The best 26 inch slick mountain bike tire
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- Опубликовано: 18 фев 2021
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I’ve been looking for the best 26 inch slick mountain bike tires for quite a while now. I’ve restored 3 Cannondales and the last one, a Cannondale Killer V, has a set of worn Schwalbe Big Apple tires.
Slick mountain bike tires are the option when you’re looking into converting your retro MTB into a city- or gravel/trail bike. The Killer V is definitely no downhill monster with just 60mm. of travel in its Headshok P-bone fork. And overall, the bike is incredibly stiff and pretty unforgiving.
However it’s an absolute inner-city monster that much more fun too ride than a traditional road bike, and way cooler looking. Ever since I put Schwalbe Fat Franks on my Cannondale M300 I started to love slick tires on retro MTB builds. Both for their plush ride quality and their minimal rolling resistance.
The lowest rolling resistance. The lightest weight. Championship endowed. And coming in a beautiful 26 inch package. The Continental Speed King 2 Racesport has everything going for it and is the winner on my list for speed junkies looking for the perfect semi slick to bomb XC trails and even give road bike cyclist a run for their money.
Its ridiculous TPI count of 180 enables the weight to come down to a mere 410 grams, which is by far the lightest tire on my list. It means that you’re a rocket when putting the power to the pedal. Even with 2.2 inch wide tires, which’ll look sick on any retro MTB.
When I went from the Schwalbe Big Apple to the Racesport I shaved of 600 grams of the entire weight. While riding the bike this is noticeable. And I don’t know if was just my mind playing tricks on me or the low rolling resistance kicking in, but I really felt I was going faster.
Tires are a huge design factor when doing a build and looks is one of my biggest priorities, if not the biggest. I’m not doing competitions, I’m not a world traveller looking for high mileage and the biggest puncture protection, I want my bike to look sweet.
For the Cannondale Killer V I decided to go for an all black tire instead of a tan wall, and I feel this is also the best looking tire of the bunch.
I have seen people complaining about the tire being out of alignment and having wobbles. I didn’t experience this issue at all and if you do you might want to check my video on how to prevent such a thing from happening.
If it has one downside at all the price might scare you a bit. I paid €75 for a pair, which meant it’s more than two times as expensive as the Big Apples and also the most expensive tire on the list. But as far as first impressions go, I consider it worth every penny.
The top 12 best 26 inch slick mountain bike tires: www.restoration.bike/bikes-an...
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Wow, this video is exactly what I was looking for while researching 26" wheels for my restoration, thanks for sharing 🙏
I never changed from being retro. I still ride a 26 mtb
Running the 29” WTB Thick Slicks. Amazing tire! So quiet and so sticky on pavement.
LOVE THEM GUM WALL TIER'S!!!🎉🎉🎉
If you're on a budget, or even if you're not, the Michelin Country Rock is a real hidden gem. They can be had for half the price of continental & maxxis' and I'm confident they have identical speed and efficiency. Incredible value.
Yeah, I would love it if they made them in 2.0" or 2.1" widths, but they only have a 1.75" version. What with the cobbled streets, potholes and very high curbs where I am, I really want this style of tyre but with more volume and a good height. Which a 1.75" tyre probably doesn´t have.
What's better for puncture resistance. I want to switch to slicks, but flats are likely around here without good protection. I use Green Slime tire sealant in Goodyear extra thick tubes, but would be even better with puncture resistance in the tires.
@@uncrunch398 If you're asking for 26" specifically, then Kenda Kwick Drumlin might be a good option for you, has much thicker rubber than most similar tires.
@@frunkiss Is 26 x 1.95 an option?
@@uncrunch398 2.0 inch, close enough
Very good review. Nice dura ace cassette
personally I would refer to your choice of tyres as off road 'semi slick' as oppose to say the maxxis detonator or schwalbe kojak on road tyres I use and as a former long term bike messenger I prefer the 1 inch widths... 26er for life!
post 2yrs old - tires not in production or very hard to find.
Am rocking a Speed King at rear and Race King at the front on mostly asphalt. Very noticeable speed improvement over knobby Kenda tyres that came with the bike. Very happy with the combo. German online retailers like Bike Discount or Bike Components carry these tyres probably at price lower than mentioned in the video.
I am using the Race Sport version of these tyres, meaning lighter weight but thinner side wall. Using also inner tubes as the Speed King is not tubeless ready.
I usually pick the shop that offers the cheapest, sometimes making an exception when buying multiple things at the same shop to lower shipping costs. Both shops you mention offer them for a slightly higher price.
The Speed King and Race King combination is indeed a very solid choice as far as a weight/speed + grip setup goes.
Where can I buy these? Can't find a racesport one.
Do you by chance know what freehub assembly would work on a spinergy rev roks that’s missing the freehub, cone nut etc?
The fastest tire for 26' is the Continental Grand Prix. It weighs 340g. Bicycle Roling Resistance has tested it on its site.
I did not take tires into consideration with a width lower than the classic 1.95 inch. The max width of the Grand Prix is 1 1/8 inch.
Man, i Saw your Review in the web and this vídeo. Very good. What do you think is better for a 1996 rockhopper: a schwalbe hurricane (26x2.1) ir the maxxis dth (26x2.3)? I use It 90% at city... But some friends of Mine whats to do some trails... I didn't found the speedking in Brazil...
Both tires are not meant for trail riding at all. If you take those tires out on the trail and hit a sandy corner, they will have zero grip. If you want to have low rolling resistance for your city rides, but have the option to at least have some grip in dry conditions on light trails I would recommend a dual setup (front and back) of the Maxxis Ikon or the Kenda Booster Pro with TR casing. You can read more in my article on 26 inch cross country tires: www.restoration.bike/bikes-and-parts/26-inch-cross-country-tires/
Kenda K838 is very good for the asphalt and it's affordable
Ссылка из описания не работает. Очень хочу прочитать про сравнение покрышек
hello, what size is ur rims?
I was tempted by these for my XC bike but I'm guessing anything other than hard pack would be lethal, so I went for Race King Racesport.
A wise decision indeed.
I ride ❤️ killer V 94' with AMP fork and DT 240 hubs ....tyres 2.0 Big Ben 👍🏻schwalbe
😆New Billy Bonkers ...black,amber,bronze wall 2. Generation of production ? you didn't consider that option 😁??
and maxxis DHL is your first option 😆😉
So I am glad you are upfront with what's important to you. I am looking to buy these tires as I recently sold what I had. (Only got a pair of studded atm). Weight is definitely a good point as you reduce gyro-effect as well as it makes acceleration quicker as it's less mass to start rotating. (Like a flywheel). But how do they perform in a real life application? I ride on 80% asphalt and the rest is gravel with a lot of potholes. Do you have any experience in this area with these tires?
For the far majority I ride asphalt as well. Could be well over 90 percent. I'm turning the entire bike into a version which goes as fast as possible in a fairly straight line. And I'm never going to abuse it on a trail with those delicate Spinergy wheels.
The tread on top of the tire is really minimalistic, with about a single millimeter in depth or so. Only with hard cornering you can hear the purring sound of the side knobs working. All in all it means going straight on tarmac or hardpack they are fantastic tires, but only will help you so much on a (very) windy trail.
If you're really concerned for grip on the trail you should be looking into using this one only for the rear and have a more grippy one up front. A very solid combo is the Speed King in the rear and the Race King in the front. It weighs a bit more with 535 grams for the 26" version, but that's still awfully light. And they have a matching look.
And as far as potholes are concerned, it's more about the entirety of your setup than the specifics of a single tire. What tire width, PSI, wheels, fork, and even seatpost.
@@restorationdotbike OK, so not too much grip obviously, but they will mostly be used on asphalt. Michelin have some tires too for a good price, they at least look a bit more grippy, almost like a car tire with good old fashion threads. Guess I'll know what's happening by the end of the week. Thanks for the reply. :)
Bout to try out Schwalbe Kojak 2.0 and the Rat Traps from Herse. Both on old school Bridgestone MBs.
If price isn't an issue, I'd go for Rat Traps. The Speed King unfortunately isn't in Continental's lineup anymore. Probably because as far as XC tires is concerned, it was such an outlier (not enough grip). Rene Herse tires are made by Panaracer with a custom compound from RH. The Extralight casing is the lightest 26 inch MTB tire on the market surpassing even the SpeedKing, and that at a width of 2.3". When compared to the Kojak (2" width) there's a 300 grams difference for a pair, which is a noticeable difference.
@@restorationdotbike Kojaks are less weight? I went for standard Rat Traps, not extra light. I’m trying the Kojaks on another MB.
good morning sir, how bout chaoyang merlin? is it good as a semi slick tire for city rides?
Can't say. Never used the brand. But as a 26 x 1.95 at 305 it is rather skinny (the Racesport is 2.2" width) but pretty lightweight.
I am interested in this topic, 26" slicks or semi-slicks...but...but...I am not concerned about 'bombing' or speed. I care about durability, general use and puncture resistance. What do you got?
If you care about durability and puncture protection the Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB is one of the best tires. Packs a ton of rubber and has a 5mm tire belt, which basically means you can ride across a field of thumbtacks without having a flat.
Is this tubeless compatible? Thinking to put on my dirtjumper bike
Yes, but it's not without issues: weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=152884
Having a difficult time locating these tires in the US. Any suggestions?
I made this video 2 years ago. They went out of production the year I made it. Guess they didn't sell that well.
Where can I get those awesome looking rim in 26”??
They're called Spinergy Rev-x Roks, and were made in 1995. So look on Ebay. I've made a video review about them. I suggest you'd watch it if you're serious about obtaining a pair: ruclips.net/video/uKL0lJXwH3k/видео.html
Are 26 and V Brakes retro if you never had anything but?
Yes. My definition of retro is that the technology used to achieve a certain goal is widely accepted to be inferior to a certain technology that replaced it. And to be roughly two decades old.
I'm converting a Beast of The East to drop bars and 11 speed. How is the puncture resistance of the Continental Speed King? I'm in NYC and want this for urban adventures with my family. My Kendras never puncture, but I've had problems with Kojaks and Intense dirt jump tires (super fast BTW). Great vid, thx!
I've never had a puncture, which kind of makes sense, since I use these for 90% city use. And a flat on those roads is usually bad luck. For instance I recently had a flat with knobbies on tarmac because of a 2" piece of steel lying on the road.
These tires make use of the black chili compound. Is that more puncture resistant than proprietary compounds used by other brands? I don't know. There isn't an objective data-driven comparison research on the web as far as I know. But if you use the tires for "urban adventures" as you call them I expect you to have the same result as I have, which is only punctures because of bad luck.
how does it perform on wet roads, pavement? i hear its weakness on wet trails, but no info on wet roads.
Dry or wet, this is not a trail tire, nor is any other slick tire. Relative to a true trail tire this one has zero grip. As for wet roads, what are your requirements? Grip? Handling? Speed?
@@restorationdotbike As I will use it 90% on roads, I'm looking for grip on wet tarmac of cos. Especially during cornering.
@@restorationdotbike If it is neither this tire not that tire, what is it best at? In what condition will it perform its best?
How does it perform on wet urban pavement & roads? I need tyre with less rolling resistance for 15miles per week urban in a wet country.
@@ahmadzuhairi have you found a tyre that will suit your needs yet? i have the Schwalbe hurricanes on my mtb and they perform brilliant, got me through frosty weather. semi slick with side nobs for cornering. never taken on trails but they've done well at a dirt pump track.
How have your found the durability? These seem perfect for my gravel bike but there is so little info about them. I ride 50/50 road and hard pack.
My goal for this bike was to make it as fast as possible for 95% road use. Of all the tires I researched these 410 gram ones are the best tires for my goal. Light tires with minimal tread also means they are not the most durable ones. If your goal is durability for road and hardpack, look somewhere else.
I think my blog about XC tires is better suited to your needs: www.restoration.bike/bikes-and-parts/26-inch-cross-country-tires/ The most durable and most expensive tire as well for 26 inches is probably the Rene Herse Humptulips Ridge w. Endurance Plus casing. That one still rolls remarkably fast I can tell from experience.
@@restorationdotbike That's incredibly helpful! Thanks for the detailed reply.
Pair it with TPU tubes.
how long do they last
That's totally dependant on riding conditions > tarmac, gravel, wet, dry etc.
You have trick looking rims
I agree.
Fuck that's a scalpel.. you're doing surgery on that unboxing or something? lol
Filmed in the morgue ;)
Too expensive and too wide, for my taste. But it is a good looking tyre.