While still undecided about my next uni, I wondered who runs a 3" Duro Wildlife Leopard (or equivalent) on pavement/sidewalk/bikepath.
I have heard that it can be heavy, unresponsive and plain hard work on concrete.
Would it be possible to use this as an all-purpose tyre, at the right pressure?
If you want a all purpose tire get a maxxis hookworm. i run one all spring summer and most off fall they suck in wet grass and mud but beyond that it is the perfect tire.
I won’t be looking to ride in mud, but would like it to be able to cope with wet grass and forest trails as well as concrete.
Felt Berm Master is decent (from what I hear) for all purpose. Could also just run higher PSI in the Duro and might find it’s not as bad as you think. Tire preferences are subjective, one guy will like a tire and another will hate the same one. I have a heavy beast of a tire on my 29er, and have been able to make it work for some time.
24 or 26" wheel?
I used a 3" duro on my 24x3 for several years, mainly riding on roads/paths and found it fine.
However, on my 26er I found the sheer weight of a 3" duro to be excessive.
On my 24x3 I preferred the duro to the hookworm, as hookworms don’t do well on the occasions I do any riding off road or on mud.
I ride my duro all over town. Turning is okay, but it is harder then it would be with a smoother tire. I really love how sticky and bouncy it is, and I see no reason to purchase a smooth tire. I have yet to find a spot where it fails to be a reasonable tire.
The Duro’s knobs will wear down pretty quickly if ridden on pavement. And it’s heavy and squirrelly. I’d go for a slicker tire if I were primarily riding on paths.
I forgot to add that many of the paved paths available to me are stepped and uneven. I was hoping for a slightly cushy tire which could smooth these a little and reduce UPDs (being a learner).
If the Duro was suitable I would probably go for the 24" as I understand it to be almost the size of a 26".
Yes, the Duros knobs wear down and, after a few months regular riding you end up with a big cushy slick tyre, which is pretty much how I had mine most of the time I rode it.
With the advantage that there’s a surviving edge of partial knobblies on each side of the tyre which are more useful in muddy conditions than a prefect slick.
I did thousands of miles on duros when I rode 24x3- I found them perfect for general urban riding- I tried other 24" tyres like the hookworm and some smaller volume ones, but always came back to the duro.
I recommend it heavily, and, another plus is that they last for ages- once in the slick stage they’ve still got loads of ride left in them- I used to ride them till patches of canvas showed through the rubber, and beyond: never had one fail on me.
I’d be riding them to this day if I hadn’t swithed to a 26" wheel (Quax)- like I mentioned earlier, a 3" tyre on a 26er is, for me, just too big and heavy.
But, for the 24" wheel, I never found the duro heavy or sluggish, and, as I live in a very hilly place, I’m more sensitive to heavy wheelage than most. For example, on my 29ers and the 26 I’ve switched out the original tyre for something much lighter, as I could really feel the extra mass on steep uphill climbs, but, for some reason, with the 24x3 the duro just never felt heavy. When I did try a lighter 24" tyre, I just missed the volume and cushyness of the duro.
Personally I’d not choose to use one for moderate off-road - just too heavy and sluggish.
I’ve got a well worn duro on my nimbus 26. That uni is H.E.A.V.Y.
I used that uni for everything, paved greenways, muni, trials. The knobs are well worn and I mostly just use the uni for training and riding down stairs/tech DH. I figure if I can do something on the heavy duro it will be easier once I move to a lighter uni. That and I do love the volume of the tire. I’m more willing to do high drops and other riskier things on that uni because I don’t have to worry about a pinch flat.
One thing I didn’t see mentioned… a heavier tire will affect climbing. It might not affect whether you make it up a particular hill or not but the added weight will certainly add up incrementally, tire (pun) you out quicker.
Right now the two unis I ride the most are:
duro (26) - heavy. With the pressure dialed in to where I like it for drops and hops it makes for slightly harder turning but it is nearly treadbare now. Let a little bit of pressure out of this tire and you won’t feel any bumps on the trail.
hans dampf (29) - I think this is half the weight of the duro, even though it’s for a larger wheel. VERY responsive to turning, no negatives that I’ve noticed when riding on pavement, makes for a very smooth ride. I haven’t had it long enough to see how it wears on pavement as I use it principally for muni. I don’t have quite the level of trust with drops as I do with the duro since I have had a pinch flat on the HD. Still, it sounds like high drops isn’t in your plan. You might look into a hans, they are available in 26 and 29 and they can certainly tackle trails.
Any riders local to you? I’d suggest you ride a duro and then ride a uni with a lighter tire, test them out. Rotational weight makes a big difference.
May I suggest getting a unicycle that is perhaps a little harder for you to ride now, but which would be more suited for the terrain once you become more experienced at riding it?
A Muni with a 3" tire is going to ride like a tractor on forest paths. It will be pretty easy to ride, but I think after you become more experienced it will seem pretty slow and not much fun, unless you take it on much more difficult terrain.
I think a 26/29/Coker with a narrow knobby tire would work really well for what you are riding. A first it will take some practice to ride it well, but I think you would get more use out of it on that kind of terrain once you get more comfortable riding it, which should not take too long.
I have a 29er that rides smoothly and quickly on tarmac with its road tyre and a 24" x 3" Duro QU-AX MUni that I ride all the time.
I’m considering getting a grippier tyre for the 29er this week, just to try it on a few muddy, smooth, gravelly trails to see what it’s like but I don’t think anything will get me away from my 24" - I just love that MUni and ride it whenever I have a choice 
Yes, it’s slower than the 29er, but if I cared about speed I’d be doing the trails on my BMX or MTB, not a unicycle grins
I work downtown and have been bringing in my 26" with a Duro to ride during lunch because it is more portable than my 36". I run it at 12 psi for a smooth ride and I really like it for urban muni. I have also been using it for hill climbing practice and the weight has not been a problem. I’ve got it on a Large Marge rim and it can be a bit tough to turn, but I find the benefits worth it. I’ve got a hookworm, but I’m too lazy to switch tires. The Duro has been an excellent all purpose tire in my opinion.
I love my Duro tire (24" on KH) & usually run it at 15psi but I only weigh about 120lbs
It is a heavier tire but gives a great ride & I do not find it unresponsive or hard work on concrete.
I do however run a hookworm on a DX 24 as well (so that I don’t wear out my Duro tread) & it is certainly a smoother faster & more responsive tire than the Duro on smooth surfaces & it performs quite well on mild off road paths / trails.
It actualy works really well offroad & I have even used it on packed snow without finding it any more slippery than other tires.
I do use more air in this tire than the Duro. Usually around 25 to 30 psi. as I mainly use it on smooth sufaces.
Another great bonus of the hookworm is the fact that if you buy one it will probably last longer than you will.
I am on my second one 
my first died due to a bad bead. But i ride it all the time except for bad mud and when winter comes so snow but never tried it in the snow