Road tyres vs “Street” tyres for charity ride on MTB Tandem
Variation on a question that's been asked a few times.
For reasons, we have signed up to do a charity ride of ~80 miles on our super-cheap Viking Saratoga tandem. I've already made a few upgrades, mainly ergonomic, but was wondering whether I should bother changing the tyres.
I realise conventional wisdom dictates "slicks" rather than "knobblies" for riding a MTB on the road, but the tyres currently fitted are Kenda Kiniptions in 26 X 2.3", which the manufacturer describes as:
Excellent tire for urban assault or skate park use; equally versatile on hardpack race courses
Diamond shaped knob design wraps from bead to bead for sidewall protection and grip from all angles
We run these pumped all the way up to the recommended maximum of 80psi.
Now, I'm all for "marginal gains", but the bike is already pretty heavy, so I'm not sure that lighter weight tyres would make things much easier - I think any potential improvement would be in rolling resistance.
Is there any tire around that would be a useful upgrade in speed? The rims are drilled for Schrader, so if Presta tubes (to allow higher pressure) were part of the solution, I imagine this would require some fiddly adapters.
tire tandems
edited Apr 13 at 22:19
Criggie♦
45.6k577157
asked Apr 13 at 18:39
Gavin CampbellGavin Campbell
1183
New contributor
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
|
show 2 more comments
Variation on a question that's been asked a few times.
For reasons, we have signed up to do a charity ride of ~80 miles on our super-cheap Viking Saratoga tandem. I've already made a few upgrades, mainly ergonomic, but was wondering whether I should bother changing the tyres.
I realise conventional wisdom dictates "slicks" rather than "knobblies" for riding a MTB on the road, but the tyres currently fitted are Kenda Kiniptions in 26 X 2.3", which the manufacturer describes as:
Excellent tire for urban assault or skate park use; equally versatile on hardpack race courses
Diamond shaped knob design wraps from bead to bead for sidewall protection and grip from all angles
We run these pumped all the way up to the recommended maximum of 80psi.
Now, I'm all for "marginal gains", but the bike is already pretty heavy, so I'm not sure that lighter weight tyres would make things much easier - I think any potential improvement would be in rolling resistance.
Is there any tire around that would be a useful upgrade in speed? The rims are drilled for Schrader, so if Presta tubes (to allow higher pressure) were part of the solution, I imagine this would require some fiddly adapters.
tire tandems
edited Apr 13 at 22:19
Criggie♦
45.6k577157
asked Apr 13 at 18:39
Gavin CampbellGavin Campbell
1183
New contributor
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Yeah, the only obvious improvement would be to get tires that are less "knobby", as that is a major factor in rolling resistance. But the Kiniption looks like a reasonably decent compromise. However, if the bike and rims will take it, a wider tire might be better, to handle the weight of a tandem better. And, if the roads are smooth, you might consider running a hair above 80psi -- most decent quality tires are good to 10-20 psi over their sidewall rating, and higher pressure reduces rolling resistance (but increases tooth rattling).
– Daniel R Hicks
Apr 13 at 19:23
All this confirms my suspicion that I may as well leave the current tyres on for now. And yes, I have considered pumping them up a bit harder!
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 13 at 19:26
How wide are your existing rims? Tyres too wide will erode around the edge of the rim. Tyres too narrow have different problems. <br> Were these tyres the factory fitment ?
– Criggie♦
Apr 13 at 22:30
Consider up-grading the brake pads. Most inexpensive bikes come with pads that are marginal at best. In 80 miles you are bound to roll down some long hills which will test the brakes integrity.
– mikes
Apr 14 at 19:30
It has disc brakes front and rear, and I have already upgraded to rotors that wouldn't look out of place on a motorbike! The bike was secondhand, I doubt those are the factory tyres.
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 15 at 14:15
|
show 2 more comments
Variation on a question that's been asked a few times.
For reasons, we have signed up to do a charity ride of ~80 miles on our super-cheap Viking Saratoga tandem. I've already made a few upgrades, mainly ergonomic, but was wondering whether I should bother changing the tyres.
I realise conventional wisdom dictates "slicks" rather than "knobblies" for riding a MTB on the road, but the tyres currently fitted are Kenda Kiniptions in 26 X 2.3", which the manufacturer describes as:
Excellent tire for urban assault or skate park use; equally versatile on hardpack race courses
Diamond shaped knob design wraps from bead to bead for sidewall protection and grip from all angles
We run these pumped all the way up to the recommended maximum of 80psi.
Now, I'm all for "marginal gains", but the bike is already pretty heavy, so I'm not sure that lighter weight tyres would make things much easier - I think any potential improvement would be in rolling resistance.
Is there any tire around that would be a useful upgrade in speed? The rims are drilled for Schrader, so if Presta tubes (to allow higher pressure) were part of the solution, I imagine this would require some fiddly adapters.
tire tandems
edited Apr 13 at 22:19
Criggie♦
45.6k577157
asked Apr 13 at 18:39
Gavin CampbellGavin Campbell
1183
New contributor
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Variation on a question that's been asked a few times.
For reasons, we have signed up to do a charity ride of ~80 miles on our super-cheap Viking Saratoga tandem. I've already made a few upgrades, mainly ergonomic, but was wondering whether I should bother changing the tyres.
I realise conventional wisdom dictates "slicks" rather than "knobblies" for riding a MTB on the road, but the tyres currently fitted are Kenda Kiniptions in 26 X 2.3", which the manufacturer describes as:
Excellent tire for urban assault or skate park use; equally versatile on hardpack race courses
Diamond shaped knob design wraps from bead to bead for sidewall protection and grip from all angles
We run these pumped all the way up to the recommended maximum of 80psi.
Now, I'm all for "marginal gains", but the bike is already pretty heavy, so I'm not sure that lighter weight tyres would make things much easier - I think any potential improvement would be in rolling resistance.
Is there any tire around that would be a useful upgrade in speed? The rims are drilled for Schrader, so if Presta tubes (to allow higher pressure) were part of the solution, I imagine this would require some fiddly adapters.
tire tandems
tire tandems
edited Apr 13 at 22:19
Criggie♦
45.6k577157
asked Apr 13 at 18:39
Gavin CampbellGavin Campbell
1183
New contributor
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited Apr 13 at 22:19
Criggie♦
45.6k577157
asked Apr 13 at 18:39
Gavin CampbellGavin Campbell
1183
New contributor
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited Apr 13 at 22:19
Criggie♦
45.6k577157
edited Apr 13 at 22:19
Criggie♦
45.6k577157
edited Apr 13 at 22:19
Criggie♦
45.6k577157
45.6k577157
asked Apr 13 at 18:39
Gavin CampbellGavin Campbell
1183
New contributor
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked Apr 13 at 18:39
Gavin CampbellGavin Campbell
1183
asked Apr 13 at 18:39
Gavin CampbellGavin Campbell
1183
1183
New contributor
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Yeah, the only obvious improvement would be to get tires that are less "knobby", as that is a major factor in rolling resistance. But the Kiniption looks like a reasonably decent compromise. However, if the bike and rims will take it, a wider tire might be better, to handle the weight of a tandem better. And, if the roads are smooth, you might consider running a hair above 80psi -- most decent quality tires are good to 10-20 psi over their sidewall rating, and higher pressure reduces rolling resistance (but increases tooth rattling).
– Daniel R Hicks
Apr 13 at 19:23
All this confirms my suspicion that I may as well leave the current tyres on for now. And yes, I have considered pumping them up a bit harder!
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 13 at 19:26
How wide are your existing rims? Tyres too wide will erode around the edge of the rim. Tyres too narrow have different problems. <br> Were these tyres the factory fitment ?
– Criggie♦
Apr 13 at 22:30
Consider up-grading the brake pads. Most inexpensive bikes come with pads that are marginal at best. In 80 miles you are bound to roll down some long hills which will test the brakes integrity.
– mikes
Apr 14 at 19:30
It has disc brakes front and rear, and I have already upgraded to rotors that wouldn't look out of place on a motorbike! The bike was secondhand, I doubt those are the factory tyres.
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 15 at 14:15
|
show 2 more comments
1
Yeah, the only obvious improvement would be to get tires that are less "knobby", as that is a major factor in rolling resistance. But the Kiniption looks like a reasonably decent compromise. However, if the bike and rims will take it, a wider tire might be better, to handle the weight of a tandem better. And, if the roads are smooth, you might consider running a hair above 80psi -- most decent quality tires are good to 10-20 psi over their sidewall rating, and higher pressure reduces rolling resistance (but increases tooth rattling).
– Daniel R Hicks
Apr 13 at 19:23
All this confirms my suspicion that I may as well leave the current tyres on for now. And yes, I have considered pumping them up a bit harder!
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 13 at 19:26
How wide are your existing rims? Tyres too wide will erode around the edge of the rim. Tyres too narrow have different problems. <br> Were these tyres the factory fitment ?
– Criggie♦
Apr 13 at 22:30
Consider up-grading the brake pads. Most inexpensive bikes come with pads that are marginal at best. In 80 miles you are bound to roll down some long hills which will test the brakes integrity.
– mikes
Apr 14 at 19:30
It has disc brakes front and rear, and I have already upgraded to rotors that wouldn't look out of place on a motorbike! The bike was secondhand, I doubt those are the factory tyres.
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 15 at 14:15
1
1
Yeah, the only obvious improvement would be to get tires that are less "knobby", as that is a major factor in rolling resistance. But the Kiniption looks like a reasonably decent compromise. However, if the bike and rims will take it, a wider tire might be better, to handle the weight of a tandem better. And, if the roads are smooth, you might consider running a hair above 80psi -- most decent quality tires are good to 10-20 psi over their sidewall rating, and higher pressure reduces rolling resistance (but increases tooth rattling).
– Daniel R Hicks
Apr 13 at 19:23
Yeah, the only obvious improvement would be to get tires that are less "knobby", as that is a major factor in rolling resistance. But the Kiniption looks like a reasonably decent compromise. However, if the bike and rims will take it, a wider tire might be better, to handle the weight of a tandem better. And, if the roads are smooth, you might consider running a hair above 80psi -- most decent quality tires are good to 10-20 psi over their sidewall rating, and higher pressure reduces rolling resistance (but increases tooth rattling).
– Daniel R Hicks
Apr 13 at 19:23
All this confirms my suspicion that I may as well leave the current tyres on for now. And yes, I have considered pumping them up a bit harder!
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 13 at 19:26
All this confirms my suspicion that I may as well leave the current tyres on for now. And yes, I have considered pumping them up a bit harder!
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 13 at 19:26
How wide are your existing rims? Tyres too wide will erode around the edge of the rim. Tyres too narrow have different problems. <br> Were these tyres the factory fitment ?
– Criggie♦
Apr 13 at 22:30
How wide are your existing rims? Tyres too wide will erode around the edge of the rim. Tyres too narrow have different problems. <br> Were these tyres the factory fitment ?
– Criggie♦
Apr 13 at 22:30
Consider up-grading the brake pads. Most inexpensive bikes come with pads that are marginal at best. In 80 miles you are bound to roll down some long hills which will test the brakes integrity.
– mikes
Apr 14 at 19:30
Consider up-grading the brake pads. Most inexpensive bikes come with pads that are marginal at best. In 80 miles you are bound to roll down some long hills which will test the brakes integrity.
– mikes
Apr 14 at 19:30
It has disc brakes front and rear, and I have already upgraded to rotors that wouldn't look out of place on a motorbike! The bike was secondhand, I doubt those are the factory tyres.
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 15 at 14:15
It has disc brakes front and rear, and I have already upgraded to rotors that wouldn't look out of place on a motorbike! The bike was secondhand, I doubt those are the factory tyres.
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 15 at 14:15
|
show 2 more comments
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
It's not the weight of knobblies that's the issue, but how much effort you have to put into deforming them with every rotation - the rolling resistance. The tyres you've got are certainly going to be slower than a wide semi-slick, like many touring tyres, but they'll be a lot faster than tyres designed for muddy trails. The ones you've got don't actually look too bad for road use.
If you're going to make a habit of riding this bike on roads for decent distances, a tyre upgrade might be in order - you could gain puncture protection as well. As it's a tandem, note the weight recommendations on potential new tyres.
Overall I suggest you run with what you've got, and if you think "that was good but I'd like to be a bit quicker next time" consider an upgrade.
BTW Presta tubes don't inherently allow higher pressure, though they're more common on rims rated to higher pressure. Adapting is easy with a grommet but of no benefit to you.
answered Apr 13 at 19:04
Chris HChris H
24.5k138108
add a comment |
Looking at that tyre, its not very knobbly.
This would be a common knobbly MTB tyre as sold on 95% of BSOs out there - these would make a characteristic "rooooooaaaaAAAaaarrrrooooooaaaAAAaaaarrrr" as you pedal on smooth asphalt. (the AAA is where one crank is horizontal and adding the most power on the down stroke.
I'd simply carry ~3 spare tubes for your ride, along with the tools to get you out of basic problems.
If your tyres were worn out you could replace them with something like these 28mm slicks:
But the tradeoffs are less grip due to narrower profile and require higher pressure, of which your rims may not be capable.
I run these at 90-100 PSI on 26" MTB rims with schrader valves, on a 22 kg recumbent, and while your tandem will be about the same weight, it has two riders not one so an extra person's worth of mass.
answered Apr 13 at 22:29
Criggie♦Criggie
45.6k577157
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "126"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fbicycles.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f60357%2froad-tyres-vs-street-tyres-for-charity-ride-on-mtb-tandem%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
It's not the weight of knobblies that's the issue, but how much effort you have to put into deforming them with every rotation - the rolling resistance. The tyres you've got are certainly going to be slower than a wide semi-slick, like many touring tyres, but they'll be a lot faster than tyres designed for muddy trails. The ones you've got don't actually look too bad for road use.
If you're going to make a habit of riding this bike on roads for decent distances, a tyre upgrade might be in order - you could gain puncture protection as well. As it's a tandem, note the weight recommendations on potential new tyres.
Overall I suggest you run with what you've got, and if you think "that was good but I'd like to be a bit quicker next time" consider an upgrade.
BTW Presta tubes don't inherently allow higher pressure, though they're more common on rims rated to higher pressure. Adapting is easy with a grommet but of no benefit to you.
answered Apr 13 at 19:04
Chris HChris H
24.5k138108
add a comment |
It's not the weight of knobblies that's the issue, but how much effort you have to put into deforming them with every rotation - the rolling resistance. The tyres you've got are certainly going to be slower than a wide semi-slick, like many touring tyres, but they'll be a lot faster than tyres designed for muddy trails. The ones you've got don't actually look too bad for road use.
If you're going to make a habit of riding this bike on roads for decent distances, a tyre upgrade might be in order - you could gain puncture protection as well. As it's a tandem, note the weight recommendations on potential new tyres.
Overall I suggest you run with what you've got, and if you think "that was good but I'd like to be a bit quicker next time" consider an upgrade.
BTW Presta tubes don't inherently allow higher pressure, though they're more common on rims rated to higher pressure. Adapting is easy with a grommet but of no benefit to you.
answered Apr 13 at 19:04
Chris HChris H
24.5k138108
add a comment |
It's not the weight of knobblies that's the issue, but how much effort you have to put into deforming them with every rotation - the rolling resistance. The tyres you've got are certainly going to be slower than a wide semi-slick, like many touring tyres, but they'll be a lot faster than tyres designed for muddy trails. The ones you've got don't actually look too bad for road use.
If you're going to make a habit of riding this bike on roads for decent distances, a tyre upgrade might be in order - you could gain puncture protection as well. As it's a tandem, note the weight recommendations on potential new tyres.
Overall I suggest you run with what you've got, and if you think "that was good but I'd like to be a bit quicker next time" consider an upgrade.
BTW Presta tubes don't inherently allow higher pressure, though they're more common on rims rated to higher pressure. Adapting is easy with a grommet but of no benefit to you.
answered Apr 13 at 19:04
Chris HChris H
24.5k138108
It's not the weight of knobblies that's the issue, but how much effort you have to put into deforming them with every rotation - the rolling resistance. The tyres you've got are certainly going to be slower than a wide semi-slick, like many touring tyres, but they'll be a lot faster than tyres designed for muddy trails. The ones you've got don't actually look too bad for road use.
If you're going to make a habit of riding this bike on roads for decent distances, a tyre upgrade might be in order - you could gain puncture protection as well. As it's a tandem, note the weight recommendations on potential new tyres.
Overall I suggest you run with what you've got, and if you think "that was good but I'd like to be a bit quicker next time" consider an upgrade.
BTW Presta tubes don't inherently allow higher pressure, though they're more common on rims rated to higher pressure. Adapting is easy with a grommet but of no benefit to you.
answered Apr 13 at 19:04
Chris HChris H
24.5k138108
answered Apr 13 at 19:04
Chris HChris H
24.5k138108
answered Apr 13 at 19:04
Chris HChris H
24.5k138108
answered Apr 13 at 19:04
Chris HChris H
24.5k138108
24.5k138108
add a comment |
add a comment |
Looking at that tyre, its not very knobbly.
This would be a common knobbly MTB tyre as sold on 95% of BSOs out there - these would make a characteristic "rooooooaaaaAAAaaarrrrooooooaaaAAAaaaarrrr" as you pedal on smooth asphalt. (the AAA is where one crank is horizontal and adding the most power on the down stroke.
I'd simply carry ~3 spare tubes for your ride, along with the tools to get you out of basic problems.
If your tyres were worn out you could replace them with something like these 28mm slicks:
But the tradeoffs are less grip due to narrower profile and require higher pressure, of which your rims may not be capable.
I run these at 90-100 PSI on 26" MTB rims with schrader valves, on a 22 kg recumbent, and while your tandem will be about the same weight, it has two riders not one so an extra person's worth of mass.
answered Apr 13 at 22:29
Criggie♦Criggie
45.6k577157
add a comment |
Looking at that tyre, its not very knobbly.
This would be a common knobbly MTB tyre as sold on 95% of BSOs out there - these would make a characteristic "rooooooaaaaAAAaaarrrrooooooaaaAAAaaaarrrr" as you pedal on smooth asphalt. (the AAA is where one crank is horizontal and adding the most power on the down stroke.
I'd simply carry ~3 spare tubes for your ride, along with the tools to get you out of basic problems.
If your tyres were worn out you could replace them with something like these 28mm slicks:
But the tradeoffs are less grip due to narrower profile and require higher pressure, of which your rims may not be capable.
I run these at 90-100 PSI on 26" MTB rims with schrader valves, on a 22 kg recumbent, and while your tandem will be about the same weight, it has two riders not one so an extra person's worth of mass.
answered Apr 13 at 22:29
Criggie♦Criggie
45.6k577157
add a comment |
Looking at that tyre, its not very knobbly.
This would be a common knobbly MTB tyre as sold on 95% of BSOs out there - these would make a characteristic "rooooooaaaaAAAaaarrrrooooooaaaAAAaaaarrrr" as you pedal on smooth asphalt. (the AAA is where one crank is horizontal and adding the most power on the down stroke.
I'd simply carry ~3 spare tubes for your ride, along with the tools to get you out of basic problems.
If your tyres were worn out you could replace them with something like these 28mm slicks:
But the tradeoffs are less grip due to narrower profile and require higher pressure, of which your rims may not be capable.
I run these at 90-100 PSI on 26" MTB rims with schrader valves, on a 22 kg recumbent, and while your tandem will be about the same weight, it has two riders not one so an extra person's worth of mass.
answered Apr 13 at 22:29
Criggie♦Criggie
45.6k577157
Looking at that tyre, its not very knobbly.
This would be a common knobbly MTB tyre as sold on 95% of BSOs out there - these would make a characteristic "rooooooaaaaAAAaaarrrrooooooaaaAAAaaaarrrr" as you pedal on smooth asphalt. (the AAA is where one crank is horizontal and adding the most power on the down stroke.
I'd simply carry ~3 spare tubes for your ride, along with the tools to get you out of basic problems.
If your tyres were worn out you could replace them with something like these 28mm slicks:
But the tradeoffs are less grip due to narrower profile and require higher pressure, of which your rims may not be capable.
I run these at 90-100 PSI on 26" MTB rims with schrader valves, on a 22 kg recumbent, and while your tandem will be about the same weight, it has two riders not one so an extra person's worth of mass.
answered Apr 13 at 22:29
Criggie♦Criggie
45.6k577157
answered Apr 13 at 22:29
Criggie♦Criggie
45.6k577157
answered Apr 13 at 22:29
Criggie♦Criggie
45.6k577157
answered Apr 13 at 22:29
Criggie♦Criggie
45.6k577157
45.6k577157
add a comment |
add a comment |
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Gavin Campbell is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Thanks for contributing an answer to Bicycles Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fbicycles.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f60357%2froad-tyres-vs-street-tyres-for-charity-ride-on-mtb-tandem%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
1
Yeah, the only obvious improvement would be to get tires that are less "knobby", as that is a major factor in rolling resistance. But the Kiniption looks like a reasonably decent compromise. However, if the bike and rims will take it, a wider tire might be better, to handle the weight of a tandem better. And, if the roads are smooth, you might consider running a hair above 80psi -- most decent quality tires are good to 10-20 psi over their sidewall rating, and higher pressure reduces rolling resistance (but increases tooth rattling).
– Daniel R Hicks
Apr 13 at 19:23
All this confirms my suspicion that I may as well leave the current tyres on for now. And yes, I have considered pumping them up a bit harder!
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 13 at 19:26
How wide are your existing rims? Tyres too wide will erode around the edge of the rim. Tyres too narrow have different problems. <br> Were these tyres the factory fitment ?
– Criggie♦
Apr 13 at 22:30
Consider up-grading the brake pads. Most inexpensive bikes come with pads that are marginal at best. In 80 miles you are bound to roll down some long hills which will test the brakes integrity.
– mikes
Apr 14 at 19:30
It has disc brakes front and rear, and I have already upgraded to rotors that wouldn't look out of place on a motorbike! The bike was secondhand, I doubt those are the factory tyres.
– Gavin Campbell
Apr 15 at 14:15