[JBVH]

Hi guys. I own a Specialized Hardrock Pro that I've been able to ride off and on for the last couple years. Forgive me because I know nothing about the technical terms or the specs of my bike. All i know is that the tires I have now and have had for a while are pretty coarse treads for serious off-road mountain biking which makes it pretty tough when i want to commute to work. I just want to get some new smoother tires to make the commute a little easier and I dont want flats.

So, a couple questions?

Can you suggest some good 26" tires I could get? I don't want to spend too much money but I'll take any advice you got.

Also, I know nothing about how to change tires. Is it pretty quick and painless to do? I'd like to possibly interchange the tires between when I'm going to work and when I want to hit the harder trails again.

Thanks in advance.

 

[GreenLightGo]

JBVH - depending on your budget, you've got several good options:

1) for roughly $70-80, you could get some Maxxis Crossmarks (roughly $35 each) and use them for both commuting and trail work. I ran a Crossmark on the rear of my commuter (29inch version) for 1000+ miles before the center section was no good for the trail. This option will prevent you from having to change back and forth for trail/commute. There are other options too like the Continental Traffic http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=14811&subcategory_ID=5425.

2) get a hybrid/slick tire. Performance has a house brand called Forte. They've got several commuting tires that incorporate polyamide strips for puncture protection. I run the Forte Gotham (700x35 on my commuter), it's made by Panaracer and is the same tire as the Panaracer Crosstowns http://www.panaracer.com/products/ur...crosstown.html. Anyway, they list a 26x1.75 size. Price is right and Panaracer makes good tires so it's an alternative.

 

[perttime]

Step 1:
Do you have any bike shops near you? If yes, go see what they have.

I have used these and they worked OK for pavement and some dirt (even snow):
http://www.suomityres.fi/ut2.html

These look pretty cool:
http://www.suomityres.fi/aws.html

I hear Schwalbe Marathon and Big Apple are good

Working with tyres:
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=100

 

[henryhb]

I hear Schwalbe Marathon and Big Apple are good

i rode following tires:
- schwalbe marathon 26x1.5" ~1700km, no flats, fast, cheap in germany
- schwalbe big appple 26x 2.35" ~ 900km, big volume, fast rolling, not so fast acceleration. no flats, great look on my full rigid city mtb. balloonbike!
- schwalbe marathon supreme 26x2.0" ~ 4400km, no flats, very fast, good acceleration, enough volume, great look, great grip on vet and dry streets.
i would recommend the supreme if you are willed to spend some money for a great tire!

my mother uses the marathon plus for more than 15.000km without any flat. i changed the tires now for supreme which she likes, too. she says it is much faster.

 

[ebineezer]

these are cheap and get the job done for me...
http://www.serfas.com/product.asp?ProductID=259

 

[chinaman]

it is not too dificult to change tyres ... once you are used to it ... it becomes second nature and you pick up little tricks here and there ...

would suggest that you get a hybrid tyre as changing tyre every weekend or once a month can be quite taxing ... whilst stretching the beading each time you change as well ...