So I have this Kent flexor mountain bike. While I was riding today a nice guy told me I have the completely wrong bike for the kind of places I ride it. I mostly just do trails that are paved/some dirt that have some incline, but also a lot of flat ground.
He said even if I don’t get a new bike I should 100% change the tires.
Would that really make a big difference? He said this bike is meant for downhill on really rough terrains and if I switch the tires it’d be way better on flat ground. I literally never go on mountains.
ALSO, roughly what type of tires should I look at? I’m not buyin a new bike cuz moneys a thing but I’m def down to change some things up.
I’d appreciate y’all’s expertise cuz I’m quite the novice.
by Anthony_P_V
2 Comments
It’s not the ideal bike for what you described – suspension makes the bike heavier and less efficient, and the extra moving parts are potential failure points, or,at the very least require more maintenance than a rigid bike, which would be more appropriate.
However, if the bike is working for you then it’s fine. My experience is that inexpensive suspension bikes like that one don’t last all that long if they’re regularly ridden, and once parts start to wear there aren’t parts available to do maintenance. But if it’s working and you’re getting good use out of it then keep going.
As for the tires, there may be a small price to pay in terms of efficiency from having knobbies instead of slicks or lightly treaded street tires, but if you keep the tires pumped up (maybe 45 to 60 psi for use on a hard surface) then it doesn’t make much difference. The bigger issue is that the tires put on inexpensive bikes at the factory are generally not of good quality and have thick and heavy ‘casings’ that absorb more energy as you ride, but this is not because of the type of tire – you can get heavy and slow slick tires and lightweight and fast knobby tires, you can’t really tell which is which just by looking at them.
If that bike survives long enough to require tire replacement, then sure, switch to street specific tires, but don’t spend any money on it as an ‘upgrade’ – that would be a waste. Maybe invest in a basic floor pump to keep the tires inflated.
Most entry level MTB ship with cheap tyres that will soon give you a flat. If riding trails the rider was probably suggesting that it would be worth it to pay for sturdy tyres.
I’m a big tightass when it comes to spending on bikes, but when I buy a new bike every time the last was stolen, I give the shop the tyres the bike ships with and pay extra for good tyres. I wonder what type of tyres he was suggesting. Suggesting for ‘new’ ones wasn’t really helpful.
Regarding criticism of the bike, and any suggestion to get a new one, my response would be if the wheels are round it will get the job done. Rode on sub $100 bikes for 20 years and banged up lots of knees along the way, but always made it to wherever I needed to get.