Need some tires for a friction setup

stringer

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Hi,

I need to get hooked up with some tires for my 1st MB. Its a 2005 Specialized Hardrock Sport. I really know next to nothing about tires and bicycles for that matter but here is what I was thinking .... It's for a friction kit so my aggressive knobbies have to go. I thought some nice fat road tires would look great, and hopefully be very comfortable with good traction, and maintain a good bond with my 1.125" scrubber. Does this sound like the way to go?

My tires are stock as is everything else. The bike has been used once and stored for 3 years. I was looking at the maxxis hookworm online and it looks awesome. Should this be investigated further or should I be looking for something else? Is this a rear tire only, are are these like, ambidextrous? I only see one size in 26" its a 26x2.5. Stock tires are 26x2.20 ... any problems here you think? :confused:

Sorry for the bombardment of questions and thanks for the help.

http://www.bikepedia.com/Quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2005&Brand=Specialized&Model=Hardrock%20Sport&Type=bike
http://www.maxxis.com/PRODUCTS/BICYCLE/product_detail.asp?id=160
 

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Hi stringer -- I heard some good things in regards to Kevar tires.. I went out and bought a couple (local bicycle Shop) kind of expensive -- seem to be a pretty good road tire -- for the size you want -- might have to special order. Happy Riding from - Mountainman
 
The Hookworm you mentioned is a bit wider than usual, most knobbies are around 2.3" (measuring the knobbies) but that extra .2" isn't really going to make much of any difference.

It is my humble opinion that really fat tires (over 2") are somewhat of a waste of money unless your bike has really wide rims. A lot of MTB's come with rims that are only about an inch wide, when a rim closer to 1.5 inches would work a lot better, even 1.25 inches is a big difference. If you mount a fat tire on a narrow rim, you have to over-inflate the fat tire to keep it from flexing side-to-side, and it ends up so hard that it doesn't absorb bumps very well.

Also the Hookworms are fairly expensive tires, and friction-drive setups tend to grind tires down rather quickly. I would suggest starting with a cheaper tire and see how long it lasts. Cheng Shin, Kenda and Pyramid are three brands that are pretty cheap, and can be found on Amazon.

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The kevlar is a lining under the tread, that helps prevent punctures. It won't help the friction-drive either way.
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Thanks DougC for the heads up. This is exactly the info I need so i dont waste money :) I just measured my rims from the outside, and they are 0.9685039370089201"

Is there a specific tire any1 can recommend for a friction mountain bike with 0.9685039370089201" rims?
 
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I can recommend the Innova swiftor for a friction drive. Inexpensive, plus they're a near slick design, with inverted tread. Not expensive, either.

The smooth tread makes for a very smooth ride. Keep in mind though, that the rubber is fairly soft. This makes for excellent traction and cornering, but, if you lock up the rear wheel, the road will grind away the tire quickly.
 
thaanks alot. would you recommend the 1.75" or 2.0" innova swiftor?
 
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