Road tyres on a mountain bike?

[Specialized Hardrock]

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!

 

[raleighnut]

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)

 

[Specialized Hardrock]

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?

 

[Profpointy]

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

 

[Cold]

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.

 

[KneesUp]

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.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

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!

 

[Specialized Hardrock]

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!

 

[raleighnut]

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.

 

[Specialized Hardrock]

Brilliant thanks for all your help

 

[cyberknight]

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.

 

[Cold]

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.

 

[MarkF]

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.

 

[Custom24]

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.

 

[I like Skol]

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