Skinny or wide

[Mark44]

Need a bike for on a paved bike trail and looking for the cruiser style Schwinn or something like that cheap. Not going to get a lot of use much mainly on paved path and city streets. So the question is, I see them in two styles skinny tires and wide tires what would be the better option? Also an old bike I had that was probably 40 years old was a thumb three speed and it just kind of changed the speeds somehow in the rear hub not changing sprockets do they still make anything like that it preformed flawlessly. I don't need a bunch of speeds three is fine.

Mark44

 

[SuperJETT]

Wide to me is 2.4 mtb tires, but wide to a road bike is 28mm where normal is 23mm. Wider will be smoother ride, but slower.

There are all kinds of internal gear hubs with anywhere from 3 to 14 speeds and even cvt. You should take a look, the engineering is amazing on them. But, there are simpler setups too with fewer gears.

[video=youtube;kVPjhmTThPo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kVPjhmTThPo[/video]

 

[snowxr]

For around town, I prefer wider tires. They are much more forgiving and quite durable. I have WTB Graffiti 2.2's and they roll pretty easy, and handle potholes and bumps pretty well. On the other end of the spectrum, my brother has 28mm tires (700c wheels) and has to slow down for the one little bump on the super smooth bike path he rides on (he seriously knows the exact location of "the bump" LOL)

Here's a link to my bike, with a 2-speed setup. Great for around town. http://www.x-h2o.com/threads/112075-Singlespeed-love

 

[Mark44]

Sounds like the wider tire would be better for me, I just want a bike that shifts smooth and I don't need to fiddle around to get it in gear. Remember this is only going to be a $150 bike so I don't know if the smooth shifting is possible? Wal-Mart Target K mart kind of thing.

Mark44