Hybrid tyres?

Has anyone had any experience using "hybrid" tyres - smooth in the
middle, knobbly at the edges - on a uni? I'm looking to build a nimble,
cross-country and road-capable 26" uni, and am thinking of a tyre
something like one of these:

Schwalbe Hurricane 26*2.0" http://tinyurl.com/qwp4e

Vredestein Spider MAX 26*1.9" http://tinyurl.com/fgeny

Halo Twin Rail 26*2.2" http://tinyurl.com/mzso9

are these gonna work ok, or am I gonna end up with horrendous
tyre-wants-to-follow-the-camber problems like on the Nimbus 29er (due
to the Schwalbe Big Apple 2.35")?

can anyone tell me what's the tyre on the 26 Inch Cross Muni Koxx
"Forrest 26" http://tinyurl.com/jy575 ?

TIA, Alan


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acl
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I can't speak for particular tires, as your riding experience may vary.
But one basic principle is that unicycles don't "roll" like bikes. We
zig-zag around more, so ride quality might not be what you would get on
a bike. My guess is that you'd get best results with your third link:

acl wrote:

Halo Twin Rail 26*2.2" http://tinyurl.com/mzso9



But that one might have the least-flat center section, which means it
may tend to pull to either side. The first two examples look "flatter,"
but they also look like they'd have poor traction on dirt.



Am I gonna end up with horrendous tyre-wants-to-follow-the-camber
problems like on the Nimbus 29er (due to the Schwalbe Big Apple 2.35")?


I never noticed that problem with my Big Apple, but I haven't put too
many miles on it. I *have* noticed it on my Coker, trying to ride
around Lake Tahoe on skinny, no-shoulder roads with traffic. Apparently
learning to handle the camber is an acquired skill, as Nathan and Beau
attest...

In general, a word about "hybrid" stuff. I have a hybrid bike, a Miyata
Triplecross. Great bike, very well made, spiral-splined, triple-butted
tubing in the frame, nice components, etc. But due to its cross-purpose
intent, it makes a slow road bike and a weak (skinny) mountain bike.
That's what you get. Fortunately it's perfect for commuting. But a
hybrid is generally going to be a compromise of some sort.


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Try Bontrager Jones XR. It almost elimates camber crawl but you need to
run it at low pressure. I have reviewed it in the product review
section.

There is also the Maxxis Holy Roller, and the similar DMR Moto RT,
which are good all rounders for tarmac and trail. I have tried the Holy
Roller and it definitely reduces crawl but does not get rid of it
altogether, but then I don't think any tyre does. Mikefule has written
plenty about the Holy Roller.

ANdy


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you should make it a 700 wheel and build it up with a simalar cross
type tire


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johnfoss wrote:
My guess is that you'd get best results with your third link....But that
one might have the least-flat center section, which means it may tend
to pull to either side. The first two examples look "flatter," but they
also look like they'd have poor traction on dirt.


I never noticed that problem with my Big Apple, but I haven't put too
many miles on it. I *have* noticed it on my Coker, trying to ride
around Lake Tahoe on skinny, no-shoulder roads with traffic. Apparently
learning to handle the camber is an acquired skill, as Nathan and Beau
attest...




The "camber problem" on the nimbus is that the wheel seems to want to
be perpendicular to the road underneath it - so you end up riding with
your body leant way way over to compensate, which makes it pretty hard
to do much, but as you say, an acquired skill - and it seems to want to
steer down the camber...I don't know whether this is because the tyre
is round or flat, high pressure or low (tho my 20*2.1 The Wall didn't
suffer from it nearly as much) and guess that's what I'm trying to find
out....


johnfoss wrote:

In general, a word about "hybrid" stuff. I have a hybrid bike, a Miyata
Triplecross. Great bike, very well made, spiral-splined, triple-butted
tubing in the frame, nice components, etc. But due to its cross-purpose
intent, it makes a slow road bike and a weak (skinny) mountain bike.
That's what you get. Fortunately it's perfect for commuting. But a
hybrid is generally going to be a compromise of some sort.



Well, any unicycle is a compromise, no? I mean, the Nimbus 29er is
great for going in a straight line due to the huge heavy tyre, but it
has this camber problem, and it's neither nimble nor easily portable -
but, more so than a coker...the 80mm-cranked 20" uni I rode 20+ miles
on before is still small, agile, easily to hop and idle, but doesn't
have anywhere near the wheel mass or speed.

My bike is a Thorn Raven Sport Tour - an 853 steel-framed fast but
rugged tourer; 26*1.75 Panaracer Pasela semi-slick tyres. It's superb;
not as fast as a road bike, no, but indestructible and takes anything
you throw at it - an enormous virtue on many of Britain's shoddy roads;
not as good as a mountain bike, no, as anything technical's probably
out - but I've done some fairly rough ground on it all right. It's
versatile. And one bike to go anywhere, do anything, is awesome -
you've got to get *to* and *from* those beaten off-road tracks
somehow...

So ymmv, obviously - I guess what I'm aiming for is a unicycle like
that bike. When shiftable geared uni's come down in price, maybe I can
do better that way, but in the meantime....

Thanks to Andy for the recommendations, however - those do look like
good options - and to both of you for your input and expertise. It's
very helpful (even if you can't speak for those particular tyres, of
course!) :-)


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GhettoSmurf wrote:
you should make it a 700 wheel and build it up with a simalar cross
type tire



Why do you say 700? One of the attractions of 26" is the *enormous*
choice of tyres, particularly chunky ones; there are a few 700C ones
but not nearly as many. Of course, a choice of tyres isn't really
relevant---what matters is whether there is even one tyre that's good
enough for what you want to do with it....

I'm not sure about the Bontrager Jones XC - it doesn't look very slick
at all so I find it hard to believe it's as smooth or as good on tarmac
as others???? Can you recommend any good "similar cross type tire"s ?
TIA!


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acl wrote:

Well, any unicycle is a compromise, no? I mean, the Nimbus 29er is
great for going in a straight line due to the huge heavy tyre, but it
has this camber problem



Most people who do long distances on 29ers, including me, find the Big
Apple to be the best 29er tire for roads, and don't have significant
issues with camber. Make sure you're pumping it up enough.


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acl wrote:

I'm not sure about the Bontrager Jones XC - it doesn't look very slick
at all so I find it hard to believe it's as smooth or as good on tarmac
as others???? Can you recommend any good "similar cross type tire"s ?
TIA!



Belive me it works well on and off road. It's not really knobbly, the
central treads are only about 2mm tall like any traditional bike tyre
so it rides well. If you pump it hard it is a bit twitchy, but I ride
it at about 25psi (approx: I have a cheapo pump with a guage on it) and
it rides straight even on severe camber. Off road it's great.

The other hybrids I metioned are specifically designed for street and
trail riding and have a round profile, again, the tread is flat so it's
stiff and they don't squirm around like knobblies, they behave like a
road tyre. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=3244

Andy


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