best durable tyres

volvine

i have been trawling through old post's and am struggling to find what is regarded as the best puncture resistant road tyre i remember a thread roughly 6 months ago mentioning one brand and also remember there was a massive shortage of them can anyone remember??? :?

redddraggon

Michelin krylion carbons, as recommended by willhub

Steve Kish

Schwalbe Marathon Plus, if you don't mind the weight. Very fat anti-puncture strip in these:-

http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/c2-1072-schwa ... s-atb.html

roger_merriman

yup 2nd the marthon pluses they are last word in anti fairy tires, fairly hard work though. but very dependable.

dazzawazza

I'll second the Krylions.
They are nice and light, handle well in the wet, and mine have never punctured after 2000 miles on London roads.
Good luck finding them unless Michelin have finished their ‘Pro 3 Race’ run and they're back in production.

Here's some reviews.

ademort

+1 for the Michelin Krylion carbons, they are the best IMHO.
Ademort

volvine

thanks for the reply's guys and gals will have to see if i can hunt down a set of the mich's not been successful so far though.

redddraggon

They had them in Decathlon in Stockport a few weeks ago...

shane515

+1 for the Michelin Krylion also, but they are VERY VERY hard to find, as posted above last time I found some was in Decathlon Thurrock. Gave up in the end and went for PR3 but knowing my luck the Krylion will come back in stock now :?

Shane

Monty Dog

If you want absolute puncture resistance, then it has to be Swalbe Marathons. If you want a fast road tyre that is pretty resistant, the the Krylions are the ones to have. You can pick two from speed, comfort or durability but you generally can't have all three!

volvine

don't think the speed of the tyres will come into it tbh i dont go fast enough lol

passout

Swalbe Marathon Plus (£19 from Spa Cycles which is a bargain) are the most durable but not exactly light. Continental Contact Sports are a similar product - a bit lighter but a little less robust (see Planet X for keen prices). The new Contact Sports come with a 1 year no puncture guarantee. Contintental Gator Skins are pretty tough and a popular winter tyre - fairly light too (see Ribble, Planet X and Wiggle do a good deal if you buy two).

All are widely available.

You need to think about width too - what will fit your bike? 23,25,28, 32 or 35mm? For most road stuff 25mm are good or maybe 28mm if speed isn't your first priority and you have the clearance. For me it's 23mm in summer and 25mm in winter on my road bike and 32mm on my cross/commuter bike. I like the Gators as a winter tyre for my racer and marathon plus for commuting.

softlad

Krylions may be good, but what use is a tyre if nobody can get hold of it..?

Conti GP 4 seasons are my personal favourite - and it is actually possible to buy them for real money...

Not Another Hill

Folding Rubino Pros (1 puncture in 12+ months). Now on the Winter hack. I'm light (10" 10" ish) so I don't know what they are like for heavier riders. Always put in 100 psi. They are just staritng to show signs of cuts but I'll run them until Spring and I get the good bike out.

simon_e

Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase 28mm holding up well here. Last time I looked they could be found as cheap as £10 on t'web (All Terrain Cycles IIRC).

Aguila

Conti ultra gatorskins. roll v fast and great grip. I've done over 3000 miles on mine over mixed road/cycle lanes and had only one puncture, I wouldnt change them for anything else.

I've also heard people recommend specialized armadillos.

alfablue

I use Specialized All Conditions Pro's - never punctured in about 10k miles on two sets.

volvine

looked at the Swalbe Marathon Plus and thought they where a little too touring type i would prefere them a little slicker tbh are the gator skins the same tread or that bit more slick???

alfablue

Marathon Plus weigh a lot (700g?) and don't puncture, Spesh All Cond Pro's weigh 225g and don't puncture, Gatorskins (for some people) wear quick, cut readily and puncture often. I would go Hard Cases (for cheap), Spesh All Conds for general road riding, and Marathon (regular) for touring. Marathon Pluses if you really are having severe puncture probs, though they will add about 1kg to your combined wheel weight. What may help me is that I am very diligent on tyre pressures, and run 115psi and check regularly (weekly).

alfablue

Websters currently have Spesh AC pros for £35 a pair either in black or Quick Step team red.

paul_or

Steve Kish wrote:

Schwalbe Marathon Plus, if you don't mind the weight. Very fat anti-puncture strip in these:-

http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/c2-1072-schwa ... s-atb.html

I second that, had a pair for most of last year and not one puncture even through the tractor-driven hedge butchering season!!

andyealing

I'd go for Conti Gatorskins. They're on offer at Wiggle at the moment. I've switched from Marathon Pluses, which I found sluggish and difficult to remove when punctures occured.

The complaining tadpole

I'm with paul_or ( & also in Suffolk ). I even had p******e problems with regular kevlar
protected Marathons. Since switching to Marathon Plus' so far not one p******e in about 1000 miles on crappy pot-holed/half arsed repaired roads. Yes they are heavy but once you get them up to speed they roll adequatley ( for commuting anyway ) If it's any help I run them at 100psi.

Elganesh

+1 for Conti Gatorskins, 2100 miles and still going strong. I'm looking to try out GP 4seasonS next.

passout

Remember though, tyre width and PSI are important too.

I'm suprised that nobody has mentioned the Conti. Sport Contact - with the 1 year no puncture guarantee. They got excellent reviews.

As mentioned previously I just bought a pair of Marathon Plus Tyres for £19 each from Spa Cycles in Harrogate. Significantly cheaper than Wiggle and the other usual on-line sources. For a narrow tyre I'd say Gators.

alfablue

I'll mention the Conti Sport Contact, I tried them on my commuter, impressed by the guarantee, thinking "wow, they must be sure of their product to offer that!" In reality the guarantee is worthless - I got frequent punctures and within 4 months the rear tyre had worn so that it had corners! Loads of cuts too. To claim you have to take the tyre and tube to the bike shop, they then replace it - fine, except when I get a puncture I need to fix it and keep on riding not take time out to travel to a bike shop (or post tyre and tube to an online retailer) before I ride again. Of course I could keep a spare tyre for such eventualities but that is a hassle. Their guarantee means nothing in terms of puncture resistance of their product, they are made of a very soft compound that cuts and punctures easily. I would prefer a tyre that actually functioned well rather than one that offered a guarantee that few will bother to claim on.

Went back to all conditions pro's after my brief folly with conti. No punctures on them, ever - guarantee not offered nor required! Same experience with gatorskins on my road bike.

passout

Alfablue - that's interesting. I'm glad that I didn't buy the Conti Sports then! I haven't had problems with the Gators on my road bike but it's early days yet I guess.

singlespeedexplosif

+however many it is for Gators.

sloxam

ordered some krylions from wiggle on monday who state they have none in stock, got an email to say they would be delayed and they came this morning! £20 each, much cheaper than bike24! i'll put em on and go for a spin at lunchtime. i got them on recommendatons from this forum and they're to replace some armadillos that never puncture, but are soooo heavy.

Andy140

Marathon plus for commuting on my old hack - heavy but very good & conti 4 season on the best bike, had them for couple of months with no compliants and seen the wear very well.

dg74

currently looking at the Schwalbe Blizzard Sport.

Anyone used them/know of anyone who's used them?