Hybrid bike tire recommendation (Trek 820)

Please recommend replacement tires. This is for a Trek hybrid I bought my wife 15 years ago or so. The sidewalls are brittle and pieces are falling off, revealing canvas (Probably waited a little long, eh?). The original tires are Kendas (K6302). I thought they actually performed very well. Again, loads of tread left, but cracking sidewalls. I'd like to take advantage of the biketiresdirect.com 50% off sale if possible! This bike sees infrequent light duty on paved surfaces, but I have had it on the beginner trails at the offroad bike park. Thanks for any discussion!

EDIT: My mistake - this hybrid is a mid-90s 700 Sport. The 820 is a MTB.

Seems that Bike Tires Direct carries primarily economy tires...

What size wheels?

Bike tires direct carries some very good tires. Personally i like the continental tires.

Probikekit.com usually has cheaper prices on the same tires though.

700 x 38C
The Kenda Nimbus, also sold by Sunlite, sharing the model number K830, looks nearly identical to what I have now. It is a black and gum tire.

Checking out probikekit.com now.
And thanks to all who have taken an interest....

Take a look at the Vittoria Randonneur tire. I've read good things about them. The biggest they come in is a 700x35 but a smaller tire is not a bad thing.

Was wondering about the tire sizes as many of the tires I found there come in 700 x 35C and not 700 x 38C.

I have some Schwalbe light Fast Fred folding tires on my bike. 700x35, and they have lasted very well. Only one puncture since I've had them, and that was a thin share of glass that would have gone through about anything.

if you are riding across a bit of everything, but mostly sealed surfaces, 700x35 is a good size tire.

I hadn't heard of Schwalbe or Vittoria before today. Thanks for the feedback on these tires....

That Fast Fred is a funky looking tire! One blogger has them as discontinued and others have reviewed them as late as this year....

my hybrid runs: Hutchinson Urban Tour 700 x 32

have had them on for 3-4 seasons, not a single flat or issue.

An even smaller tire. And it looks like that tire has a low profile tread. Does your hybrid go off pavement? And thanks for the suggestion!

If you are taking your bike off road anything larger than a 28 will be fine.

That being said i recently road some dirt trails in my continental gp400s tires sized 23c and they were perfectly fine. Also took a longer ride on the continental gatorskins sized 28c and had no issues as well.

Basil said:

If you are taking your bike off road anything larger than a 28 will be fine.

Click to expand...

The skinniest tire I have had at the local trail was a 27 x 1 1/4" (31.75 mm?) tire on an old Raleigh. I was stuck with the least able equipment that day. Little squirelly in the loose stuff and awfully harsh through the "rock garden." Made it around, but I was glad when it was over.

FL shaver said:

An even smaller tire. And it looks like that tire has a low profile tread. Does your hybrid go off pavement? And thanks for the suggestion!

Click to expand...

Mainly crappy Winnipeg roads, pot holes, cracks, but I have taken it off on gravel and hard packed with no issues.

They were the stock tires on my bike and I had looked to replace them as some of the reviews were questionable, but have had no problems with them.

brucered said:

Mainly crappy Winnipeg roads, pot holes, cracks...

Click to expand...

Sounds rougher than my clay Florida single track!

FL shaver said:

Sounds rougher than my clay Florida single track!

Click to expand...

I have had no issues hitting the dirt, hard packed trails every now and then on my way home or when camping with them.

I'm not saying they are the right choice for you, but the have been fine for me so far. I think you need to consider the options above and probably speak to a bike tire guy. They'll know what to put on for you.

brucered said:

I have had no issues hitting the dirt, hard packed trails every now and then on my way home or when camping with them.

Click to expand...

Sounds like they would work very well at my local park. I ordered a pair of Kenda Nimbus, though, as the price was good (just over $30 shipped for a pair) for replacing a pretty similar tire which worked well enough in the conditions this bike sees. I stayed with the same size, too.

I really appreciate your input and learned a bit about what's available. Thanks!

Look for a solid center tread on the tires and a low profile knob or seperated tread on the corners of the tire. I like Continental and Michelin tires for this type of stuff, but there are so many good options out there. Also, stay away from soft durometer rubber tires, they will feel sluggish and flat on hard roads. Stay away from the square profile tires as they aren't really good at cornering on pretty much any surface. For the days on the trail, lower your pressure until the edge of the tread just touches the dirt. This will give you good stability and cushion without worrying about pinch flats or wash outs.


-Xander

Thanks for the advice, Xander. I'll look for these characteristics next time around. For the amount of time this bike makes it to the trail, I really ought to consider something less knobby down the center.