big tyres

yerpal said:

I have (and love) a saracen mantra with 24 " rims and 2.6" tyres to take it back up to adult sized bike. It rides and looks great but the problem is tyre choice.

Tyre choice seems to stop at the o/e nokian gazza 2.6 off road tyre
Does anyone know of a source of oversized tyres in the uk so I can buy some road boots for commuting work?
cheers

after a long search the only choice seems to be the Maxxis Hookworm.
Got some on the way as I type this.
Will post reaction when I get them

fantastic. really like the feel of the bike on the road now and dry(ha!) tracks too. sort of humvee go anywhere do anything robustness. really pleased with maxxis hookworms. buy them from Raleigh, cheapest.
I must ride past the local bike shop that told me there isn't a tyre in existence and show them to the 'expert'
😄

yerpal said:

really like the feel of the bike on the road now and dry(ha!) tracks too.

Sorry, have to ask, can you let me know what the benefit of riding a 2.5" knobless tire is when riding primarily on pavement? Specifically, why is a 2.5" flat tire better then a 1.75"ish flat tire?

**I know those questions sound like sarcastic remarks, but they are not intended to be sarcastic, rather actual questions**

Cheers,
Juba

Juba said:

Sorry, have to ask, can you let me know what the benefit of riding a 2.5" knobless tire is when riding primarily on pavement? Specifically, why is a 2.5" flat tire better then a 1.75"ish flat tire?

**I know those questions sound like sarcastic remarks, but they are not intended to be sarcastic, rather actual questions**

Cheers,
Juba

I didn't read your comments a sarcastic, well not compared to the 'expert' at my local bike shop who said that I would never get a pair that big because there is absolutely no call for them. He failed to see the irony that I was standing in his shop asking for a pair!
(sales prevention expert)

In a nutshell I really liked the look of the bike, light weight with it's oversize tyres and as I never intended to use the bike on roads I bought it.
Circumstances changed and I now have a small commute to do at the beginning and end of each day hence the need for road tyres.
Then weekends it's a fifteen minute job to put the knobblies back on.

Big tyres and front suspension only seemed to suit my brief as being more comfortable, rigid and yet nimble off road and it is.
I am more used to off road motorbikes so actually the tyres don't seem that big to me.

It's different. Bit like me i suppose 😄

When I swapped to the hookworms from a smaller tire it was very noticeable how much of the "bump" they take out of the ride. They also roll really smoothly through turns because there are no knobs on th edges of the tire and only one tread pattern. I've had a lot of people ask me the same thing you did and until you ride a pair it's really difficult to describe how much of a difference there is in the ride. The down side of having such a large tire with lots of rubber like these is the weight, but I'm 5'10" at 100kilo's so a heavier tire that can take lots of abuse outweighs(no pun intended) the value of a lighter tire that can't take a big bump with a big dude like me on it. I was tired of pinch flats and other smooth tires that just weren't very durable. Hope that helps,

Barron