Do mountain bikes with road tyres exist?

Hi

I'm thinking of buying a new bike and I want a comfy mountain bike ,
not some flimsy racer with a seat that chops my nuts in half. Only
problem is that all mountain bikes seem to come with knobbly "off
road" tyres. Is it possible to buy a mountain bike or even just
replacement tyres that have a smoother road profile for easier
pedalling?

Cheers

B2003

On 23 Jul, 10:04, wrote:
Hi

I'm thinking of buying a new bike and I want a comfy mountain bike ,
not some flimsy racer with a seat that chops my nuts in half. Only
problem is that all mountain bikes seem to come with knobbly "off
road" tyres. Is it possible to buy a mountain bike or even just
replacement tyres that have a smoother road profile for easier
pedalling?

Cheers

B2003

A Hybrid??

On 23 Jul, 10:04, wrote:
Hi

I'm thinking of buying a new bike and I want a comfy mountain bike ,
not some flimsy racer with a seat that chops my nuts in half. Only
problem is that all mountain bikes seem to come with knobbly "off
road" tyres. Is it possible to buy a mountain bike or even just
replacement tyres that have a smoother road profile for easier
pedalling?

Cheers

B2003

You can buy 26 inch road tyres, I have a pair that work fine. They do
reduce rolling resistance and increase speed, I forget how much time
they saved me over standard tyres; I did work it out when I first got
them; possibly 20-25% I think.

Try searching Continental 26" Ultra Gatorskin (Slick)

Sniper8052

wrote:

I'm thinking of buying a new bike and I want a comfy mountain bike ,
not some flimsy racer with a seat that chops my nuts in half. Only
problem is that all mountain bikes seem to come with knobbly "off
road" tyres. Is it possible to buy a mountain bike or even just
replacement tyres that have a smoother road profile for easier
pedalling?

Mountain bikes these days are rather highly evolved creatures that tend
to have elaborate long-travel suspension that isn't very relevant to the
road (a bit like the knobbly tyres) and adds considerably to the cost.
There is another category of bikes that try to be this but lacking the
cost also lack the quality engineering, and are even more hopeless on
the roads.

There is a whole other class of bike, usually called a hybrid, which
will probably be what you're actually after. They typically have rigid
frames, slightly higher gearing and road tyres as standard, so I'd
suggest that's what you look at. There's no shortage of models to
choose from, and something of a continuous spectrum between flimsy racer
but with flat bars to built-like-a-tank with all the extras you could
think of.

You can just get slicks for a mountain bike: any bike shop should be
able to sell you a set, but a mountain bike with slicks that also has
long travel suspension will cost more, be a bit more awkward with a high
bottom bracket for extra ground clearance and eat more energy than a
hybrid. All else being equal it'll be a bit heavier too, again thanks
to the suspension.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On Jul 23, 10:26 am, Peter Clinch wrote:
There is a whole other class of bike, usually called a hybrid, which
will probably be what you're actually after. They typically have rigid
frames, slightly higher gearing and road tyres as standard, so I'd

To be honest , given the state of the roads where I live I wouldn't
mind a bit of suspension even if it does weight a bit more. )

B2003

On Jul 23, 10:17 am, "
wrote:
Try searching Continental 26" Ultra Gatorskin (Slick)

They look a bit skinny. I want something with the same depth and width
as normal mountain bike tyres that can soak up the potholes and drain
covers, I just want them slick, not nobbly

B2003

wrote:
On Jul 23, 10:17 am, "
wrote:
Try searching Continental 26" Ultra Gatorskin (Slick)

They look a bit skinny. I want something with the same depth and width
as normal mountain bike tyres that can soak up the potholes and drain
covers, I just want them slick, not nobbly

Schwalbe Big Apples, if you want wide but smooth.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On 23 Jul, 10:47, wrote:
On Jul 23, 10:26 am, Peter Clinch wrote:

There is a whole other class of bike, usually called a hybrid, which
will probably be what you're actually after. They typically have rigid
frames, slightly higher gearing and road tyres as standard, so I'd

To be honest , given the state of the roads where I live I wouldn't
mind a bit of suspension even if it does weight a bit more. )

B2003

Best suspension is avoidance in the first place. IME suspension is a
'pain in the backside' on the road. My small road bike weighs 19lb my
mountain bike double that. Opinion not worth the effort unless I am
cycling up a BIG hill. Also the gears are wrong for most road work,
if you have got a MB then you can get all sorts of tyres to fit. If
you haven't got a MB but are going to buy a cheap bike and then fir
tyres then the tyres and tubes could cost as much as the bike at the
very lower range of the bike market. As pete says the best purchase
is a hybrid or a touring road bike such as the revolution
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwP...c003155c002912
I have a cheap revolution road/race for messing with good quality and
great service from the guys.

Sniper8052

wrote:

To be honest , given the state of the roads where I live I wouldn't
mind a bit of suspension even if it does weight a bit more. )

Many hybrids come with suspension forks, though to be honest most of
them are a waste of time/money IMHO. Some suspension is designed
specifically for road use, for example the leading-link forks on
Moultons and some of Cannondale's stuff. That sort of thing is very
nice, but has an unpleasant price tag associated with it... Mostly it's
just a cheapy elastomer off-road shock put on because people assume it
will make the bike better.
Easier to smooth a pothole out by jumping the front wheel over it,
rather than throwing engineering at it. Something like a pair of Big
Apples should give you most of the cushioning you need.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
wrote:

To be honest , given the state of the roads where I live I wouldn't
mind a bit of suspension even if it does weight a bit more. )

Many hybrids come with suspension forks, though to be honest most of
them are a waste of time/money IMHO. Some suspension is designed
specifically for road use, for example the leading-link forks on
Moultons and some of Cannondale's stuff. That sort of thing is very
nice, but has an unpleasant price tag associated with it... Mostly it's
just a cheapy elastomer off-road shock put on because people assume it
will make the bike better.
Easier to smooth a pothole out by jumping the front wheel over it,
rather than throwing engineering at it. Something like a pair of Big
Apples should give you most of the cushioning you need.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Something tells me you are flogging a dead horse, but an interesting read
nevertheless
Rog