Would using mountain knobby tires affect on-road performance?

Question

After an earlier question, I decided to get a MTB not only for mountain trails but also for on-road riding. Lots have been saying that I need to get an extra pair of road tires. Is this required, or is using the knobby tires are good enough for on-road riding.

Thanks

Answer 1

The knobby tires wouldn't be bad--you could certainly use them, but you'd have a lot of advantages if you had a set of street tires and a set of off-road tires.  The knobbys will wear out faster on the road.  There is a minor drop-off in performance--there is less tire on the road, so you lose a little bit of braking and manuverability.  

If a second set of wheels won't hurt your budget, it will give you a better ride and probably save you money in the long run--but if you don't have the cash, don't worry about it.

Answer 2

The real advantage to putting skinny tires or slicks on your MTB is that it will make you faster on the road than what you would be with your off-road tires.

If speed doesn't matter to you, then keep your fat tires on and ride wherever you want.

If speed does matter, well then, the choice is obvious...

Answer 3

Of couse you can use knobbies. It's better with smooth tires. Look at all the kids and adults cycling around - 80% probably have knobbies riding on the street.

Answer 4

The answer is yes,

I would recommend you spend 30-35 bucks and buy a pair of semi slick tires,

Something like this...

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/prof...

Its Called Rolling Resistance.

Rolling Resistance

"Rolling resistance" is the mechanical friction generated as the tire rolls. As a segment of the tire tread rolls into contact with the road, it deforms from its normal curved shape into a flat shape against the road, then back to the curve as the tire rolls onward. The deformation of the rubber in this process is what causes the friction.

There are two ways to reduce this friction, each subject to trade-offs:

The thinner and softer the rubber/fabric of the tire are, the more flexible they become.

The trade-off with this is that the thinner the tire gets, the more fragile it is, and the sooner it will wear out.

The higher the air pressure, the less the tire will deflect.

The trade-off with this is that if you pump the tire up too hard, you lose the benefits of pneumatic tires: the ride becomes excessively harsh, and traction will be reduced. In addition, extremely high pressures require a stronger (heavier) fabric and stronger (heavier) rim flanges.

Rolling resistance does decrease theoretically with any increase in pressure, but with modern, high-quality tires the rolling resistance at correct inflation pressure is already so low that the infinitesimal reductions gained are more than outweighed by the trade-offs.

Answer 5

Knobbies will be a little noisy on the road, and increase rolling resistance.   If you don't mind that, then go for it.

Semi-slicks give you the best of both worlds.   They ride OK on the road, and work just fine off road as well unless you're on wet or loose surfaces.

Answer 6

Aggressive knobbies do not roll very well on paved surfaces, however there are some knobbies that have mild k***s. If you want only use one tire/rim setup and you don't ride in muddy conditions consider buying a tire like the Kenda "Small Block 8". This tire and those like it roll pretty  well on paved surfaces when not run with low air pressure.

The Ultimate answer is to get a second set of wheels with road type tires and change them depending on where you plan on riding.