In article ,
Mark Hickey writes:
(Tom Keats) wrote:

Knobbies do make a pleasing 'buzz' on asphalt.

"Pleasing"? In the same way that rough pavement can be "pleasing" I
guess...

Well, it's really not the same at all. It's a steady, smooth
biofeedback thing. You're cruisin' along and you hear that
steady, uninterrupted buzz going, and you just know you've got
your mojo working.

Sure, they'll
slow ya down and (heaven forbid) allow other riders to pass ya
sometimes. But if you don't care, it doesn't matter. And there
may be some shortcut scenarios where knobbies come in handy.
Even in urban environs.

While knobbies are nice when/if you find yourself navigating a section
of loose dirt/gravel, they're a serious disadvantage everywhere else.
To me the biggest drawback is the sketchy handling that most knobbies
produce in a corner. I've had some knobbies that were "exciting" in
any real paved cornering situation - they'd squirm and slip - not a
lot of fun. Plus, they wear out VERY fast on the road.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating consistently using
knobbies on paved streets & roads. I much prefer slicks
for my kind of riding, myself. But many if not most of the
bikes I see around town are stock, right-off-the-display-floor
MTB sales units, with the same placeholder tires, pedals and
saddles they were displayed with. And their riders seem to get
by okay with them, even though they are mostly disadvantageous.

I guess a lot of folks just want a ready-to-ride bike,
without having to phutz around with a bunch of stuff.
I get the impression the OP might be of that mindset.
But he can read this whole discussion and make of it
what he will.


cheers, & Happy New Year,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca