The need for new tires????

killaj17 said:

I have a 2004 Specialized HardRock Pro. Everything is still stock on the bike and I do about 30% use on trails and the 70% on New York City streets and sidewalks. someone mentioned to me that I should look into getting better tires for greater performance out of the bike when I am street biking. the tires now are Specialized Enduro Sport, 26"x2.2", wire bead. I Went to a few bike shops and each place gave me different answers. I got one says to use a semi-slick tire; a tire with the center being slick and the sides having the mountain bike nubs on it. another place said to go with a narrower width tire like a 2.0 or 1.9 for better performance and handling on the bike. I JUST DONT KNOW!?!?!?!?!? AHHHHH lol
I am kinda a novice to the whole biking thing and I need some help here please.😕😕😕😕😕
thanks in advance,
killaj17

You should take the advice from both bike shops. Get tires with the center rib(or slick) in a 1.9 or 2.0 size. In my opinion, a 2.2 inch tire has too much rolling resistence for the street, or for causual trail riding (If you're free riding, then disregard this advice).

Also, adjust your air pressure for the kind of riding you're doing. Run more air pressure when you're riding on the street...say 55 psi, and lower the air pressure when you ride on the trails...around 40 psi. Experiment with air pressure until you find what works best for you.

Tom

do you recommend any type of tire that fits this description????

killaj17 said:

do you recommend any type of tire that fits this description????

I did a little web surfing, and found a pretty good example of the type of tire I was describing. Check out this link:
nashbar.comprofile.cfmOpen ↗=

These tires are 1.9", and are supposed to be good on the street or trail. Remember, though, that any dual purpose tire that you choose will not be the best for either purpose. There is always a compromise.

I have never used these tires, so am not really recommending them to you. You didn't say what kind of off road riding you do, how much you want to spend, how long you want them to last...these are all considerations.

Hopefully, this will at least give you a direction to start looking. Good luck, and let us know what you select, and how they work out for you.

Tom

I just purchased the Continental Town and Country tires last week. I think they are a drastic improvement on pavement compared to what I had. I have a Cannondale F400 that had stock trail treads. I use about 50 lbs in them for riding on the road. They have not seen the trail yet.
Just my 2 cents, just getting back into this.

For road use exclusively you have to consider these beauties

For a mixture of use, you will always be compromising - the tyres won't be quite right for everything...

killaj17 said:

...I do about 30% use on trails and the 70% on New York City streets and sidewalks. I Went to a few bike shops and each place gave me different answers. I got one says to use a semi-slick tire... another place said to go with a narrower width tire like a 2.0 or 1.9 for better performance and handling on the bike. I JUST DONT KNOW!?!?!?!?!? AHHHHH lol
I am kinda a novice to the whole biking thing and I need some help here please.😕😕😕😕😕
thanks in advance,
killaj17

Hi killaj17
What kind of trails do you do? Do they really require knobby tyres or could you get away with a little less knobs?
Several months ago I bought a pair of GEAX Evolution tyres. These are semi slicks tyres which, despite their size (about 1.9 from memory), roll very well on streets. They're a little on the heavy side at 800g each but I believe they're well worth it. Rubber is very thick and (touch wood) have not had flats. Check out the GEAX site to get an idea of the design and also look at MTBR.com; reviews are great for this tyre. The knobs are good enough for light trails so you can use the one tyre for both applications. They're also relatively cheap at AUD $30.
Good luck with your decision.🙂