# heeeelp please - slick MTB tyres!!!



## no_maggie (21 Oct 2008)

Hi everyone,

I ride my mountain bike to work everyday and have decided to get some slick tyres , but i am having SUCH a pain trying to find some slick 26 x 1.75's. Conti make a slick in 26 x 1.6 ... will this fit? or not? schwalbe do kojak's in 26 x 2.00 - but i really wanted to be going in the less resistence direction... not fitting wider tyres.

Anyone know of any? or have any ideas? thanks! xx


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## 4F (21 Oct 2008)

In the days when I used to commute on the mtb I changed from 26 x 1.95 knobblies to run on 26 x 1.6 and then 26 x 1.3 continental sports contacts with no problems. It really depends on the width of your current wheels, I assume you are running 26 x 1.75 now ?


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## PpPete (21 Oct 2008)

no_maggie said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I ride my mountain bike to work everyday and have decided to get some slick tyres , but i am having SUCH a pain trying to find some slick 26 x 1.75's. Conti make a slick in 26 x 1.6 ... will this fit? or not? schwalbe do kojak's in 26 x 2.00 - but i really wanted to be going in the less resistence direction... not fitting wider tyres.
> 
> Anyone know of any? or have any ideas? thanks! xx



Chances are you will be OK with 26 x 1.6 but it depends on the internal width of your rims.
Check this link out...http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html for a bit more information.


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## no_maggie (21 Oct 2008)

hiya 
really? on the same wheels? thats brilliant. its the conti sport contacts i liked the look of  yes at the mo i've got 26 x 1.75's...... my brother told me that anything less that a 1.75 might not stay on the rim?? but if you had no problem..........


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## no_maggie (21 Oct 2008)

hi, thanks for that ... i have no idea what the internal measurement is im afraid ..... how do i find that out? get me ol ruler out? x


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## 4F (21 Oct 2008)

no_maggie said:


> hiya
> really? on the same wheels? thats brilliant. its the conti sport contacts i liked the look of  yes at the mo i've got 26 x 1.75's...... my brother told me that anything less that a 1.75 might not stay on the rim?? but if you had no problem..........



Yes no problems going down to 1.3. I had even considered trying a 1.0 (cannot remember the make now) but bought a road bike instead 

It would be worth checking out the sheldonbrown site that porkypete mentioned just to double check. I didn't and just hoped


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## Pottsy (21 Oct 2008)

FatFellaFromFelixstowe said:


> Yes no problems going down to 1.3. I had even considered trying a 1.0 (cannot remember the make now) but bought a road bike instead
> 
> It would be worth checking out the sheldonbrown site that porkypete mentioned just to dould check. I didn't and just hoped




I agree with the above. Very unlikely to be a problem going down to 1.3 tyres.


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## no_maggie (21 Oct 2008)

thats brillo pads!! thanks for ya help guys. Im now oggeling at some super slick schwalbe 1.35's!! reeeeal nice looking! x


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## BentMikey (21 Oct 2008)

Can't be having no maggie, that's even worse than no marmite!!!


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## no_maggie (21 Oct 2008)

ha ha!! ooh thats just given me a thought.... do you recon marmite is a good chain lube??.... protective, hardwearing and delicious!! ha ha! x


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## fossyant (21 Oct 2008)

Hutchinson Top Slick 2's.......26 x 1.2 - been using them for about 3 months..... very fast, grippy, seem fine, although not 'bullet proof' type of tyre. (No visits from the fairy yet)

Got mine from Decathlon - just 9.99 each !

Looks a bit odd having such skinny tyres on a MTB - see here:-

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=16049


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## Moose (21 Oct 2008)

I have to say I'm a fan of Schwalbe tyres for puncture protection. The kevlar in my hurricanes stopped a 1" nail from puncturing them, so I'd be tempted by Marathons.


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## cycling fisherman (21 Oct 2008)

*conti sport contacts...*

conti sport contacts... in my opinion are fantastic I run mine at 65psi...I have had them for 4 months now and not a single puncture on a daily 17 mile round trip, they are very fast I could not believe the differencein speed it made to my MTB.

so my recomendation would be conti sport contacts..


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## jimboalee (21 Oct 2008)

On the tyre wall, there should be some numbers which tell you the tyre size.
For Example, a Hutchinson TopSlick ( I have one in my sweaty palm right now ) 26 x 1.2 has 31-559 on it.

It is the 31-559 that is the important number. 31 mm is the tyre profile, and 559 mm is the seating diameter. 

Any tire with xx-559 will fit a MTB 26" rim. The rim, if its a good one, should have 559 stamped on it, or at least on the sticker.

BTW, this Hutchinson TopSlick does not have kevlar, so it is consigned to the pile of useless spares in the corner of my garage, having never been anywhere near a bike.
Reasonable offers accepted.


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## fossyant (21 Oct 2008)

Why need kevlar.... ? I'd happily ride to work on Mich Pro Race tyres....it's how you use them........

Didn't expect too much out of the Hutchinsons - feel like my Pro Race's but being a roadie, I need something that will stop me flinging the MTB into the hedge....MTB's just don't hack it in acceleration etc.... the Hutchies were the best solution without flinging the bike........

That said, I've flown past rather a number of road bikes, including these rather slow Scott CR1's... don't know why they get so upset.....

Saves me killing myself on my road bikes....i.e. drivers can't anticipate speed......... and none of my road bikes accept guards...


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## Moose (21 Oct 2008)

Personally when commuting, I'd go for kevlar every time.

I only had 3 or 4 punctures on my commute, prior to using tyres with kevlar inserts but that was enough (2 in 2 days). Within 1 week of fitting the Hurricanes they'd prevented that 1" nail from giving me a puncture and since then I've done about 2000miles trouble free.

(Hurricanes are semi-slicks so I wouldn't recommend them in this case)


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## fossyant (21 Oct 2008)

Commuting or not - just 2 hits in the last 24 months - 7000 miles so far..both caused within 1 week of each other by a nit pot hole - 1 hitting hole, 1 avoiding it ...erm........


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## Moose (21 Oct 2008)

Good going - what's the secret?


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## threefingerjoe (22 Oct 2008)

I think you'll like the Continental Sport Contact. I think you'll notice a drastic difference in rolling resistance within the first 100 feet! You'll think you're riding a totally different bike! I've had my share of p******** on them, though, in 5000 miles. It's usually glass. I don't know if that's the fault of the tyre. I've just always considered it part of cycling. I usually get p******** in batches. I can go 8 months without one, then get 3 in 2 weeks.

Schwalbe are also good tyres, and I've been considering trying the Kojak. If you decide on that tyre, let me know what you think.


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## no_maggie (22 Oct 2008)

*Bontrager / Maxxis??*

Hi again guys,

Does anyone have anything to say about Maxxis detonators? or Bontrager road warrior select slick's?... are completely slick tyres slippy in the wet? 

thankings x


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## fossyant (22 Oct 2008)

Slick tyres make no difference in the wet, they actually are grippier. It's all down to the compound of the rubber. Bike tyres don't aquaplane !


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## mcb2080 (22 Oct 2008)

When I bought my Ridgeback Nemesis, they came with conti contact sports 26 x 1.5, my bike was very fast with these tyres on.

BUT I got a visit from the p fairy on my second outing

I rode them for about another two weeks and they where fine but I had lost confidence in them.

I moved to schwalbe marathon plus 26 x 1.75 and they have been great, I have done about 1000 miles so far BUT they are slower than the contis, not by much but they are slower.

I am thinking of going for schwalbe marathon supremes as they claim to be very fast but still offer as good punture protection as the smp's.

HTH's


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## rnscotch (22 Oct 2008)

I am currently using Conti City Contacts 26 x1.75, they are fast not had to many problems. I think i have had 3 punctures all big shards of glass and i have also found they are quite grippy.


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## BentMikey (22 Oct 2008)

I'm with Fossy, I like race tyres on my bikes because they handle well and are super light and grippy. Schwalbe Stelvios 28-406 on the 'bent, and Conti GP4000 23-622 on the Langster.

If you don't ride in the gutter, and don't ride in cycle paths/lanes, then you won't have too much problem with unplanned defl**tion events.


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