# Road tyres on a mountain bike?



## Specialized Hardrock (10 Jun 2014)

Hi, 

New to all this so bare with me, iv just bought a new specialized hardrock mountain bike & mainly use it for commuting. My question is would putting road tyres on the bike make it a lot quicker? & if so how would i go about changing the tires etc? Thanks in advance!


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## raleighnut (10 Jun 2014)

There's loads on the market for 26ers and 29ers they fit on the same as any other tyre just pump them up to Max Rated Pressure (on tyre wall)


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## Specialized Hardrock (10 Jun 2014)

Thanks for the reply! are they likely to make a big difference? iv tightened the suspension so this should improve the speed as well shouldn't it?


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## Profpointy (10 Jun 2014)

yes, smooth tyres will be much easier to pedal.

I should also add.that smooth tyres are just as grippy on tarmac,perhaps better if anything (if rubber compound is similar) but smooth tyres are obviously more slippy off-road eg on mud / grass etc


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## Cold (10 Jun 2014)

I have the same bike that I use for work and have Continental Sport Contact 26 x 1.6 tyres and they make a difference speed wise.


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## KneesUp (10 Jun 2014)

Just to echo @Profpointy - smooth tyres are much grippier on tarmac because there is more rubber in contact with the road. Wherever there are blocks of tread on an off road tyre, there is a bit of tyre next to it that doesn't touch the ground when you are on road. Slicks will also make it feel a lot less wriggly at the back.


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## w00hoo_kent (10 Jun 2014)

We made the change to Schwalbe City Jets on my wife's Giant Boulder, she was really tough to convince to change tyres and then after the first ride couldn't believe the difference. Made it a huge amount quieter too!


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## Specialized Hardrock (10 Jun 2014)

Colderuk said:


> I have the same bike that I use for work and have Continental Sport Contact 26 x 1.6 tyres and they make a difference speed wise.


I spoke to the people that i bought the bike from and they advised me to go for the continental sport contact 26 tyre! Do they make a real noticeable difference? iv read about a 15% to 18% difference? plus i take it that it would be best to lock out the suspension? thanks again for all the replies!


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## raleighnut (10 Jun 2014)

Specialized Hardrock said:


> I spoke to the people that i bought the bike from and they advised me to go for the continental sport contact 26 tyre! Do they make a real noticeable difference? iv read about a 15% to 18% difference? plus i take it that it would be best to lock out the suspension? thanks again for all the replies!


Locking the forks won't make that much difference, just up the preload to max and you'll get less jarring on potholes/kerbs.
Run the tyres at their max though.


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## Specialized Hardrock (10 Jun 2014)

Brilliant thanks for all your help


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## cyberknight (10 Jun 2014)

w00hoo said:


> We made the change to Schwalbe City Jets on my wife's Giant Boulder, she was really tough to convince to change tyres and then after the first ride couldn't believe the difference. Made it a huge amount quieter too!


I ran the same tyres on my commuter mtb , looking at gettign the same again for the new bike.


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## Cold (10 Jun 2014)

Specialized Hardrock said:


> I spoke to the people that i bought the bike from and they advised me to go for the continental sport contact 26 tyre! Do they make a real noticeable difference? iv read about a 15% to 18% difference? plus i take it that it would be best to lock out the suspension? thanks again for all the replies!



Yes they make a difference I took a few minutes off my journey when I put the knobbly tyres back on during the winter it felt like I was riding through treacle sometimes.


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## MarkF (10 Jun 2014)

Only being used to sub 35mm road tyres, I got a big shock when buying my first MTB, it was horrible, I agree, like cycling through treacle. I splashed out on 2 Asda (Bell) City tyres and the improvement was astonishing, still using them 5 years later.


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## Custom24 (10 Jun 2014)

I have the same bike (or rather the 2012 model). Stock tyres are also rubbish for puncture resistance. They are quite knobbly, but not the knobbliest, so smoother and thinner tyres will make you faster, but I wouldn't say 15 to 18%. Make sure the tyres you choose are not too thin for the rims.


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## I like Skol (10 Jun 2014)

I have said this many, many times in response to similar queries, don't get fooled into thinking skinnier will be faster. IME a good 2" or 2.1" slick tyre at max pressure (commonly 65psi) will perform brilliantly and still provide the comfort and wheel protection for some serious urban hooliganism.

Take a look at THIS REPLY for some pointers


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## Venod (10 Jun 2014)

@raleighnut said "Run the tyres at their max though"

Not always the best soloution, only on ultra smooth surfaces.

http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf


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## Steady (11 Jun 2014)

I use to use Michelin City slicks (be prepared for everybody to tell you your tyres are worn!). 

The massive difference I found was the effort to get up to speed was reduced, and hills were overall better and faster to climb. 

Worthwhile investment if road riding is the primary use of the mountain bike. I use to run the Michelin City slicks at 60 psi, 40 psi was sluggish.


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## Specialized Hardrock (11 Jun 2014)

Thanks for all the help people, im gonna keep with these for the next two months i recon and then invest in some road tyres. Good practise i suppose!


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## Specialized Hardrock (11 Jun 2014)

So would i be able to run THESE the 26" x 2.0 version and use the same inner tube from my current tyres?


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## Cold (11 Jun 2014)

Specialized Hardrock said:


> So would i be able to run THESE the 26" x 2.0 version and use the same inner tube from my current tyres?



Yes


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## I like Skol (11 Jun 2014)

Specialized Hardrock said:


> So would i be able to run THESE the 26" x 2.0 version and use the same inner tube from my current tyres?


Yes x 2, a perfect choice IMO


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## wiggydiggy (11 Jun 2014)

I like Skol said:


> I have said this many, many times in response to similar queries, don't get fooled into thinking skinnier will be faster. IME a good 2" or 2.1" slick tyre at max pressure (commonly 65psi) will perform brilliantly and still provide the comfort and wheel protection for some serious urban hooliganism.
> 
> Take a look at THIS REPLY for some pointers



Couldnt agree more, after mucking about with skinny tyres and 3 broken spokes in a year I swapped out to 35s and havent looked back.


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## S.Giles (12 Jun 2014)

During a recent wheel build project, I had to retrieve one of my Schwalbe City Jets from a skip, where it had been thrown because it looked 'worn out'! (it had a perfectly good inner tube in it too).

I tried _really_ hard not to be irritated by this (and failed miserably!)

Steve


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## paul04 (12 Jun 2014)

I swapped my MTB tyres (26X1.95) to 26X1.50 city jet road tyres, the bike does roll a lot better, but not noticed any real difference in speed.


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## Deleted member 23692 (12 Jun 2014)

Another vote for 26" x "2.0... Schwabe Big Apple's in my case though







The roll very well, give a fair bit of cushioning, have excellent kevlar puncture protection and don't look daft on an MTB like skinny tyres would


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## Big Dave laaa (13 Jun 2014)

I have used Continental Town & Country on my Inbred and they are an excellent choice if u still find yourself off road if its not too extreme.


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