Tires Tires?

[Guest]

What have you all had luck with? I am running a set of ultra knobby mountainbike tires (think giant mudder-four wheel drive truck whine and rumble) on the Western Flyer, and to put it bluntly, they suck! (they came with the bike)

Today the side wall let go on the rear tire but it didn't blow, just got really "thumpy" and I limped home on it.

I got a set of 26X1.90 tires that look like street bike tires, manufactured (or labled at least) by Bell.

Who uses what?

 

[SlicerDicer]

I was thinking of getting some 3 inch wide mud eaters ok thats excessive but I do want wide tires so they ride easier on the sand.

But there is some nice 26x1.25 slick slicks I mean no nubbies at all slick at bike nashbar. They are not all too expensive

I wonder what kind of speed boost you would get from no nubbies and less friction. 85psi too

On my full suspension bike I usto have was 45psi or something like that so 85 is madness.

 

[SpeedyG]

Nashbar has some "SanDiego'd" slicks for $9.95 a piece, they're 26x2.0.

I've been thinking of those but I'm broke for the moment so I'm running some white wall cruiser tires.

 

[SchwinnAlloySeven_GT5]

I'm a street rider, my bike rarely ever sees off-road action. I spent a month looking for a good street tire that combined wet/dry handling with durability with good looks. The Schwinn Typhoons that came with my bike were merely cheap imitations of the original Typhoons from the 60's and 70's.

Enter the Dyno Fireball/Kenda Flame/Sun Flame tire! These tires have tiny "traction" dots all over the tread and grip the asphalt tenaciously. They are produced in 24" and 26" and 2.125 or 3.0 width. I purchased my 26x2.125 at my LBS.

26x2.125 Kenda Flame - 130081175182

Pair of 2.125 Kenda Flames - 130086933393

26x3.0 Kenda Flame - 150119150410

They ride smooth, handle great, and look pretty boss, IMHO. I've put almost 1000 trouble-free miles on em so far (knock on wood).

A couple pictures...
http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=4664467
http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=4664468

 

[JosephGarcia]

I use 26" white wall cruiser tires. They have enough traction to handle tight turns and most terrain, and are smooth enough to get nice speeds.

I've never used those super slick tires, I feel like I would slip during the first turn.

 

[iRide Customs]

When I finally get around to building my bike I am probably going with the Electra Fatty-Os 24'' x 3''

 

[DougC]

.....But there is some nice 26x1.25 slick slicks I mean no nubbies at all slick at bike nashbar. They are not all too expensive

I wonder what kind of speed boost you would get from no nubbies and less friction. 85psi too

On my full suspension bike I use to have was 45psi or something like that so 85 is madness.

Just a note--I had an engine on a "hybrid"-style bike that had 1.5" high-pressure tires on it and the ride at 30 mph was VERY harsh. I couldn't lower the tire pressure much to help absorb shock, because I was afraid of dinging the rim on a bump..... Just one 20-mile test ride was enough to convince me that big soft lower-pressure tires was the way to go with a motorized bike.

Also..... rims have pressure limits too, that limit decreases as the tire gets fatter, and for wider rims, the pressure limits is often much lower than the tires themselves can withstand. Overinflating a RIM will cause it to crack internally; cracks will begin at the spoke holes and "connect" until the rim splits. It has happened; people have done it.

If you've got rims that are 1-3/8" or more wide, then probably about the most you should inflate ANY tire on them is maybe 40 or 50 PSI. If you wanna run narrow ~100 PSI tires, you should get some 1" wide rims/wheels to do it with (...The narrowest clincher 26" tire I know of is the Continental Gran Prix at 1" wide, and 120 PSI. It's lightweight to be sure, but it rides pretty harsh, even at only 80 or 90 PSI. At 120 PSI it's hard as a rock).
~

 

[SlicerDicer]

At that point I would just run full on roadbike for some serious speed

I was saying I never liked running tires above 45psi.. I like super wides with low pressure for maximum chewing of the dirt. Paddle style would be great too for rafting through the sand here.

I have had side blowouts however on tires those always are terrible.

 

[SpeedyG]

I've never used those super slick tires, I feel like I would slip during the first turn.

It seems weird from a visual standpoint but the lack of tread actually puts more rubber on the road. In dry conditions *(edit)on asphalt* slicks offer the most traction possible. Of course in the wet things can get dicey but I'm not sure about 2 inch slicks w/ 45psi, all my experience w/ slicks has been high pressure road tires and those are rocks (700x23cc 100psi).

I'm definately getting a set for my non powered hybrid so I'll post a review when that happens (*note above post concerning current financial woes).

 

[SchwinnAlloySeven_GT5]

Slicks and/or high air pressure will give you more speed only if you were trying to squeeze every bit of speed out of your small-sprocket/downhill setup. You'd overrev your engine long before you hit the theoretical speed limit you could reach with your engine's HP while using a street-friendly sprocket. High pressure tires might only be worth 2-4MPH in the case of ridiculously small rear sprockets, anyway.

I agree with DougC about lower-pressure tires being ideal for motored bicycles. 2.125" tires @ 25-28PSI act somewhat like a suspension, taking some harshness out of the bumps, and they put a bigger contact patch on the ground for cornering and braking. Despite the size of "balloon" tires, their rolling resistance isn't bad, even at 25-28PSI.

High-pressure tires could be unsafe on anything but the smoothest ground. Hand stress could be an issue on a ride, rim stress is an issue over time, high-pressure tires aren't as resistant to punctures, and they don't have as much traction. Nobody wants to bail out at 30+ MPH

<CnC>