Best Tires for Cannondale Bad Boy 4 I'm just getting into biking and last week I just purchased a Cannondale Bad Boy 4 from REI. They still have it in the shop as I'm in the processing of moving and they agreed to hold onto it for me.

My question is regarding tires. I purchased the bike as an urban commuter vehicle as I've just moved downtown and am planning on using it for my commute to work. I also plan on taking it on some longer rides now and then on the city greenway (paved path), to get groceries, or to see friends. Nothing super long, maybe 10-20 miles max. The vast majority of my trips will be much shorter though, 1-2 miles through downtown.

I noticed the bike comes with "smooth" tires (not sure the right term for them), which appear (to me) more like long distance touring tires or something. Should I ask REI about switching out the tires with something with a bit of tread? I'm a bit concerned about running into rain on my commute and slick conditions.

The guy at the shop told me that the ones on the bike "should be fine" for what I'm looking to use the bike for and that I should just be sure to be careful in wet conditions. He said if I wanted to, I could get some "gator skin" tires down the road to have as another option. But I don't think I'd be interested in storing and/or switching out tires on my bike. I'd rather just have one set of good tires and stick with that.

Anyhow, what do you think? Based on my situation, should I stick with the smooth tires or see about switching them for something with a bit of tread on them? I'm more concerned with safety than lightning speed. Thanks for any insight!
Bikes don't have enough speed / surface area to hydroplane.  A slick does as good as tread in the rain.