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The top 8 best 26 inch commuter tires for 2023

With this article I’m going to share my top picks for the best 26 inch commuter tires.

I have 5 mountain bikes with 26 inch wheels and 3 of them I don’t use on the trail. And one of them was explicitly made for road use only. 4 of them were designed for speed, one is fixer-upper meant to basically haul freight. So I’ve been interested in this category for as long as I ride older-style mountain bikes.

When I commuted my requirements went from going as fast as possible to never having to deal with a flat. That’s because I like to go fast, but I hate flats more. So you’ll find those two categories represented here: fast and durable.

So here’s my list of the best 26 inch commuter tires.

Schwalbe Marathon HS420

Schwalbe Marathon HS420
Schwalbe Marathon HS420

I’ve run multiple Schwalbe Marathons on various bikes in various sizes and I can’t remember ever running a flat.

To me, this original Schwalbe Marathon set the standard for a package of puncture-protection and durability. And it spawned an entire category of spin-offs for various other cycling disciplines.

I believe it’s one of the best-selling commuting tires because they do what they’re meant for, keep you riding. And they do so consistently.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB

Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB
Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB

The Schwalbe Marathon is the ultimate allrounder in the tire department and one of the best-selling tires on the market. So the German brand decided to make a MTB-specific version of this tire: the Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB.

Although it looks like a knobby tire, if you look close enough you can see that the center tread will let you run smoothly across pavement. And just like the standard Marathon is meant for commuting and touring, the same goes for this one.

It’s a heavy tire when compared to some of the XC racers. But the biggest plus for hauling all that extra weight is that in terms of puncture protection, this tire has no equal. The reason is pretty simple. Schwalbe stuffed a 5mm strip underneath the center tread, made from highly puncture resistant rubber. And as simple as that sounds, it’s extremely effective in preventing punctures.

So for those of you who want the risk of flats nearing zero, this is the tire for you.

Continental CONTACT Plus

Continental CONTACT Plus
Continental CONTACT Plus

The Continental CONTACT Plus is another great allround commuting tire from the German brand.

It sets itself apart from the other tires in the lineup because of a cut resistant casing, besides the puncture-resistant belt and reinforced sidewalls.

The tire sacrifices a low weight in favor of basically never running a flat, and does so perfectly. It’s flat center tread pattern means it’s a great long-lasting-durable commuter option.

Continental RIDE Tour

Continental RIDE Tour
Continental RIDE Tour

The Continental RIDE Tour is a fantastic all-round tire meant for urban commuting. It’s a 4-season option for those people who want to ride their bike year round, and be assured of riding with the most effective puncture-protection for a commuting tire.

As an allrounder it shows characteristics of durability and puncture-proofness. With both reinforced sidewalls and a puncture-resistant belt underneath the center tread. The belt differs from the more road-bike oriented, and lighter breaker, offering extremely effective protection against everything you might encounter on the road.

An unbroken center tread means it’s reasonably fast in a straight line, and it offers a tread pattern to support riding in the rain.

With all that added material and rubber, you should pick this tire for its long-lasting lifespan.

Kenda K838 City Slick

Kenda K838 City Slick
Kenda K838 City Slick

The Kenda City Slick looks remarkably like the Kenda Kwest, only this one comes in a classic mountain bike width.

They are slicks with a minimal tread pattern, so great for people who want to use their mountain bike for non-offroad purposes. And wide enough to still maintain an actual mountain bike feel.

And, last but not least, cheap enough to not hurt your wallet.

Maxxis Hookworm

Maxxis Hookworm
Maxxis Hookworm

The Maxxis Hookworm is a durable urban road bike tire meant to last for many miles as a trustworthy commuting companion.

It’s a large volume, round, and heavy wired tire that smooths out small bumps and road buzz once it has gathered momentum. It’s definitely not a race tire.

It has one of the weirder looking tread patterns I’ve seen on a tire, which makes it fall into the semi-slick category since there are no knobbies whatsoever. The swirling patterns probably do well siphoning water away to the outside in wet conditions.

At 26 x 2.5 inches make sure you’ve got enough frame clearance to be able to actually run these big tires.

I’ve run these types of heavy round tires and can say they offer an incredible plush and comfortable feel, and once you get going are fast enough for quick urban assaults.

Panaracer RiBMo

Panaracer RiBMo
Panaracer RiBMo

At 26 x 2 inches and 560 grams the Panaracer RibMo is among the lightest tires for its size on this list. Its minimal tread pattern moves it into the direction of being a slick tire, perfect for fast urban commuting.

The Panaracer RiBMo uses their proprietary ProTite technology, which is an extra puncture-resistant layer which runs the entire length and width of the tire. And they offer a more durable, commuter-friendly compound.

The conclusion is this tire will make your bike feel fast and nimble for many many miles at a reasonable enough price.

Schwinn Cruiser

Schwinn Cruiser
Schwinn Cruiser

The Schwinn Cruiser is actually a great-looking and very cheap tire for urban, commuting, and gravel use.

It will turn your mountain bike into a perfect commuter, while still maintaining some off-road capability for gravel and light cross country riding.

It’s a bit too light to take on the trail, but if you grew up riding mountain bikes in the 90s, nothing is too light probably.

The main attraction is obviously the price, which is about half you’d pay for a more premium counterpart. So unless you want to move into the territory where tires begin to have unpronounceable names, this is the go-to solution for the cheapest light off-road tire.

Specifications 26 inch commuter tires

Name
Size
ETRTO
Weight (gr)
Tread color
Sidewall color
Compound
Puncture protection
Tire bead
TPI
Buy at Amazon
Continental CONTACT Speed
26×2.00
50-559
665
Black
Black Reflex
SafetySystem Breaker
wired
3/180
Maxxis DTH
26×2.30
55/58-559
859
Black
Tan
Dual
EXO
wired
60
Panaracer RiBMo
26×2.00
48-559
560
Black
Black
Mile Cruncher
foldable
Schwalbe Hurricane
26×2.10
54-559
620
Black
Black
ADDIX
RaceGuard
wired
WTB ThickSlick
26×2.00
50-559
620
Black
Black
DNA
folding
Continental CONTACT Speed
26×1.60
42-559
665
Black
Black Reflex
SafetySystem Breaker
wired
3/180
Maxxis DTH
26×2.15
52/54-559
570
Black
Black
Single
foldable
60
Maxxis Hookworm
26×2.50
63-559
1076
Black
Black
Single
wired
60
Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB
26×2.10
54-559
1150
Black
Black
ADDIX
wired
Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB
26×2.25
57-559
1260
Black
Black
ADDIX
wired
Kenda K838 City Slick
26×1.95
53-559
Black
Black
wired
Panaracer RiBMo
26×1.50
37-559
460
Black
Black
Mile Cruncher
foldable
Panaracer RiBMo
26×1.25
32-559
350
Black
Black
Mile Cruncher
foldable
bio vanseijen

Johan van Seijen

FoundeR Restoration.bike

Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.

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