Faster 26 inch tyres

[bloomers100]

Mrs B currently has 26x1.5 Paselas on her Thorn. She'd like something narrower. I see that duranos are available at 26x1.1 would that be ok on her wider touring rim which I think is a Sunn Rhino. If not whats the thinnest we can go? There ain't a lot about though.

[mrcharly-YHT]

IME the paselas are actually pretty quick. I did dabble with 1" slick tyres, trying several types, but they were no quicker than the paselas. Durano plus would, I believe, be slower.

Conti Sport Contacts feel fast but this was never born out by actual journey times.

[mike]

I'll be watching this thread... I went from paselas to gatorskins, with perhaps a tiny difference in speed (not enough to quanitify) but the gatorskins got cut up *really* badly and I got punctures in both quite quickly.  I've gone back to paselas.

I might try the hamsterskins again in the summer when the roads are cleaner.

[Deano]

I quite like Paselas.

I'm thinking about getting some Marathon Supremes, though, as the folding Paselas are getting quite hard to find in the folding variety, and they're only a couple of quid cheaper than the Supremes.

[Poursuivant]

I ran a set of 26 x 1.6 Conti Sport Contacts (21km/day urban commute) - the rear lasted five and a half months and the front ten months. Conti/Ribble refunded me under the guarantee system that was running at the time (now stopped). I'm not tempted to try them again - similar to mrcharly above, I didn't notice any benefit.

[iddu]

Mrs B currently has 26x1.5 Paselas on her Thorn. She'd like something narrower. I see that duranos are available at 26x1.1 would that be ok on her wider touring rim which I think is a Sunn Rhino. If not whats the thinnest we can go? There ain't a lot about though.

http://www.sun-ringle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/rim_profiles.pdf

[CTC]"The ideal relationship between tyre and rim section is about 1.8 to 1, but any tyre from 1.4 to 2.2 times should fit – always provided that the bead diameters correspond."[/CTC]

Smallest I know is Specialized at 26 x 1.0 (559-25); after that, if you've got clearance, you're looking at switching to 650 based rims/wheelsets[1] (571mm dia, so you'd need min ~6mm extra clearance) - you could get 23mm's on that...

[1] whistles tunelessly, looking at spare pair in shed...

EDIT: Hmmm, wheelchair tyres come in 559-20, tho' I've never tried them on a bike for durability...

[Tail End Charlie]

The Rhino is a heavy, wide rim and narrower tyres would probably give a much harsher ride and would not be a good idea.

I use Durano Plus (26 x 1.1) on a Rigida Chrina rim, which works very well. Seem pretty puncture resistant and a doddle to get on and off. Very light and roll well.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I use Durano Plus (26 x 1.1) on a Rigida Chrina rim, which works very well. Seem pretty puncture resistant and a doddle to get on and off. Very light and roll well.

You really suprise me with this. I have a Durano plus on a Chrina 700c rim. It is a complete bastard to get on and off. The tyre itself is comparatively heavy.

[Tail End Charlie]

Re-checked, the ones I use (from Spa cycles) are Durano 26x1.1. They are foldable and really are doddle getting on and off.

Edit - MrC I'm talking cobblers, the rims are Snypers. Having said that I use Chrinas on two other bikes and don't have difficulty with tyres, although I know others have had.

[bloomers100]

Thanks for your views everyone. I think we'll stick with the paselas 26x1.5.

[mrcharly-YHT]

That explains it - duranos don't have the rubber layer that makes the durano plus heavy.

[Ningishzidda]

Conti UltraGatorskin 26 x 1.125 at 110 psi.

[mike]

Conti UltraGatorskin 26 x 1.125 at 110 psi.

dont yours get cut up?  Mine were bloody awful!

[dasmoth]

If you want something reasonably wide (and with 26" I tend to think that makes sense), Marathon Supremes are definitely worth  a try.  Spendy, but a very nice ride and don't seem too fragile.