swampyankee2

Not sure where to put this query since it's not quite mountain biking, and there's no specific place to discuss tires, but since my lowly Trek 820 is going on 30 years old and I spend most of my time here, I thought you guys could help
Some years ago I asked the local bike shop to mount some road tires on my 820 because I wanted to go as fast as I could on the road. Looking at the pic of my bike, it looks like they put Richey Smooth tires on it, but I can't tell what size. Since I've acquired more of a variety of road bikes, I'd like to use the 820 to explore more single track and dirt roads in my area. Nothing drastic or "mountain bike" riding. What tire would be good for this? I'd still like good road performance. Any suggestions or what to look for in a path-type tire? Or are the tires just fine as-is. (pic for reference)

Bianchigirll 

What's wrong with those tires? How loose is the gravel/dirt? I've never actually been "gravel grinding" but the summer I worked at camp I made do with my trusty Royce Union 10spd with the 27" tires.

Back around 2002 I was seeing someone who lived along as frustrating "Rail Trail" and I found some fabulous NOS Avocet 700x32 Tires to get me up and down it instead of my knobbies. It was frustrating because whilst it looked flat it was actually slightly inclined. So if I went south from their place it was easy heading out and but could be tough going headed home. I learnt real quick like to always head north!


1993 Project 3 "700c Mountain" perhaps one of the original gravel grinders or 29ers. Tange Infinity, Shipmano Exage RD n shifters, factory upgrade to LX brakes and Sugino Impulse crank sporting 28/38/48 rings No Compact crank stuff. I added the brake stiffner, rock ring, an errant XT FD and Scott AT-2 LF bars, love them! The wheels are noname shipmano laced to some Matrix rims the Trek Rep gave me to try around 1996. Sadly I think I left the wheels at the shop I was working in when I built these wheels. The original tires were Maxxis 700x45 so this was never some puffed up hybrid it was serious MTB from the start.

bikemig 

You often max out on an old MTB at a 2 inch (or a bit more) tire. There is a thread on BF that talks about max tire size for old MTBs and I seem to recollect that 2.3 was near the max but a few bikes can handle a bit more.

Pretty much any 26 x 2.0 or 2.1 non knobby tire will work fine for gravel riding and, depending on what you mean by gravel riding, you really can get by just fine with a 26 x 1.75 tire. I'll do a gravel ride event in the fall and I'll take my '92 Stumpjumper with 26 x 2.0 tires. That said I've done that same event with 26 x 1.75 tires.

swampyankee2

There are some dirt roads nearby, some of which are loose and rocky i places. Other paths I'm thinking of are basically walking trails. with either packed gravel or dirt.

Clang

It'd be hard to argue that singletrack isn't real mountain bike riding.



Maybe go for a tire with smaller knobs like a Kenda Small Block 8 in 26x2.1"

But in all likelihood you can probably ride just fine with the tires you have now. Lower the psi to the minimum recommended on the sidewall and try 'em out on the local trails.

nlerner

The rear, at least, looks like a Ritchie Tom Slick, which is a fine multi-use tire. I’d stick with what you have unless they’re worn out. And a big difference between the tires best suited for gravel and the tires best suited for single track.

swampyankee2

Ok, the astute observer will notice that the front wheel is on backwards. Not sure who put the wheel on last time...

I might be misinterpreted here. I'm not using the terms "gravel" and "single track" as mutually exclusive or in the strictest cycling terms. Just an example of the kind of terrain - loose dirt and humus, grassy paths - I might encounter on a casual ride in rural southern New England.
If the Richey Slicks will provide enough traction for mild to moderate off-road riding, then I can stick with them. Being selected specifically for road use at the time, I just didn't think they'd be the best/safest for venturing off the tarmac.

Bianchigirll 

It’s been decades since I rode in New England but IIRC places like Freetown forest in Mass had miles of dirt roads, so I’d probably be dumb enough to try these. They might be OK they might not, maybe you’ll decide you want to ride in the hummus after all and just stick to the gravel.

nlerner

I've been through Freetown State Forest a couple of times. The first was on this rig:

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The second on this one:

IMG_0061.JPG

Yeah, underbiking is definitely a thing around here.

mechanicmatt

I have recently replaced all the 26" MTB tires in the fleet with Schwalbe Black Jack's and Smart Sam's and I think they work great, kinda cheapy and have enough tread in the middle to roll smooth and at the edge to take on some singletrack. The fatter you can fit I think the more fun it is. Likely that Trek can handle 2.3's in front and 2.1's in the back. Black Jack's I think are a really great cheap tire and they have some puncture resistant models that aren't too expensive either.

Continental has a nice one too called CrossKing that's similar and I like the looks of the Specialized Hardrock'r too.

mechanicmatt

First is the Black Jack, second is Smart Sam

due ruote 

I have been very happy with some Maxxis DTH tires on my Stumpjumper.

thorstein

I second the DTH suggestion. 2.1"s fit on my '84 Stumpjumper. I've had them on for the past three years. Gravel roads, wooded single track, & paved surfaces are all handled well with them. I especially like that there really isn't any road hum on pavement.

Murray Missile 

This is my dirt/gravel/chip&oil road/path bike, these DEAX Evolutions have served me well under a variety of conditions. I also had these wheels and tires on my '97 TREK 820 for awhile but I needed something for this one and wanted a more traditional and wider 36 spoke wheel on the 820.

swampyankee2

I like those. Not too aggressive but probably enough grip for a bit of off road use.
They remind me of Dunlop K70's. Original equipment on classic British motorcycles.

Murray Missile 

There's a canal tow path I like to ride that has a fair mix of sand, packed clay, pea gravel and chip & oil and these handled every bit of it. There are also blacktop roads running parallel in several places and I occasionally jump over to those if it's a busy weekend as a lot of dog walkers, hikers, runners, kayakers and fishermen use the more accessible sections. Not too aggressive for pavement and quiet but still had enough grip for the sand and clay. It was a damp fall day the last time I rode it so it did squirm around a tiny bit on a short climb on the packed clay but nothing that caused me any concern and the tread didn't load up. I had some momentum so I roiled right up, had I been going from a stop it could have been a different story but I also could have gone in the grass to the side and made it.

PugRider

As has been mentioned, you may find yourself not needing much more than what's on there, but if you do want something a little more robust, I wouldn't go crazy with high-end stuff, either, at least until you get a better idea of what is best suited for the kind of riding you do, in general. I would grab a pair of these or something similar; they're not going to feel like a tractor on pavement but they have enough width and chunkiness to not beat you up in light off-road riding, which seems to be what you were saying you wanted to do more of (These are Kenda Cross tires, but there are tons of similar options out there.)

mstateglfr 

1- A tire for gravel and crushed stone paths does not need a bunch of tread. It can have a bunch of tread, but that certainly is not necessary. More important is width. Width gives you traction and stability on those hardpacked dry surfaces. Lugged tread helps once it is muddy or there is a layer of loose sand/dirt over hardpack because the lugs can dig down and catch the solid ground. This really only matters on climbing when it comes to gravel riding.
So basically, get some heavy tread if you want, but it will largely be a waste and slow you down.

2- Those Tom Slicks are 1.4"? If so, thats crazy narrow for 26" tires. Great for road though.


Some options to consider-
Panaracer Gravel King SK 2.1"
Continental CrossKing 2.2"
Continental RaceKing 2.2"
Schwalbe Billy Bonkers 2.1"