# Any MTB commuters using beach cruiser tires?



## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

So I was in SoCal over the holiday, and I borrowed a friends Electra for a cruise on the boardwalk... It dawned on me that in the quest for the fast rolling fat tire, this world of tires might be getting overlooked. Electra makes their own, but I'm sure there are others also. 

Most cruisers are 26", and the tires are typically in the 2.0 range. Worth checking out if you're shopping. I checked their website, and Electra makes some pretty sweet ones. Just thought I'd throw it out there...


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

Beware of low pressure ratings when looking at cruiser tires. I've noticed most of the white walled tires have a max pressure rating of 40 psi.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

ooh didn't know that, that could be a drawback. I'm sure there was more than that in the ones I was riding though... They were rock hard and rolled fast.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Are cruiser tires much different from Big Apples? I`ve never tried BAs, but they`re tempting. I`ve ridden Serfas 2.0 Drifters on two bikes that I set up for other people- pretty nice at about 2/3 the price of Schwalbe BAs.


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

rkj__ said:


> Beware of low pressure ratings when looking at cruiser tires. I've noticed most of the white walled tires have a max pressure rating of 40 psi.


Yeah, my first set of 2.0 mtb slicks were 40 psi max, and that kind of sucks after a while. The Kenda Kwests I have now (60 psi) make a real difference.


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## Gary the No-Trash Cougar (Oct 14, 2008)

Cruiser tires are a great way to go (white walls look awesome), just make sure you're getting true ATB 559 ISO tires and not some older fractional size 26" tire.

Also, according to Sheldon Brown you can often run tires at a higher pressure than their sidewall rating. That's just a "guideline" apparently. Though lower is better, IMHO.


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

Gary the No-Trash Cougar said:


> Cruiser tires are a great way to go (white walls look awesome), just make sure you're getting true ATB 559 ISO tires and not some older fractional size 26" tire.
> 
> Also, according to Sheldon Brown you can often run tires at a higher pressure than their sidewall rating. That's just a "guideline" apparently. Though lower is better, IMHO.


You won't likely due damage to the tire itself, but if you severely overinflate a tire, it could blow off the rim.


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## spags25 (Dec 1, 2009)

I commute daily to and from school.. for this i found a tire i wanted to try, the Kenda K-Rad. I wanted something with little rolling resistance but not a full slick. Rolls fast and still has a little tread for when i wanna hop off the paved way for a little bit on my commute. It is a big tire, 26x 2.30 they might come in 2.5, but im not sure...Also i did try some trail riding in these, just to see what they could do. Not so good in sand or mud...other than that they hold up pretty well. They are wearing at an acceptable rate as well.


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## cockroach (Jun 12, 2009)

I use Schwalbe big apples in 2.0" size.
Excellent for my commute, soaks up the bumps that skinnier tyres I've used just passed on to my body, and they still roll fast & smooth.


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## Ktse (Jul 12, 2008)

rkj__ said:


> Beware of low pressure ratings when looking at cruiser tires. I've noticed most of the white walled tires have a max pressure rating of 40 psi.


That's considered low pressure? I run my 1.95" slicks on my rigid at about 30-35 psi (riding weight 150-165 lbs depend on gear). Any higher every bump in the road is felt. I've run them as low as 20 psi after forgetting to inflate them for about a month :madman:... definitely noticeable.

Might try a higher PSI next since the tires are rated up to 65 psi...


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## KeylessChuck (Apr 15, 2006)

Big Apples! Roll super fast and comfy at low pressures. The 2.35" is the tire I do most of my fair weather commuting with.

With really high volume tires like this, give lower pressures a try. I'm a 180#er, and I never go over 25psi


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## Surestick Malone (Jan 24, 2004)

I use the Schwalbe Big Apples to commute too. 2.35/2.1 front/rear. 

Advantages:
Comfort though unless you go low enough on the pressure to sacrifice some rolling resistance I don't think there's that much difference. 
Gearing is same as what it would be with similar sized knobbies.
Bit more grip.

Disadvantages:
Weight - you can definitely feel the weight when accelerating.


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

I don't understand buying fat tires and then keeping the pressure high. Fat tires are heavy and really kill forward momentum on any sort of hill. But they are plush. I had BAs and I doubt if I ever had them at 40psi and I'm 190.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

^^ for me, when I commute on the mtb, I notice a big difference in rolling resistance, which translates into speed on the pavement. The difference between 35psi and 60psi is about 3 minutes of commute time. I'm happy to sacrifice some plushness for speed on the commute. I certainly don't keep the pressure high, since this is my trailbike we're talking about, but I crank it up for the pavement and drop it back down for the trails. If I had a 26" that was a dedicated commuter, I'd want a fat slick that I could run at 60psi... beach cruiser style tires seem to fit the bill.


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## ong (Jun 26, 2006)

I use the Big Apples on my Xtracycle, and they're good with really big loads. Recently replaced the rear one with a Ritchey Moby Bite, and after ~10 flats in 150 miles, went back to the Big Apples. Didn't help that the wire bead was so agonizingly tight it took me 30 minutes to fix each flat....


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

CommuterBoy said:


> ^^ for me, when I commute on the mtb, I notice a big difference in rolling resistance, which translates into speed on the pavement. The difference between 35psi and 60psi is about 3 minutes of commute time.


Interesting. I've had four different tires from 1.5 - 2.0 and I haven't noticed a loss in commuting time from air pressure (each ride is +/- five minutes depending on traffic and what sort of activities I've participated in the 24 hours before the commute), though my route is admittedly fairly flat.

I have noticed a stunning lack of commuter bikes with fat tires in this thread, so after my indoor soccer game I'll search through my archives. Rock and roll.


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## spags25 (Dec 1, 2009)

I ride 2.3 Kenda K-rads....fat tire with not alot of rolling resistance


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## mainlane (Mar 28, 2007)

Maxxis Holy Roller - 2.2 or 2.4 

Cheap. Heavy. Slow wearing. Try it.


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

*Here we go*

Some pictures, as promised. The first is my KM with the BA 2.0, doing a glamor shot with the flask. The second is my 650b Fatty Rumpkins on a Salsa Ala Carte (favorite 'large' tire ever) and the last is my current commuter sporting some random continentals that are pretty quick.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

umarth said:


> Interesting. I've had four different tires from 1.5 - 2.0 and I haven't noticed a loss in commuting time from air pressure (each ride is +/- five minutes depending on traffic and what sort of activities I've participated in the 24 hours before the commute), though my route is admittedly fairly flat.
> 
> I have noticed a stunning lack of commuter bikes with fat tires in this thread, so after my indoor soccer game I'll search through my archives. Rock and roll.


Nice, thanks for the pics. 
My commute is pretty constant... no lights, no traffic, no stopping. I just feel like I'm working harder when I lower the pressure. Could be largely mental, but it does affect my time.


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## milkywaye (Sep 28, 2006)

Surestick Malone said:


> I use the Schwalbe Big Apples to commute too. 2.35/2.1 front/rear.


+1

i actually find the BA tyres as fast (and in most cases faster, when accounting for corners etc) as any other commuting tyre i have used for my mtb (even really skinny tyres)

the only thing i don't like about them is that i tend to puncture in them more than others (but checking tyres for embedded glass/stones before each commute limits that impact).


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## elvez (Jul 9, 2007)

Panasonic MC with 2.2 Kenda Flames. they work great in all climates so far (several years)


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

*Ba 2.0?*

can they handle mixed surface duty?


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## damrtn (Jan 14, 2009)

CommuterBoy said:


> ^^ If I had a 26" that was a dedicated commuter, I'd want a fat slick that I could run at 60psi... beach cruiser style tires seem to fit the bill.


I would think that beach cruiser tires would be REALLY heavy as compared to BA's or KRAD with no gain in plushness. Also running a really fat tire at 60 psi would defeat the purpose of having a fat tire to begin with, imho. I've played around with sizes and pressure, and a large tire with high psi was very harsh and bounced me on each bump.


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## Normbilt (Jan 17, 2004)

kenda 3.0 flames


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## Gary the No-Trash Cougar (Oct 14, 2008)

Normbilt said:


> kenda 3.0 flames


Nice! Fixed gear (?) with fat tires is a set-up I hope to emulate on some build some day. What are those camo rims?


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## Tzvia (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm new to commuting, and just 'converted' my old Anthem to a commuter and one of the things I did was get tires that were more like my road tires. Thinner tires with higher pressure seemed the way to go, so I bought Kenda Kwik Rollers in 1.25, pumped to 75psi. It seems to be working ok with the rear shock set to pro-pedal 2, on my street commute. What would I gain going to wider tires that would have more rolling resistance (I assume?) other than a more plush feel? Did I miss something?


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## Gary the No-Trash Cougar (Oct 14, 2008)

Tzvia said:


> What would I gain going to wider tires that would have more rolling resistance (I assume?) other than a more plush feel? Did I miss something?


Sounds like your bike is full suspension? I would go with the narrowest, fastest tires you can find. With fat tires, you would get a plusher feel and better cornering traction but the suspension would probably do the same thing.


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## bidaci (Nov 7, 2005)

Normbilt said:


> kenda 3.0 flames


Love it. Wish I had room for 3.0's. I'm currently running 2.5 Hookworms without much room to spare. Heavy but bombproof. Run em at 25 on the trails. Wide slicks are the way to go if you aren't looking for speed only or you don't just commute on the road.


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## Homebrew7 (May 8, 2008)

Depends on the tire's design, I use conti traffic tires, they look wide and fat but have a raised center about 1 inch wide, the edge knobbies still have the "hairs" on them and I've put a good 1200 miles of street use on them


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## Rykoh (Mar 26, 2009)

umarth said:


> Some pictures, as promised. The first is my KM with the BA 2.0, doing a glamor shot with the flask. The second is my 650b Fatty Rumpkins on a Salsa Ala Carte (favorite 'large' tire ever) and the last is my current commuter sporting some random continentals that are pretty quick.


+1 on the 650b Fatty Rumpkins... They make a great commuter tire for any 26" bike with discs...


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

I wish they did a 26 in version of those Pumpkins- they`re definitely the coolest looking tires I`ve ever seen!


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

if you have the clearance, hookworms are awesome. They corner better than most anything else I have tried, and roll fast.


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