Looking for truly slick 24" tire for 1st uni.

[Pinoclean]

The DTH in 24 and 20 is a great tyre. The hookworm is bloody heavy

[Saul_nova]

Since this unicycle will be the one I learn on, I decided to go with the Club 20" instead. I will probably be fitting it with a Schwalbe Kojak 20". If I like this uni, I’ll probably order the Club 24" (or larger wheel) but definitely from a different retailer, because of UDC only offering FedEx shipping. I usually demand USPS Priority Mail, for many reasons.

@Mikefule

You’ll find that this forum is the friendliest place on the internet and is full of people who have a passion for their sport. Strange thing is, the more miles you do, and the more unicycles you ride, the more you realise that the market has responded well to what experienced rides need. A beginner’s preconceptions of what they might need are often mistaken.

Unicycling is still a niche market compared to bicycling, and if tools need to be made to produce tyres or other components, there is always a compromise.

There is a fundamental difference between “knobbly tyres” where the knobbles stick out, and a “treaded tyre” which has grooves in what would otherwise be a smooth surface. A treaded tyre has pretty much the same rolling characteristics as a completely slick one, with the added benefit of better grip in the wet.

I respectfully disagree with that last part (which I highlighted) and will state that any reduction in contact area is a detractor on the pavement. It’s a common misconception that grooves in the tread pattern will offer a traction advantage on wet pavement. We see that car tires have grooves and think that all tires will benefit from them. If we look at the tires of motorcycles though, we see no grooves. Road-bicyclists, having benefitted from slick tires on their skinny-wheeled bikes, are starting to demand slick tires for their wider-wheeled bikes and Schwalbe is responding with the Kojak. Thank you, road-bicyclists!

[elpuebloUNIdo]

@saul_nova

i decided to go with the club 20" instead.

+1

[MrImpossible]

@Saul_nova

I respectfully disagree with that last part (which I highlighted) and will state that any reduction in contact area is a detractor on the pavement. It’s a common misconception that grooves in the tread pattern will offer a traction advantage on wet pavement. We see that car tires have grooves and think that all tires will benefit from them. If we look at the tires of motorcycles though, we see no grooves. Road-bicyclists, having benefitted from slick tires on their skinny-wheeled bikes, are starting to demand slick tires for their wider-wheeled bikes and Schwalbe is responding with the Kojak. Thank you, road-bicyclists!

Road bikes use slick tires mostly for decreased rolling resistance, but rolling resistance is pretty much irrelevant for small wheel unicycles. The increased tire contact patch doesn’t give much/any increased traction because you have correspondingly less pressure.

Knobby tires waste energy because the tread knobs squirm around, and they can also “walk” around as the tread deforms, but they don’t lose much traction. Check out the video muni ben just posted, riding extremely steep rock on a very knobby tire. He’s got more traction than I’ve ever needed!

The grooved and inverted tread pattern tires that come standard on unis aren’t knobby enough to have any noticeable side effects vs. a slick tire, and do a little better on loose surfaces, so they’re fine. If you never go offroad, a slick is fine too, but you won’t gain anything.

[Mikefule]

@Saul_nova

If we look at the tires of motorcycles though, we see no grooves.

Simply untrue. I’m on my 9th motorbike in over 25 years of riding. Not only have all of them had grooves on their tyres, but it would have been illegal to ride them without. Grooveless slicks are for dry tracks, but grooved tyres are necessary for roads which may be wet.

That said, I do agree with your other point that grooves on bicycle (and unicycle) tyres may not necessarily enhance the grip. As these tyres already have a tiny contact patch, compared to a car, the addition of grooves to help disperse the water may be unnecessary.

My primary point earlier,perhaps badly expressed, was the important difference between “knobbly tyres” which have raised knobbles to dig into soft surfaces, and"treaded tyres" which have grooves cut into what would otherwise be a smooth surface. Knobblies have more rolling resistance and can squirm on a tarmac surface. The grooves in a treaded tyre make little or no difference to the rolling resistance.

[Pinoclean]

@Mikefule

Simply untrue. I’m on my 9th motorbike in over 25 years of riding. Not only have all of them had grooves on their tyres, but it would have been illegal to ride them without. Grooveless slicks are for dry tracks, but grooved tyres are necessary for roads which may be wet.

That said, I do agree with your other point that grooves on bicycle (and unicycle) tyres may not necessarily enhance the grip. As these tyres already have a tiny contact patch, compared to a car, the addition of grooves to help disperse the water may be unnecessary.

My primary point earlier,perhaps badly expressed, was the important difference between “knobbly tyres” which have raised knobbles to dig into soft surfaces, and"treaded tyres" which have grooves cut into what would otherwise be a smooth surface. Knobblies have more rolling resistance and can squirm on a tarmac surface. The grooves in a treaded tyre make little or no difference to the rolling resistance.

The difference between this

and this perhaps?