MTB Tire Wear on Roads - New Tires

[Sharon1958]

Today, I'm so over my roadie trauma, I couldn't care less. This afternoon, I was at my LBS to look at road bikes. I mentioned that I'd been road riding w/my MTB, and they told me that riding on pavement puts too much wear on my tires.

Now, I'm way more concerned with the damage I've probably done to my tires during long road rides. Yesterday I road 35 miles, and prior to that I road two 25 mile stretches.

I need to assess the damage to my tire nubs w/a magnifying glass - seriously. I may need new tires.

I have stock tires on my Cannondale MTB. Any idea how much 85 miles of road riding can wear MTB tires? I've ridden them at about 60 psi on the road.

[Superb Man]

except for highend-super soft compound sticky tires (which are not stock on your bike) mountain bike tires last a long time and a few hundred miles of road riding will not be their undoing...usually it's a few inches of sidewall ripping rock riding that does them in.

Seriously, until the sidewalls rip or the tread tears/ splits deeply ride your tires until they're bald. I have a an old C-dale I use as my child trail pulling, beach going, around the town bike. I've had the same fire xc pro mtb tires on it for four years now (and they were old then!)...they're finally getting a little worn but they work fine.

You'll need to adopt a new attitude if you don't want to get the bike shop blues and drive yourself nuts..with mountain biking--ride stuff until it breaks (beyond repair) then replace and repeat.

Anyway-100miles on the road will do little to compromise tthe integrity of a mtb tire.

[huff'npuff]

I agree with Superbman. I've ridden the East Bay Bike Path in RI many times,and my tires still have a lot left on them.
Seems like your LBS is like the old auto mechanic story ..." It's a woman,let's give her a snow job" Next they'll be telling you the tire's only flat on the bottom;or to change the air in your tires once a month. ::)

[Sharon1958]

I agree with Superbman. I've ridden the East Bay Bike Path in RI many times,and my tires still have a lot left on them.
Seems like your LBS is like the old auto mechanic story ..." It's a woman,let's give her a snow job" Next they'll be telling you the tire's only flat on the bottom;or to change the air in your tires once a month. ::)

Hi Huff,
Actually, what they said didn't really make sense to me, because the tires take much more abuse on the trails from rocks, etc. If what they told me were true, I was concerned that it might lessen my grip on the trails. I took their word for it because I'm in the LBS about once every six weeks, and I've developed a certain level of trust.

In any case, I've never been happier w/Shoo Goo and electrical tape in my life. So far, it's fixed my saddle and the rubber grips on my bike rack.

[Quo Fan]

What you probably did was improve the grip of the tires by wearing off all the mold release from the tires. Slightly worn tires perform better than brand new tires due to the mold release on the tires.

[Goldstar78i]

Don't worry about riding that little on road with MTB tires. Worry about riding on road all summer with freeride tires, like I did last year. Now that will wear down a tire.

[jniehof]

I rode an MTB as my primary transportation throughout junior high and high school, no problems with the tires. I know a number of people who prefer to ride MTB just to deal with the cruddy state of Massachusetts pavement and they haven't had any problems with stock tires wearing down too fast.

Don't sweat it :)

[skippy]

Have you thought about buying a set of slicks? You can get some inexpensive ones for around $20-30 a piece... You will need some new tubes too... I have found that when I ride with my wife (a roadie) it helps to change to the slicks -- I can inflate them to a much higher pressure and the rolling resistance is far less.

Just a thought.

-------
Same subject, related question...

Is it bad, or am I doing damage to my rims by changing out the tires occasionaly... I don't use tire levers (I can get the tires off by hand...), so I'm not abusing the rims at all...

[Sharon1958]

Have you thought about buying a set of slicks? You can get some inexpensive ones for around $20-30 a piece... You will need some new tubes too... I have found that when I ride with my wife (a roadie) it helps to change to the slicks -- I can inflate them to a much higher pressure and the rolling resistance is far less.

I am considering that. Which do you think slows you down more on a MTB, the tires or the weight of the bike? I tend to think it's the tires, but I'm just taking a guess.

[Quo Fan]

If you are going to be riding your mountain bike on the road a lot, then you might consider an extra set of wheels with slicks on them. A lot easier to change wheels instead of tires. I have a set of wheels that I have studs mounted on for winter riding. I upgraded the wheels on my Cake, and used the wheels that came with the bike for my "winter" wheels.

If you don't want to do that, then getting a set of slicks will deffinately help with your road riding. You should get a set of narrow slicks. I'm talking like 1.5" tires, and run them at the maximum rated pressure for the tire. If your bike is a full suspension, then stiffen up the rear so it doesn't bounce. If you have a hardtail, then disregard the last statment.

As to what slows you down more, it would be rolling resistance created by the tires. You will feel the weight of the bike on an extended climb, but will be faster on the descents. You want to reduce the rotational weight of your bike, meaning get light tires and wheels. Saving grams on a stem is nothing compared to saving grams on your tires.

[Superb Man]

You might also consider...a ROAD BIKE!

Stop bringing a knife to gunfight.

[hammerhead]

Be nice,

Stating the obvious is overrated.

But honestly, you can easily find a used road bike in OK condition for not much more than the cost of new light-weight wheels and slicks.

[Sharon1958]

You might also consider...a ROAD BIKE!

Stop bringing a knife to gunfight.

All I did was ask a question.

Why would you post such a rude response? Do think I'm intentionally making life difficult for myself? I can't afford a road bike right now. If I'm annoying you, just ignore my post.

[Superb Man]

I'm Not trying to insult you at all...but so far --on the road biking section of the nemba forums, i might add--you posted about how bringing a mtb to the road ride may have caused bad feeling and now how you are growing concerned with the number of ROAD miles you're putting on your tires. Seems to me you're getting a lot of asphalt pedalling time (your earlier post notes a 35 miler and two 25 milers in a short period!). The solution would be the proper tool for the job. The advice about slicks is fine for someone who doesn't mind swapping both tires daily depending on where they ride...does that sound like something you're going to do???

If you're finding that you ride the road with a fair amount of regularity (again, something your earlier posts suggest)...well, a road bike is the right answer (then you only have to swap bikes--- a lot easier than swapping tires on a regular basis, no?).

And spare me the thin-skinned, hurt-feelings vitriol--you post something in a public forum--expect public answers--even ones you don't like. I don't know if the person behind the cyber-pseudonym is a millionaire or pauper: either way, the advice is sound--if you find yourself logging a fair amount of road miles-I wouldn't mess around with slicks but figure on how to get possession of a road bike (old/new/ fancy/functional-that's up to the rider-but it's all good). Keep riding and smiling.

Liam

[Jisch]

One thing to consider is what you are trying to get out of the riding experience. I ride on the road during the winter and sometimes with my wife in the summer. I probably do it enough (and would do it more) with a real road bike. I could probably even afford a road bike. I don't buy one because I don't really enjoy road riding, and when I do ride the road, its about getting some exercise, not about going fast and logging huge miles.

The tires are slow and the bike is heavy, but that's not really important. My heart rate goes up, and at the end my legs are sore. I don't care if my average speed was low or that my knobbies created extra resistance.

Incidentally, this is one of the reasons I use Tioga DH tires, they are heavy and slow rolling, but they give me wicked traction and are cheap to replace. Riding on the road definitely shortens their life, but that's ok, I can get two for $30.

John

[Sharon1958]

I'm Not trying to insult you at all...but so far --on the road biking section of the nemba forums, i might add--you posted about how bringing a mtb to the road ride may have caused bad feeling and now how you are growing concerned with the number of ROAD miles you're putting on your tires. Seems to me you're getting a lot of asphalt pedalling time (your earlier post notes a 35 miler and two 25 milers in a short period!). The solution would be the proper tool for the job. The advice about slicks is fine for someone who doesn't mind swapping both tires daily depending on where they ride...does that sound like something you're going to do???

If you're finding that you ride the road with a fair amount of regularity (again, something your earlier posts suggest)...well, a road bike is the right answer (then you only have to swap bikes--- a lot easier than swapping tires on a regular basis, no?).

And spare me the thin-skinned, hurt-feelings vitriol--you post something in a public forum--expect public answers--even ones you don't like. I don't know if the person behind the cyber-pseudonym is a millionaire or pauper: either way, the advice is sound--if you find yourself logging a fair amount of road miles-I wouldn't mess around with slicks but figure on how to get possession of a road bike (old/new/ fancy/functional-that's up to the rider-but it's all good). Keep riding and smiling.

Liam

Clearly, both of my road posts irritated you. Unless this is just how you normally conduct yourself, how does being on a public forum justify sarcasm?

There is difference between honesty and boorishness. The tone of your responses makes the soundness of your advice is irrelevant to me. If you cannot resist making snide remarks, do not respond to my posts.

You seem to be one of the event organizers at the Harpoon ride at Wendell this Sunday, and you sound eager for people to attend. I hardly think this is the best approach to attract new NEMBA members - particularly those who don't "know" you.

[Superb Man]

are you kidding--sarcasm is the best part of public forums!

Also, I truly meant nothing malicious--but I still think it sounds like you're a candidate for a road bike--it's hard to make one type of bike serve two purposes--with or without slicks.

And, the responses to your question don't just pertain to you, afterall--you can start the thread but you don't own it--the public nature of the forum means others can tap in (as snidely and sarcastically as they want) and get what they want from it--notice how the discussion began to focus on using slicks for when you want to take a bike on the road---not really the question you asked--my response--get a road bike-is directed at the argument for slicks. Take it or leave it-as is your option...or respond to it, or say it's a bad idea, or start another thread, or PM me, or don't--

You can have the last word here-I'm done...until next time, of course ;D

[Quo Fan]

This is unusual, because I rarely agree with anyone about anything, but the jist of Superb Man's post is right. If you truly find yourself riding the road more than the trails, then invest in a road bike.

Personally, I would just get with a bunch of "slow" roadies (read casual riders and not wanna-be racers) and just ride the knobs off your mountain bike. Tires are cheap enough and if you don't like to change tires alot, or can't afford another set of wheels, just ride the ones you have.

[wannabee]

That's it. I've held my tongue long enough. All you 'know it alls', take a break.
Newfie has a good question. All your ideas are reasonable. Have you looked at the price of 'road' bikes lately. Even bikes on ebay are selling more than if you got them at your LBS. Plus, you can't return them or get them re-tuned. The LBS provides a service. Once they know that you know what you want, and they know that they can't pull a 770c tire on a 27 inch rim, you'll both win.
Run your MTB knobbies on the road. Inflate to the indicated maximim pressure. This reduces tire/road resistance. You won't have to pedal as hard. The knobs will wear down. It's a gimme, like ice cream melting when it's 100 degrees out.
If you can find a set of 26 x 1.5 slicks (ebay has them, that's where I got mine) great. A set of inexpensive rims, too.
Buy a roadie, too? You must be kidding! For those of us that still ride Huffeys or Sears Specials, we ride them until they can't be repaired any longer.
Ya, I have a MTB (or more). I've got a Roadie, (or is that Roadies), too. I've got a set (or two) of slicks. Also got a set of spikes. I've got a few sets of MTB tires, plus extra wheels. And each and every bike (and tire) cost me next to nothing! ZILCH! NADA!
I cannot see spending $1000 plus on a MTB or road bike. Let alone one of each. I'm lucky. My town has a recycle center that allows people to swap good used items, including bikes, called 'take it or leave it'. Damn nice looking Nishiki 12 speed (only needed cleaning and air in the tires) and Sterling MTB (hard tail, needed air in the tires), and that Trek 12 speed is light weight (had to put new chain on it - ouch!). Tires, the supply is sometimes overwhelming.
Ride your MTB anyway you want (knobbies or slicks). You can buy a lot of tires for the price of a roadie.

[Quo Fan]

No where in any of my posts did I ever mention what level bike Newfie should purchase. There are good entry level road bikes for under $600. I know, because I was thinking about one for a while, but decided against it because I don't have the time to ride a road bike too. And besides, 5 bikes is enough for me. All I said in my posts was that she should think about slicks, or if she is riding the road more than mountain, to invest in a road bike. I don't know how much she has to spend on a bike, and it really doesn't matter, because it is not my decision. She has to decide for herself what she wants, and then look at her budget and see what fits. That is what I was saying.