Been at this for about 4 months and now up to 1/4 mile runs with comfortable turns and 90% controlled dismounts. My aim (for now) is just to be a really competent road rider, to be able to get around town. Yesterday my 4-month-old Kenda 24x1.95 tire flatted. The tire looked in perfect shape except at one point where the threads came through. When I went to buy a new tire, I found all the stores I checked have little or no inventory. I was able to patch the flat and duct-tape the inside to hold me for a short while. UDC says anything between 24x1.95 up to 24x2.50 will work. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good road tire? And is there a big performance difference between 1.95 and 2.5? I may just have to settle for what I can get.
Again, my aim is mount easily, ride on roads/parking lot, some mild hills, but no tricks or Muni. Thanks, I searched all the posts but a lot of the tire recommendations from old posts were for tires no longer manufactured.
Maxxis Hookworm is a classic. 24x2.5, a bigger volume sturdy tire mostly aimed at the BMX types doing tricks. Since a unicycle has all the load on one tire, I think it’s a good idea to step up to something bigger and sturdier than you would choose for a bike. It’s smooth with some grooves, so it won’t slow you down like a knobby tire. Probably last forever.
I have a Schwalbe Crazy Bob 2.35" on my 24" wheel. It’s a pretty similar idea. Sturdy build, a little smaller, more grooves. I think the Hookworm wasn’t available when I chose it.
I have a URC 24 that fits pretty big tyres (up to 4") and my favourite is 24"x3" Felt “Thick Brick”, which has a road thread. I used it on and off road and with hills and it is a great allrounder. I get that this does not help you directly, since it is not an option for your frame size but I guess the point I am trying to make is that bigger tyres can still work for the use cases your suggested.
In the size range you specify, I have used a Schwalbe Crazy Bob 24" x 2.35", which I quite liked but I felt like it was more sensitive to road camber than the Thick Brick. That said, It gets good reviews as a tyre more generally (amongst bicyclists) and given that Mad4One offer it as an option on their unicycles, I presume other unicyclists like it.
If you want to look around at other tyres for 24", Hollandbikeshop have a wide range of options. Even if you don’t buy from there, it shows you what is available and if you find something interesting you will know the brand and model names to search around elsewhere.
I just looked on United States UDC and the only 24" tire they sell is the heavy Duro. Not right for you! I ride my 24" on and off-road and use the Schwalbe “Smart Sam” 2.1". It is a great all-around tire, and I love how lightweight it is.
Your next tyre will last longer if you change the crank positions occasionally. This will spread the ware on the tyre and will prevent the tyre from going bald at one point.
Ruari - Out of interest, where do you live? It is very easy to get 24" tyres from local stores around me.
New Jersey, USA
elpuebloUNIdo - “I was able to patch the flat and duct-tape the inside to hold me for a short while.” That’s dedication!
[B]I was able to do an old road bike trick. I left the tube and tire on the wheel and frame and patched it as is. Saves a lot of time if you can find the precise leak on the tube. I also discovered it is much easier to mount a unicycle tire than a road bicycle.
To all who responded, thanks a lot for all the input and advice.[/B]
Ok, I put the Schwalbe Crazy Bob 24" x 2.35" back on my URC 24" and pumped it up to the max (65PSI), as i guess this is how you would intend to use it given the type of riding you describe. It works better than I recall. Not as camber sensitive as I thought (but that might have been because I pumped it hard and/or because it tried it with short [89mm] cranks), though I still think the Felt Thick Brick 24" x 3" is better in this regard.
I did a quick ride on cycle paths and quiet roads in my neighbourhood, and recorded it with Strava so I could get some stats. The tyre felt good and responsive. Not heavy but of course I favour bigger tyres, so this is probably all relative. Anyway 6.34km (3.94miles) in 23m:16s with 105m of elevation. That is an average speed of 16.4km/h (10.2mph). I also recorded a top speed of 22.3km/h (13.9mph).
In summary, it is a nice tyre and should work well for your suggested use case I reckon.
I was in a nearby supermarket yesterday that has a small selection of bikes and parts. I noticed that they had CST 24x1.95 C-1383 (53-507) Swing tyres for ¤129 (NOK)/€12.14/$13.85/£11.03. The label on the tyre described it as a mountain bike tyre that is semi-slick. It is noticeable that it has minimal tread down the centre line. I bought one on a whim, given the low cost. I generally ride with fairly wide tyres, so was curious to see how it would compare. Mounted on my 47mm rim at 65PSI, I see that the diameter is just shy of 24”³ (23.7).
I repeated the same route mentioned in my previous posting. My average speed improved to 17.4km/h (10.8mph). I doubt the improved speed had much to do with the tyre, I just pushed a bit harder. In terms of how it felt, it was better for camber than the Crazy Bob and probably a little easier up steeper hills. However, it was more twitchy and was more sensitive to small bumps in the road, so required a bit more concentration and I felt slightly less relaxed. It also looks completely undersized in my frame (the URC S frame can accommodate 4”³ wide tyres). Nonetheless it shows that a cheap tyre like this is perfectly fine for this kind of road usage.
Ruari - thanks for your insight. Two weeks ago I found a Crazy Bob online at a Brooklyn bike store. They said it was in stock and would be delivered in 7-10 days. I know that all US bike stores are very busy so I didn’t bother them until today (because my duct tape fix started to fail). They apologized, still hadn’t received it from their supplier and said their supplier had no idea when they’d be able to deliver it. So I gave up, stopped at a couple of local bike shops and found one dusty 24" tire left. Not one of the recommended ones but it should cover me until supply catches up with demand. Or maybe I should just order one from The Netherlands…
