42 24.4 W", so I am afraid that your posting has very little credibility with me... even less than Jan Heine.

So the reason they lack credibility is because you didn't look very hard or don't know how to search?

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...-jon-pass-2018
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...ing-comparison
Plus 9 other Rene Herse tires that were easily found by clicking search and typing in Rene Herse.

I will say they do a pretty decent job of going through quite a number of tires. Maybe not perfect but certainly pretty comprehensive and in depth. Sure it does have a subscription element but to do all of that data purely for free is a tough one for anyone unless they have tons of money and time already.

I am really curious what your actual issue would be with them? Certainly it cannot be purely because they have 10 listings for tires you wanted and an article dedicated to the casings on those tires you wanted that were easily found with little effort. I can see if you had said "ok I don't like their testing methods because of X" but to not like them over poor searching just seems odd.

I have no stake in the website though and while I think it is neat as a bike nerd I actually have seldom looked at it.