slick tiers on an MTB for road work??

[Toby_2009]

Hi,

I am 16 and just getting back in to cycling after not doing much since summer before last.

I have a Giant Boulder which is a £230 hard tail MTB. its got off road tires and non-lock out suspension.

Basically I have decided that Im gonna go a couple of hours mainly off road on a wednesday after school and then a few hours of road work on a saturday afternoon (probably about 30 miles at first but moving up to higher milages as my fitness improves.)

So, my question is, for the road work, should I leave the bike as standard or should I buy a set of slicker tiers to put on for the saturday session?

Also, id it worth me getting a road/hybrid bike? I know i'm only looking at about 30 miles on roads at the moment but I really want to get that distance up. The only problem with getting a road bike is that my dad is a bit funny about me using space in his shed

Cheers,

Toby

 

[fossyant]

You can put slicks on - I do for commuting.

As for a road bike - keep it in your bedroom - that's where both of mine lived when I was a wee lad.... and I had a bedroom upstairs in a bungalow - so access was via the hall, through the lounge, up stairs, through another room then into my room....I managed not to get in trouble - just carry the bike.

 

[Toby_2009]

thanks, yes thats one idea!

so, how much difference are slicks likely to make?

also, should I get 2.50 slicks so i can use the same innertubes or get thinner slicks and matching innertubes?

or is a road bike a better option???

 

[RedBike]

30 miles on a MTB is good going.
I think you'll find constantly switching tyres will soon become a pain. You might be better off trying a set of semi-slicks and just excepting the lack of grip compared to knobbly tyres off-road and the slight increase in rolling resistance over slicks on the road.

I've just started running Schwalbe fast fred tyres. They're definetly not slicks, they're not really semi slicks either for that matter but once pumped up hard for a knobbly tyre they fly along on tarmac. The only trouble with them is they're lethal off-road in the wet. I suppose you can't have it all ways!

 

[RedBike]

so, how much difference are slicks likely to make?

A huge difference. An instant 2/3mph speed increase for the same effort.

also, should I get 2.50 slicks so i can use the same innertubes or get thinner slicks and matching innertubes?

No, wider tyres weigh more and there's no need for anything that wide on the road. You can probably use 1.95 slicks (Check first) with your current inner tubes. Most tubes fit a range of tyre sizes.

 

[jimboalee]

For riding on the road with occasional dirt work, look for a tyre with a central continuous keel.

The continuous keel of rubber is quite smooth on tarmac when inflated up to max.

When going on the dirt, let some of the air out. The central keel sinks into soft stuff and the knobbles on the side wall transition take over for grip.

Think - Land Rover.

You might have to go to the cheap stores for such an item - Wilkinsons or Hawk - because they are std fitment on Cheap MTBs.

 

[Toby_2009]

A huge difference. An instant 2/3mph speed increase for the same effort.


No, wider tyres weigh more and there's no need for anything that wide on the road. You can probably use 1.95 slicks (Check first) with your current inner tubes. Most tubes fit a range of tyre sizes.

wow, that is a huge difference!

So, what sort of difference are we talking between a road bike and my MTB?

Also, any views on this: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_272623_langId_-1_categoryId_165710

I know its halfords but are their roadbikes ok?

 

[RedBike]

On a flat road on low speed there's no much of a difference between a road bike and slick tyred MTB. However, when you start to pick up speed the geometry of the road bike should start coming into play.

Better areodynamics - easier to maintain a high speed.
Better balanced / handling - Will corner quicker.
Also when you get to a hill the lighter more efficient road bike should just pull away from the heavier MTB

The bike you've linked to IMO is a hybrid. It's quicker than a MTB but it's not got the areodynamics of a 'road' bike.

 

[Toby_2009]

On a flat road on low speed there's no much of a difference between a road bike and slick tyred MTB. However, when you start to pick up speed the geometry of the road bike should start coming into play.

Better areodynamics - easier to maintain a high speed.
Better balanced / handling - Will corner quicker.
Also when you get to a hill the lighter more efficient road bike should just pull away from the heavier MTB

The bike you've linked to IMO is a hybrid. It's quicker than a MTB but it's not got the areodynamics of a 'road' bike.

oh, I thought it was just a road bike with 'straight' handle bars. what is the difference between a road bike and a hybrid such as the one in the link?

 

[Toby_2009]

You could always get an extra set of wheels for the slicks. It will make swapping them over much easier than changing tyres.

hi, yes I had thought of that but for wheels, tiers and inner tubes we are looking at about £100 and I can get a road bike for not much more than double that!

 

[Randochap]

You could always get an extra set of wheels for the slicks. It will make swapping them over much easier than changing tyres.

A sort of two tier tyre approach.

Toby, you are unlikely to want to change tyres every time you change terrain, so, yes, a second set of wheels is the best way to go, if you are using the same bike for offroad and road.

I once did a trip to Alaska/Yukon that alternated between pavement and unpaved roads. I'd switch (folding) tyres at a campground when the surface changed. Of, course I couldn't carry an extra set of wheels in my panniers!

A road bike is of course the best bet for paved roads. A road bike comes in many forms however -- from racing machine to touring rig. Some bikes designed primarily for pavement also excel on trails as well -- such as my Rivendell Bleriot.

Check out VeloWeb for info on different road bikes and gear.

Tailwinds.

 

[Randochap]

hi, yes I had thought of that but for wheels, tiers and inner tubes we are looking at about £100 and I can get a road bike for not much more than double that!

You are not likely to find a decent road bike for £200, unless it's used.

Starting price for a quality road/hybrid I'd guess in UK currency would be around £250.

 

[RedBike]

oh, I thought it was just a road bike with 'straight' handle bars. what is the difference between a road bike and a hybrid such as the one in the link?

A flat bar road bike and hybrid are often the same thing. With the flat bar you gain control but you loose the areodynamic advanatage that a drop bar can give. Which is why you never see flat bar road bikes in races.

I've no experiance of the Carrea Grython but I suspect it's not that light either.
You might need to increase your budget slightly to get a good road bike,
Decathlon and Giant are always worth a look.

This one looks fantastic for the price.
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/sport-2-42393914/#INFO-DETAIL

 

[BalkanExpress]

I have a Giant Boulder which is a £230 hard tail MTB. its got off road tires and non-lock out suspension.


Also, id it worth me getting a road/hybrid bike? I know i'm only looking at about 30 miles on roads at the moment but I really want to get that distance up. The only problem with getting a road bike is that my dad is a bit funny about me using space in his shed

Cheers,

Toby[/QUOTE]

Toby,

the answer depends on what you really want to do. If you are serious about doing distance on the road then your current bike is not a great choice, slick or semi-slick tyres will help a bit, but I guess the Giant is fairly heavy and with no lock out on the fork you will waste a lot of energy. Better if you can afford it to get something more road specific and keep it in your room or round a mates house if needs be.

If the cash is not there at the moment and you do want to go on road and off then, for the summer months at least, a tyre like the Continental double fighter would allow you to go off road and on. I have a pair on my rigid MTB and they work well when the trail is dry and hard and roll okay on the road (certainly much better than my winter tyres). It is of course a compromise, but when you have one bike there is always some compromise to be made whn you want to do different things.

 

[Toby_2009]

thanks for all the replies guys, I was out on the bike yesterday and covered about 25 miles almost all of which was on road and I obviosly had allot of time to think about the whole slicks vs road bike thing and am now leaning towards just putting some money in to the MTB becuase although I often set out on an all road ride, the roads around here are pretty badly surfaced an I think I'd feel more comfortable on my MTB than a tiny wheeled roady.

SO, I was thinking about the following changes (over a period of time, not all straight away)...

- a straight head piece rather than the one which slopes up
- a new, lighter weight, more compact seat
- thinner, slicker tiers to be put on for road work - (will do this first)

so, what do you guys think? is there anything else I should be considering?

Also, what size/type of tyers should I be looking for? my inner tubes say 26X2.5 so presumably I'l need new tubes for anything smaller than a 2.50 tyer?

Cheers,

Toby