Mountain Bike Tyres - Road and Bridleway / Light Trail
Discussion
Just fitted a set of continental double fighter iii to my hardtail as i thought id try using it to cycle to work now I have a new full sus for off road duties, very impressed with them on the few rides I have done, much easier than the maxxis ardents that were on it. Very cheap aswell, think I got them for about £30 the pair from tredz in 27.5.
I've just fitted a Schwalbe Racing Ray (front) and Nobby Nic (rear) to my Pace RC200 F6 and so far, I've been really pleased with them. I'm riding on what I imagine will similar surfaces to you; mainly forest trails (with some loose surface stones/gravel), some single track but hardly any road use. They roll really well on all surfaces but provide great traction on short, steep uphill sections. My bike feels so much faster 
I do find them quite twitchy (which I like - the bike is quite lively anyway) but they give me confidence at the same time. I've never felt like I'm running out of grip, even on some tricky, fast, loose sections of trail.
I haven't done much riding in the wet with them so can't comment on what they'll be like when it gets slippery.
The only thing I don't like is the name...Nobby Nic
I do find them quite twitchy (which I like - the bike is quite lively anyway) but they give me confidence at the same time. I've never felt like I'm running out of grip, even on some tricky, fast, loose sections of trail. I haven't done much riding in the wet with them so can't comment on what they'll be like when it gets slippery.
The only thing I don't like is the name...Nobby Nic
Pffft!
Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed. But they ran OK last night on wet grass on a bridleway 125 metres ASL between Holworth and West Chaldon in Dorset. I sometimes give it a blast on the Blue Trail (family friendly) MTB route in Moors Valley Country Park. Unless you're blasting along natural single-track it's as much about technique and mechanical sympathy as it is about the latest, greatest tyre tech.
Having said that, if you want to go fast on the byways and bridleways, then yes, I'd invest in decent MTB tyres. Schwalbe Racing Ralphs are a good summer tyre with fairly small knobbly bits. And my son rides with Schwalbe Marathon tyres in 26x1.5 inch flavour. His main use is the River Stour path to get to and from his archery club. They're on a sort of "shared" bike that used to be mine, then became his Uni commute bike, and now just fills a gap when we want to ride somewhere where you wouldn't want to lock an expensive bike and leave it out of sight. Pretty much bullet-proof in terms of punctures. Three years of Uni commuting in Reading, and all sorts of riding here in Bournemouth too, and no complaints in terms of reliability
Not sure about availability in MTB tyres sizes, but on my "gravel" bike I run Bontrager LT2 'Expert' tyres in 700x38c size. Small tread, enough to keep traction through most terrain, but OK on tarmac roads too. I've raced on those a few times (at the Battle On The Beach event) and not found them wanting. Not as puncture resistant as the Schwalbe Marathons, but a good deal lighter and punctures haven't been a recurring issue for me with them. Not sure how much help all that is to you, but three ways I've dealt with the issue of the "what tyre?" question...
Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed. But they ran OK last night on wet grass on a bridleway 125 metres ASL between Holworth and West Chaldon in Dorset. I sometimes give it a blast on the Blue Trail (family friendly) MTB route in Moors Valley Country Park. Unless you're blasting along natural single-track it's as much about technique and mechanical sympathy as it is about the latest, greatest tyre tech.
Having said that, if you want to go fast on the byways and bridleways, then yes, I'd invest in decent MTB tyres. Schwalbe Racing Ralphs are a good summer tyre with fairly small knobbly bits. And my son rides with Schwalbe Marathon tyres in 26x1.5 inch flavour. His main use is the River Stour path to get to and from his archery club. They're on a sort of "shared" bike that used to be mine, then became his Uni commute bike, and now just fills a gap when we want to ride somewhere where you wouldn't want to lock an expensive bike and leave it out of sight. Pretty much bullet-proof in terms of punctures. Three years of Uni commuting in Reading, and all sorts of riding here in Bournemouth too, and no complaints in terms of reliability
Not sure about availability in MTB tyres sizes, but on my "gravel" bike I run Bontrager LT2 'Expert' tyres in 700x38c size. Small tread, enough to keep traction through most terrain, but OK on tarmac roads too. I've raced on those a few times (at the Battle On The Beach event) and not found them wanting. Not as puncture resistant as the Schwalbe Marathons, but a good deal lighter and punctures haven't been a recurring issue for me with them. Not sure how much help all that is to you, but three ways I've dealt with the issue of the "what tyre?" question...
yellowjack said:
Pffft!
Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed.
So tread is not over-rated at all then Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed.
It's actually quite relevant IMHODoublefighters (now on version III I think) have been a good all-round choice for roads and paths for many years. Their design seems to work better than other tyres with smooth centres and lugged edges, perhaps because their profile is well shaped. If it gets a little wet and soft the lugs do offer more grip than the likes of the Schwalbes mentioned a few times. I think they are a good choice.
CharlieAlphaMike said:
yellowjack said:
Pffft!
Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed.
So tread is not over-rated at all then Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed.
It's actually quite relevant IMHOI'm similar - a reasonable amount of road with some light trails and canal towpath thrown in
When I bought the bike it came with Schwalbe Landcruisers - I find them pretty decent and the difference in rolling resistance against my old mountain bike with knobblies on was huge
Probably not the best outright tyre but for my use and the amount of time I spend on the bike I think they're a reasonable option
When I bought the bike it came with Schwalbe Landcruisers - I find them pretty decent and the difference in rolling resistance against my old mountain bike with knobblies on was huge
Probably not the best outright tyre but for my use and the amount of time I spend on the bike I think they're a reasonable option
GravelBen said:
Get some minions 
lolJust swapped my DHF/DHF out because they are like velcro in terms of rolling ability yet dont seem to dig in that well. They arent bad, but I dont get the hype
Just chucked on a Magic Mary up front with a Rock Razor on the rear. Much better, rock razor is a little sketchy in brief moments as expected but the MM digs in really well. Fairly fast rolling setup. Will be replacing the RR with another MM come winter.
I'd say the OP wants a fast rolling XC tire, something with a bit more bite though - Bontrager XR4?
yellowjack said:
CharlieAlphaMike said:
yellowjack said:
Pffft!
Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed.
So tread is not over-rated at all then Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed.
It's actually quite relevant IMHOI often question whether the trend for Downhill MTB's has become more of a 'fashion' rather than a need which has, in turn, lead to unnecessarily heavily treaded Downhill specific tyres?
yellowjack said:
CharlieAlphaMike said:
yellowjack said:
Pffft!
Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed.
So tread is not over-rated at all then Tread is over-rated. I've been doing quite a few byway and bridleway excursions of late on my road bike with 700x25c Continental GP 4 Seasons tyres. Nowt more than a wet weather road tyre really. OK, they don't cope well with really loose surfaces, and if it were muddy I'd be screwed.
It's actually quite relevant IMHOEverything else is quite easy really. I've done the easy route around the Olympic MTB track at Hadleigh with them as well and a rigid front fork.
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