[Robert11]

Hello,

Saw a Marin Redwood hybrid bike that really seems very nice.

I'm a bit elderly now, and liked the fact that it seems to have wider tires than most hybrids I've been looking at.

The tires are:

Kenda Krossplus, 26" x 1.95", Dirt-Street Combo

I will be doing approx. 50 % on pavement, and 50% on gravel/dirt

What I was wondering about is the fact that the knobs/cleats are on the outsides of the tire, with the center section, probably at least 75% of the width or so, being relatively smooth, like a typical road bike tire.

Are these tires thought highly of ?

Will they be "good" on gravel or dirt seeing that the knobs and cleats are only on the outside ?

Will they be more likely to puncture with this kind of geometry ?
I imagine they will be easier to pedal, though, than if they had cleats all over the running surface: true ?

And, I guess, I should also ask: is Marin a well thought of brand ?

Any thoughts on all of this would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[chibibike]

the tires should be a good balance for road and trail use. it might be slightly more prone to flats being smooth but it's not very likely gettin ga flat more often than any other tire i don't think the odds of having those knobbys protect you if you run over something sharp is very great cause I've had friends that have gotten many flats with big tires on mtn bikes. It just depends on the quality of the tire and keep it inflated at the proper levels. if you're worried about flats you can get this liner to put between the tire and the tube to help prevent things from hitting your air tube.

 

[Industry_Hack]

The construction of the tire casing is more important than the tread, when it comes to flat-resistance. Kenda makes good tires - they're more about the affordable end of the scale, but that doesn't mean they're low quality. I have them on two of my bikes, and even a Kenda brand motorcycle tire. No problems on dry dirt with that design. The only limitation would be steep climbs. You don't need tread for speed, only turns.

Marin is a well-regarded, if somewhat niche brand.

 

[LarryM]

+1 on Kenda being flat resistant. My hybrid had 1 flat in about 5,000 mi on a set of 700x40 Kenda Kwicks.

The 26 x 1.75 Continental Travel Contacts on my LHT are slicks with side knobs, similar design to the Kenda Krossplus. They work fine on pavement or gravel and dirt as long as the dirt isn't too soft and deep.