Lmclmf

Hello, my husband has a mountain bike and he goes through tires like water. He rides.daily for about 2 hours in the street and unfortunately, there is usually various different types of debris so he's constantly having a flat or need to change his tires. He's tried both tires with tubes and tubeless. I wondered if anyone could possibly recommend a good tire for riding on regular pavement (street) that would be durable and suitable for a mountain bike. I would prefer recommendations based on experience and use. Thanks so much.

26 in Mountain bike

Sy Reene

So is this for city riding, even though its a mountain bike? Not needed for dirt, mud, trails, etc? Not sure what type of tire he's having problems with, but maybe makes sense to look at the urban tires with lots of protection?
eg. filtered list: https://www.biketiresdirect.com/sear...=3750&fcat=cto

HTupolev

What tires has he been using? Is he using the bicycle only for paved riding, or also on unpaved surfaces?

cyclezen

if he's riding mostly paved, or smooth dirt roads, and gets lots of punctures...
best one could do is use tires which have a puncture resistant layer/ply - like Schwalbe Marathon Plus or Continental Gatorskins, there are other manufacturers as well.
I know the Marathon Plus is available for 26" wheels, prolly also the Gatorskins.
As important, is being aware of what you're riding over/in. Unless he's riding thru a Auto Junk yard, I can;t imagine getting frequent punctures on most mtb tires.
Also using the proper inflation pressure - not too high and not too low, just right - is key.
If he's not concerned about it, I wouldn;t be either - maybe it's part of his cycling zen... there's something to be said for the calming effect of repetitive tasks... LOL! (smiling, not laughing...)
Ride On
Yuri

SoSmellyAir

Try these super tough Schwalbe tires:

Schwalbe Road Cruiser Plus Tire - 26 x 1.75, Clincher, Wire, Black, PunctureGuard, Green - Modern Bike

Schwalbe Marathon Tire - 26 x 1.5, Clincher, Wire, Black/Reflective ,Performance Line - Modern Bike

Lmclmf

Hi,

Thank you so much for your response. Right now he has Maxxias tires but I know he has tried a number of them and seems to have the same issue. Yes, you are correct, he rides on the sidewalk or the street 99% of the time and on occasion, he may ride on the dirt path in the park which is pretty flat and packed but not often at all.

Lmclmf

Thank you so much for your response. Right now he has Maxxias tires but I know he has tried a number of them and seems to have the same issue. Yes, you are correct, he rides on the sidewalk or the street 99% of the time and on occasion, he may ride on the dirt path in the park which is pretty flat and packed but not often at all.

Lmclmf

Thank you so much for your response. Right now he has Maxxias tires but I know he has tried a number of them and seems to have the same issue. Yes, you are correct, he rides on the sidewalk or the street 99% of the time and on occasion, he may ride on the dirt path in the park which is pretty flat and packed but not often at all.

Lmclmf

We are currently in the Dominican Republic and sadly, most don't think twice about throwing trash in the streets, including bottles that tend to break and leave behind small shards of glass, even after being cleaned up. There are also tacks, nails, etc which are not always easy to spot when you are quickly riding. And to be honest, I am not sure how "well" my husband is looking while riding and listening to his music. I am just hoping to find a better tire than what he has been purchasing here which, seems to be very thin and not very puncture resistant. He has Maxxis tires on now but he constantly has pressure issues or has to patch them so I want him to try a new tire. I feel like we are throwing good money out the window each week.

I truly appreciate your response. I am going to share all of these posts with him so he can make a better informed decision.

HTupolev

What model of Maxxis tires?

If he's using knobby tires designed for unpaved traction, the first thing I'd suggest is going to something with a road-oriented tread pattern (i.e. slick or grooved).
Knobbies tend to wear fast on pavement:
-They have less rubber contacting the road, so the wear is more concentrated.
-Knobbies often use rubber tread compounds that are optimized for offroad traction, and these tread rubbers often wear rapidly on hard pavement.
Knobbies also don't necessarily have puncture-protection layers that are good at dealing with urban debris, since super-sharp stuff like glass is typically less prevalent on trails than city streets.

If your husband isn't really picky about tire liveliness, it might not be a bad idea to go with a beefy touring tire, like a Schwalbe Marathon Plus. They have thick long-wearing tread, and are fitted with a 5mm-thick layer of latex beneath the tread, which makes it extremely hard for them to puncture even if a sharp object does embed itself in the tire.
When avoiding tire trouble is a priority, it's also not a bad idea to err large on tire size, as long as the tires are small enough to fit the bike with adequate clearance. Larger tires tend to wear longer (because contact with the road is spread across more rubber), and they're more resilient to pinching (because they compress farther before bottoming out).

cyclezen

Ah, well then I applaud and bow to his persistence ! It's likely that tire selection there might be limited. Not knowing how easy/pricey ordering tires may be - maybe ask your best choice for bike shop if getting the Schwalbe Marathon Plus is possible. It has a strong reputation for taking abuse.
I might also suggest getting some 'Slime' Tire Sealant, to put into the tire tube - it will 'seal' small punctures when they happen. Not a 100% solution but an incremental aid.
I would also like to wish him 'Safe Cycling', knowing well how difficult and dangerous it can be in some places.
Ride On
Yuri

qwaalodge

That explains the frequent flats totally. I found MTB tires are actually bad for those street conditions. I don't personally use MTB tires but I see those who does flat frequently.

Tires I recommend for those conditions are the urban / commuter types - Continental Gatorskin, Schwalbe Marathon, Panaracer Gravelking / Ribmo.

Also, every week, your husband would need to inspect both tires on the bike. Set his bike upside down on the floor so the wheels are up. Then let some air out of the tires, not deflate completely, just enough so you can squeeze the tire sidewall with your hand. You must squeeze the sidewall to see if there are cuts or embedded objects in the tread. If you found some, remove the embedded objects with a small nail or something, scrape it to remove any sand in it and seal the cuts with superglue.

chaadster

Someone going through tires like water is probably a prime candidate for Mr. Tuffy tire liners.

Mr Tuffy - The original and still the best tire liner in the industryl

You can buy them off Amazon.