A fine diamond pattern over the middle of the tread with some knobbly bits at the outside edges for traction if required. 35-55psi. Not bad for Ã,£20 the pair in  a local shop when I couldnt find anything suitable that I liked elsewhere to fit 26*2.1

Ã,£20 for the pair?

you can get contis for that!

well Ã,£15 each tyre but they come with nice innertubs too

Careful in the corners with knobs on the outside edges. They dont add traction on tarmac, they reduce it. Tread on a street tire is purely decoration. Even in the rain. Dont have the formula handy, but fact is, that its impossible for a human to hydroplane a bicycle tire. Too much pressure on too small a contact patch. Knobs might be handy if you go on trails.

2.1" is quite fat for a street going tire. Thats a lot of rubber to haul around. Next set, look for some 1.25"s or 1.5"s, which are very common 26" street tire sizes. Thats about the same width as any classic Raleigh/Roadster tire. Youll save 500g at least by using such a narrow width, which makes the bike palpably faster.

I like these* for 26" mtb to road conversions:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=15304&subcategory_ID=5425
half the price of what you paid.

Which save nearly 1kg (!) over something like these:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=14811&subcategory_ID=5425

Enjoy your knobs.

*They are a bit thin (and fast!) and though Ive never had a flat in the few hundred miles Ive ridden on them, a Panaracer Pasela in 26" is perhaps a more durable analogue for most folks. They weigh even less, cost not much, and are quite legendary for cycle touring.

Thing is I am hoping for some trail action during the summer months, if I can manage it, I certainly wont be walking, so the extra lumps around the edge might help during that. Most of the time Im perfectly OK on UK roads with the knobbly ones that are on now. I know I could go for pure slicks but somehow it just doesnt feel right. Neither does the idea of skinny tires, OK, I am completely wrong on this but it bugs me :/

well i wouldnt be comfortable on slicks, i do a bit of mud as well as tarmac, i just want the confidence.


good hybrids are teh way forward.

1.5" aint skinny at all. Its pretty much the width of most road going bike tires in the world. Hell, I curb jump and do fire roads with 30mm tires.
 
My road bike has 23mm tires, which is indeed skinny--and those certainly do flat a bit more. But when you get out of the saddle and hammer, its downright silly how fast they are. Id certainly not recommend something that fragile for utility cycling, though.