in Beginners, Newbies, Noobz, etc (Moderators: imwjl, TheMayor1)

so i'm doing an adventure race this weekend at the southern unit of kettle moraine. among the other activities there is 7-9 miles of single track and 35-40 miles or road riding. you can bring only one bike - which will be my mountain bike. i am familiar with this area's trails. my question is can i get away with riding on slicks for the single track portion?

the trails in this area is moderate to easy cross country - lots of smooth glacial rocks. is it a death wish to roll straight up slicks? or should i just proceed with caution. if the forecast calls for rain i'd likely fall back on straight knobbies.

i know the best option would be semi-slicks, but i'd like to go with what i have in the garage.

thanks!

edit - thoughts on running a slick in the rear and knobby up front? would that kind of negate the concerns over decreasing rolling resistance? or does most rolling resistance come from the rear tire where a majority of the rider's weight is?

You won't know unless you try :P Sorry I don't have any good advice, but I think you pretty well laid it out.
If it is dry you should be fine if you lay off in the corners. Better yet if you had lower pressures.
If it's at all wet all bets are off.