Can i put skinny tires on a mountain bike?

Question

ok, i know nothing about biking, but i want to put skinnier road or hybrid tires on my mountain bike, tell me if hisis possible and how i can do this please

if you need more details just let me know

Answer 1

No. They are a different size. But you can get high pressure road tires for it.  Check out your local bike shop.

Answer 2

You can get road tires for your mountain bike.  They will be different size than the road bike tires but will serve the same. For a really fast tire that has exactly the same characteristics as its road bike brethren try the Schwalbe Stelvio. Available in 26X1.10.  If you have a shop that deals with recumbents they would be able to help you with tire selection.  Recumbents frequently use 26" wheels and are plenty fast.  Another fast tire in the 26" size is the Primo Comet.  1.5" wide it will pump up to 100psi and the generally go for $25 for the normal version and $35 for the Kevlar belted version.  Its a long time favorite among 'bent riders.

Answer 3

Sure,

Look for some 26x1.25 tires, try to find some with a psi max of at least 85psi.

Answer 4

If you are riding off-road and also riding on the road regularly, the easiest but not the cheapest thing to do is get a cheap second set of rims and mount a set of road type tires on them. Several tire makes offer 26" road tires, this makes changing from road use to trail riding the simple task of swapping one wheel set to the other.

Parts needed to do this:

2 tires (tubes if not using tubeless)

2 rims (disk mount or rim-brake?)

1 rear cassette

2 disk brake rotors (if disk and not rim-brakes)

Answer 5

If you use different rims, you can.  There are lightweight slicks that you can get for mountain bike rims.  would be cheaper

Answer 6

The mountain bike is a heavier, more rugged constructed bicycle and putting thinner tires will not help the efficiency of the bike. If you aren't using the Mt.bike for cross country rides then go to a bike store and trade for a racing or touring bike (with thin tires). You can fit thin tires on the rims if the tire is the same size as the rims.

Spartawo...

Answer 7

I use hybrid tires on my old beater mountain bike that I use for commuting.  They are the same width as the MTB tires, but they have a smooth tread pattern in the middle to reduce rolling resistance.  They have lugs on the sidewalls to help grip in the dirt.  I keep them inflated to about 40 psi and they are great.  They are nearly silent and very fast on pavement.  If I want to ride in the dirt,  I just reduce the tire pressure a little and they work fine there, too.

Answer 8

I'm right there with you buddy, I wanted to get better rolling speed out of my mountain bike so I took of the low end Knobby bontragers that came on it and replaced them with Maxxis Holy Rollers.  They're big still but they are slick and roll very well.  I'd suggest that for your cheapest option.  Otherwise you'd have to buy skinnier 26" rims and wheelsets are not cheap.  The Nimbus EX is also a slick MTB tire that you could look at. Check them out on the website I linked to.  Best prices and fast shipping.  Peace

Answer 9

You cannot put tires for a road bike onto a mountain bike. They have different sizing. But there are slim, road tires for mountain bikes that installs onto mountain bike wheels.

There are two different rim sizes for mountain bikes, 20mm and 22mm. A 20mm wide rim can take tires as wide as 2.10" or as narrow as 1.0". A 22mm wide rim can only fit a 1.5" or greater tire.