Mountain Bike Tires?

Ian wants to ride his mountain bike on the road and wants to hear our suggestions as to which tires he should use, this is what we think:

Question:
What are the best tires I can use on my mountain bike when
I’m riding on the road.

Hi Ian.

If you are riding your mountain bike on the road and not worried about traction in mud and over boulders, then you should go for as little tire tread as possible, the best being a slick or smooth tire. Also get as small a width and light a tire as you can find, smooth, narrow and light tires roll the easiest on the road and cause the least friction, they might not be the most comfortable, but they will be the most responsive and the fastest.

There are many available:

The Vittoria Randonneur Pro MTB tire is a robust tire with a little tread and puncture protection, great for city riding or long distance touring. It’s a folding tire and weighs 450 grams, a good strong hard wearing tire.

Continental Sport Contact tire is semi slick with a little groove, very little rolling resistance, a tough and fast tire.

Hutchinson Top Slick 2 tire is totally slick with a rounded profile, very supple and light.

The Michelin XCR Road tire is another slick tire, light weight and has great road traction, probably one of the best tires. Also from Michelin is the WildRun’R Advanced tire, very light and fast, well worth looking at.

Those are some of the more well known tires available; ask at your local bike shop as they will advise which are best for your area. If the roads are good and you don’t get much grit on the road then you can go for a light tire. If it rains a lot in your area or the roads are very rough or with a sharp finish to its surface then a heavier tire will last longer without cuts in the rubber.

Punctures cannot be avoided, they can happen at any time, but as the tire gets older and thinner than it’s more likely to puncture. Of course cost can always an important question that only you can decide on. Economical tires can be good if you find the correct one for your uses, they may need replacing more often, but you can find some good ones. As with most things you get what you pay for and the lighter faster tires tend to be more expensive.

Good luck Ian, remember; smooth, light and narrow is the answer.