[tonyc]

Hi, I ride about 4 miles to school and the sidewalk on the way there is littered with glass and other trash. It seems I can't go there and back more than a few times without having a flat. What would be the thickest tire I can get? I was thinking of the IRC Metro 26x2 Kevlar's since they're on sale at Nashbar. Is that a good tire?

 

[Weaver]

i'd run some slime in those kind of conditions, regardless of how thick your tire is.

 

[aussie_yeti]

well this will be a very heavy setup but if you don't want to flat and you're only riding on paved surfaces get some maxxis hookworms with maxxis downhill tubes.

cya, john.

 

[tonyc]

I bought the IRC Metro Kevlar tires since they were on sale. I would of liked to get 26x1.0 tires but I hate getting a flat.

 

[Fungazi]

well this will be a very heavy setup but if you don't want to flat and you're only riding on paved surfaces get some maxxis hookworms with maxxis downhill tubes.

cya, john.

That's exactly what I ride- well, thron proof tubes, at least. I've only ever had one flat, and that was from a nail that went striaght in.
I did the setup for urban riding, it lets me bomb right up a flight of stairs with no pinchflats, and gives better traction and faster rolling than a lugged tire would. But yeah, its also pretty well proof against glass, though if I hit glass regualrly I would inspect my tires and pick it out every so often.

 

[tonyc]

That's exactly what I ride- well, thron proof tubes, at least. I've only ever had one flat, and that was from a nail that went striaght in.
I did the setup for urban riding, it lets me bomb right up a flight of stairs with no pinchflats, and gives better traction and faster rolling than a lugged tire would. But yeah, its also pretty well proof against glass, though if I hit glass regualrly I would inspect my tires and pick it out every so often.

Sorry for the noob question, but how do you ride UP stairs??

 

[beeristasty]

Not sure if they still sell them, but you could try those spin skins tire liners. That way you could pick whatever tire you wanted and add the liners into the mix.

 

[Fungazi]

Sorry for the noob question, but how do you ride UP stairs??

Hit them fast in a medium-low gear. Have your body raised before you hit them, lift the bike into you to get up the trasition, them crank like a mofo and keep your momentum up. With luck, you clean the top.
Most I've done so far is about a 15 steps, maybe 8 feet vertical. Some stairs are impossible on some bikes- if your wheelbase is such that both wheels will have to lift up a stair at the same time, its gonna be real hard even if the stairs are not steep. In fact, I;ve been frustrated more often by shallow slopes than steep ones. Its also a lot easier with 5+ inches of travel at both ends.
The hookworms are ideal tires for this- high volume for extra traction and pinch-flat resistance, and the smooth tread avoids abrubt changes in traction you can get when a knob slips off the edge of a stair lip.
I doubt its good for your bike, but its fun as hell, and can make for some handy shortcuts. Its also good practice for cleaning short rough trail climbs.