Mountain bike like tyres on a racer

not really. depends on what size tyre your bike will allow. You may be able to get a tourer tyre on. I have one on my bike and is a 28c tyre but dont think it would go much further. See the pic attached.

jwof2006 wrote: »

Is this possible, im not interested in high speed and would like safer tyres.:D

Safer from what?

Raam wrote: »

Safer from what?

All those broken bottles you missed.:pac:

Raam wrote: »

Safer from what?

I too am curious.... do tell OP, please.

Having an MTB and a road bike, I can safely say that in my experience, that I get more grip and more predictable handling on both wet and dry tarmac with the road bike tyres. I've got the rather expensive Continental GP4000s on the road bike and it's taken me a while to learn to trust them as I've taken a few spills on the MTB when I have been cycling on the road. The MTB tyres are Maxxis Advantages which are very very good tyres offroad but they don't have as good grip on the road as the road tyres. The slicks are good at biting through the water to get to the road surface, and the compound itself is grippy (on tarmac) compared to the off-road tires. Now on muddy tarmac, all of the tyres I have used have low grip but the MTB tyres give up earlier but are smoother when sliding. It's odd!

To better answer the question, what type of surfaces do you expect to cycle on and why do you feel unsafe with the slicks on?

cormie wrote: »

Thanks a lot, have you any idea whether the bike I linked to would be compatible with more off road tyres? I'm not really sure what to measure and how to tell? Any recommendations on a set of tyres for dirt trails offroad too?

You *might* squeeze 28s on that but certainly not any wider. You won't get cross tyres on it. There are few bikes in the world that are less suitable for off road riding; I really wouldn't recommend it. If you were just talking about a dirt path that was a shortcut on a commute, or a short section of an adventure race, then sure, it should handle it, but I wouldn't go taking it off road for fun (unless your idea of fun is loss of control and crashing.)

cormie wrote: »

Thanks Blorg, I was more thinking just not being limited to tarmac and paved roads and being able to take it on the likes of the Greenway cycle route in Mayo.

I don't know how bad that is but you can certainly do unpaved roads. I even used to tour, heavily loaded (as I carried all my girlfriend's stuff as well as my own) on 25s, including on Italian Strada Bianchi. But I wouldn't do it out of choice. You have a much higher risk of pinch flats on a bad surface.

cormie wrote: »

That's good to hear. Do you reckon any oul road tyres will be good? If you remember this thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055247087 you'll see I've 23 wheels and it says I need 23 or 25 tyres, and there's a suggestion to use continental ultra gator skins or Specialized armilidos. I believe I have 2 Continental Sport 1000 700 x 23c Wire - Black/Red on at the moment.

25 will be much better. You might get 28 on even if out of spec. I prefer Gatorskins to Armadillos. Make sure to inflate as puncture protection does nothing against pinch flats.

Any of them should do.

I have a similar vintage giant FCR3 and I have run 28mm tyres on it in the past. They're a pretty tight fit though, I had to do some hacking on my mudguards. I'm currently running 25mm gators and have taken it off road (accidentally) through some forest trails. Tyres coped well enough taking it easy. Only had one or two spots where I lost grip and otherwise it was fine.

blorg wrote: »

25 will be much better. You might get 28 on even if out of spec. I prefer Gatorskins to Armadillos. Make sure to inflate as puncture protection does nothing against pinch flats.

With winter coming in, I'd go with Gatorskins - much better in the wet. I never had a puncture with Armadillos but I had a few slides! Even taking off from the lights, they sometimes slip a bit...

Thanks again folks, might just stick with the 25 incase the 28 don't fit. Not sure how to tell if I have long reach brakes or if the 28's would fit without buying them first.

Another tire worth considering are Conti GP 4 Season, not as puncture resistant as Armadillos or Gatorskins, but pretty close and much more grip. Also available up to 28s AFAIK

Edit: Wiggle have 2 folding 4 Season + tubes for ~€84 atm

cormie wrote: »

Giant SCR 3.0, this one here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055247087 (picture of it at the bottom)

Well if all SCRs are made the same then you should be able to get 32's on, definitely 28's.

I have 28's on my SCR at the moment in time. I'll probably put a 32 on the rear for a loaded trip to EP at the weekend. My wheel rims are sized for 18-28mm tyres but I never had any trouble with the 32's.

Another vote for Gatorskin 25's. Good enough for the Great Western Greenway, Gaelforce and touring on loose hardcore.

cormie wrote: »

That's great to heard hardCopy, so 28 should be even better.

These are the only ones available in 28 actually: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-ultra-gatorskin-road-tyre/

I have a 2008 SCR 1.5 and find the 25's just barely squeeze between the callipers when I take the front wheel off, not sure I'd manage with 28's. But I do take the wheel off a lot, as in several times a week.

If you were to get them in an LBS they may fit them on the spot and you'd know for sure before buying.