U.Go.Zooma

I have a GT Aggressor and can't decide what to swap out the stock tires with, I have three options in my cart:

Maxxis - Aggressor Dual Compound

Serfas Drifter Tires with FPS

Continental Gator Skin Bike Tire - DuraSking Puncture & Sidewall Protection

Any advice on which to take and/or the size to buy it in for the XL frame size? Thanks

Iride01 

Why do you want to swap out the current tires? If they are giving you issues, then sharing that might help someone suggest a tire that might address those areas.

Otherwise, I'll say you need a Continental GP 5000 tubed or tubeless version.

eduskator

As Iride01 said, we would need to know why you want to swap your OEM tires first...

mgopack42 

Has anyone else noticed these random questions from people on the first post? usually specific and vague at the same time, and never get back to the thread. what could scammers or trolls possible have to gain from this? Is this the modern equivalent of calling random phone numbers and asking it their refrigerator is running? Or am I way off, and paranoid?

Get off my lawn!

EDIT: I am not saying or implying this OP is one of those, it just follows the trend I have been noticing of late.

U.Go.Zooma

Current tires are throwing pebbles on me as I ride roads

U.Go.Zooma

I’m also going to make a thread asking what bike rack works best for a 2017 Ford Escape

mgopack42 

U.Go.Zooma Hey, sorry for the aspersions cast your way!.. welcome to the forum. Not everyone here is as grumpy as me. most people are helpful and friendly here! there is a HUGE wealth of knowledge and experience that people will share if you ask, get your post count up and join the fun!

DangerousDanR

From what I can tell the bike you mentioned, a GT Aggressor, is a mountain bike. If you are riding it on the road, might I suggest you take a look at the Schwalbe Almotion https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_t...athon_Almotion
They are available in both 27.5 and 29er. A 2 inch or 2.15 should fit on your bike and be a good tire for road riding.

Doomrider74

The Agressors just look like mountain bike tires that will give you the same issue so I'd look for a slick, or semi-slick alternative.

veganbikes

Certainly not Serfas tires. Serfas tires are garbage, we sold them for years until the owner finally realized we didn't like the product and didn't sell it because it was so much work to file warranties and get new product all the time.

Continental tires are a good option as are Schwalbe and Vittoria and Challenge...

Iride01 

If you are riding on paved roads, you don't need any tread pattern on your tires. Slicks will give you the best traction for most of your pavement riding.

terrymorse 

Not true, and especially not true when it's wet. Slicks can be quite slippery on wet pavement.

Been there. Done that. Have the hospital bills to show for it.

Myth 6: Tread Patterns Don’t Matter on the Road

Iride01 

Well you notice I specifically said "most" of their riding. I base my tires on the conditions I ride the most. Once or twice a year I have to ride in the rain or wet. So I'm just a little more careful then. On days just after a rain, If I see a wet patch I slow down to a safe speed.

I'm not going to use tires with tread just to be able to go faster in adverse conditions I only encounter rarely.

terrymorse 

The "most" qualifier doesn't change the facts. Tires with at least some tread have better traction in all conditions.

The statement "slick tires have the lowest rolling resistance" is also a myth. Tires with the lowest rolling resistance have tread:




Vittoria Corsa Speed, the tire with the lowest rolling resistance, as measured by bicyclerollingresistance.com

Slick tires are good for race cars and dragsters, not bicycles.

Iride01 

To be sure, you are imparting a lot of reasons to my use of the term slick that didn't even come into play for my recomendation of a "slick" tire.

In fact, I would call your Vittoria Corsa a slick. Maybe I'm wrong for that. But at the inflation pressures recommended by Vittoria, the groves will likely only come into play when cornering. The tires the OP has on their bike now as spec'd by the mfr are WTB Ranger Comp, 27.5/29 x 2.25" Which look like this....


That's the tread I was talking about that the OP doesn't need when I referred to a slick tire.

Even my GP 5000's have a pattern on them to channel away the water when in turns... but when I'm not banked over for a turn, I'm on the slick portion of my tire.

stevel610 

Schwalbe Marathon Supremes or Panaracer Paselas.

mstateglfr 

We are calling this tread? Just want to confirm so that I can keep up on ever changing terminology since this sure looks like what is widely regarded as a 'slick'.


Without tread, more rubber can contact paved road which in turn creates more traction. Or is that a myth that Jan has now busted? If tread is good for traction on pavement, then everyone should ride knobby tires on road bikes for ultimate traction.

terrymorse 

The effect of the tread pattern on a road tire is not to redirect water from under the tire.

The pattern is there to "hook up" with the irregularities in the road surface.

terrymorse 

Like most things the bicycle industry, terminology is thrown around fast and loose. I refer to any pattern in the tire surface as "tread".

To my mind, a slick tire has no pattern. Like this one:




Whatever the terminology, the point is that even a tiny tread pattern on a road tire improves traction in all conditions.

Yes, that is a myth. A tire with a small tread pattern will produce more traction than a slick.

Tread is useful for traction on pavement, but the tread does not need to be deep or consist of "knobbies". The tread can be tiny (less than 1mm), as it is on just about all road tires. "Knobbies" are useful on soft road surfaces, where they can dig in.

Iride01 

What is your point, you've backed me up into a hole for something I never meant to be thought of at this deep a level. GP 5000's are directional. I thought I remembered reading that Continental claimed that the pattern would channel water more effectively when mounted for the direction of the arrows. Whether that's all they do I've no idea. And frankly I really don't care. This wasn't the thread to get deep into discussion about such.

The OP just wanted someone to suggest a tire for them. Later we learned they didn't like the rocks being thrown up on them from the tire. It was my suggestion that they get a GP 5000 with no tread pattern, which to me is a slick as is your Vittoria Corsa Speed. Sure it has grooves. But I hardly call that enough to consider it anything but a slick.

Instead of trying to pick an argument with others for things they didn't even get into, you really should answer the OP's question. Never in my mind did I imagine the word slick would provoke someone to think that I was claiming tread patterns are bad in and of themselves. My only reason for the use of the term slick was for the shock value to the OP since they seem to be riding pavement, but their current tire and the first two replacement choices are little more on the aggressive side of tread pattern than I feel suitable for pavement.

Nor am I going to assume that the OP rides bad conditions on their roads until they believe it necessary to inform us of that.

terrymorse 

I was responding this statement of yours, which was perpetuating a myth:

I also bought into the myth that slicks provided the best traction on paved roads, Because of that, I have a bunch of stainless steel hardware holding my left hip together. Since then, I've read lots of research and know better.

Road bike tires have tread patterns on the shoulders to improve traction.

Iride01 

But again, I'd consider your tire a slick for the purposes I intended the comment.

I don't ride the twistiest of roads or trails, but my current GP 5000's, my past Specialized Cotton something or others and my Vittoria Rubino Pro's all corner in a very reassuring way. I've had some tires that I didn't like in corners, but those were long ago and likely aren't even made any more.

The new generations of road tires for the last five or so years probably will all be good enough for the conditions most all of us ride on pavement. If that little bit of pattern on the side is enough for you to call that something other than slick.... well, I'll just have to try to remember not to use the word slick anymore. Apparently it's controversial.

Still what do you recommend for the OP that makes sense for them? Corsa Speeds, which I assume are what you use only come up to 28mm widths. GP 5000's come in widths up to 32mm. So they stand a better chance of being appropriate on a bike that had a 2.25" (54mm) tire on them.

If you are going to argue that tread is important to cornering, even though several of us don't even consider your tread pattern outside the use of the term slick, then what do you think the OP should get?

terrymorse 

I make no recommendations for the OP, as I have no experience with the tires available in those large widths.