Commuting tyres

SeekGav

Hi all, first time here.
I have a Giant Seek4 fitted with stock Maxxis Detonator 700 x32 tyres, but I have had a few punctures now and am thinking of changing them for something more robust.
I have been looking at Vittoria Randonneur and Randonneur Cross or the Schwalbe Marathon series.
Are there any other suggested tyre make or types you could recommend.
Also I was thinking of going for a wider tyre; say x35 or x38 would this be a good or bad idea as I sometimes do canal towpaths and trails.
PS I do like the speed the Maxxis give me.
Many thanks
Gavin

cloggsy

More robust doesn't have to mean wider. The wider the tyre, the bigger the contact patch on the road, thus more friction which equals more rolling resistance.

Something like these tyres in 25/28 would suit you down to the ground!

Blue Meanie

+1 Swalbe
+2 Decent Pump
Schwalbe do some good tyres, but the only way to avoid the Puncture Fairy is to not ride your bike. (not a real option)
I'd stick to the 32c (if not slimmer) and get some practise in tube repair, i've done canal paths and trails on 23c and only punctured occasionally. If you wanna avoid punctures, replace your tyres before they wear out and keep them hard.

SeekGav

Thanks for that, I have been practising my puncture repairs, did my first only a few months ago after a least 30 years from the last and yes I don’t think I’ve always had the back tyre hard enough, should be 100psi !

owenlars

Marathon Plus for commuting. On three bikes in my household (wife's and two of mine) done an aggregate of about 5000 miles between them without a single visit so far (that's knackered it). However don't forget that, above all, they are designed to be bullet proof (so don't expect super lightweight, super supple or even super grippy, although they do perform pretty well). You will also get about 5-6000 miles per set out of them.

Barteos

cloggsy wrote:

The wider the tyre, the bigger the contact patch on the road, thus more friction which equals more rolling resistance.

Quite the oposite, especially if we take into account suspension losses on bad roads. There's plenty of research on it available incl. tyre manufacturers' own tests. In most of cases wider is indeed faster (same tyre).

tjh159

Fit slime inners - made a massive differnce to me. I have the same tyres as you and was getting 3 p***tures a week but since fitting slime tubes about 2 months ago... nothing!!!!! I have heard that the Gatorskins are pretty good if you are insistent on new tyres.

pdw

Blue Meanie wrote:

If you wanna avoid punctures, replace your tyres before they wear out

+1

I find that the tyres that puncture the least are new ones.

I use Continental Gatorskins on two different bikes, with no punctures in 2000 miles.

I tried slime tubes, but gave up fairly quickly. You still usually have to stop when you get a puncture, as you'll need to reinflate. The slime makes reinflating a pain (at least with presta values) as when you press the valve to free it up, it spits slime at you, and will generally gum up the valve.

Eventually you will get a puncture that it won't seal. At this point you'll probably waste time reinflating it 2-3 times trying to get it to seal. You'll then give up and have the messy job of changing that tyre for normal inner. At this point you'll discover that the tube had in fact sealed a couple of punctures, and the offending objecfs will still be in your tyre and will puncture your new tube.

If you're really lucky, at the point that you decide to give up on the thing, the slime will completely seal the valve, making it impossible to remove the tyre.

Moodyman

Best compromise for commuting:

A Marathon Plus on the rear and a mid-range puncture protective tyre on the front - my set up.

It's the rear that gets the most punctures and that's where you need the most protection.

I started off with M+ front and rear and on Thu/Fri I felt like I pedalling through sludge. They're heavy and you feel it when you're tired or when it's windy.

cjcp

I've used Schwalbe Durano Pluses for about a year a half. Fantastic tyre. Also used them for training rides and sportives. Heavier than race tyres, but great for commuting and training.

BobGeldart

I like Specialized Crossroads Armadillo, heavy but puncture resistant.

whitestar1

I will be using Schwalbe Marathon Plus on my bike.

zorg2000

Been using bontrager all weather plus on a road bike for about a year now. Light and fast and so far no punctures. Had no issues with grip in the wet either so I recommend them.
Recently fitted a set of bontrager H2s to my MTB commuter. They are supposed to be similar in construction to the all weather plus (bike shop said so) Still early days but so far I have found them light with low rollong resistance.
The H2s are also made in 700c so you might want to consider them for your Giant.

MichaelW

The actual measured diameter of a tyre may differ from the size designation, this may vary between brands. The greatest variation seems to be for 28mm tyres.

If you keep the tyre pressure constant then a wider tyre has lower rolling resistance but higher air resistance and higher weight. At low speed wider tyres will roll better. At high speed where air resistance is more significant, wider tyres are slower.

In practice, narrower tyres can take higher pressure and racing style tyres are built to higher specs with supple sidewalls so are more efficient.

I find that for mixed surface commuting , 32mm is fine. I prefer 38mm when carrying a heavy load. I use plain Marathon tyres, not the toughest or most efficient on the market but they do the job well. I usually leave them on when I tour as well.

SeekGav

Thanks for all your thoughts on this subject; I may consider putting a Vittoria Randonneur 700 x35c just on the back and keep the Maxxis 700 x32c on the front?

Good idea ?

SeekGav

Gone for a 35c Schwalbe Marathon Plus on the back, see how I get on, just need to fit it now!

SeekGav

All done and even had a go at truing the back wheel, back end feels a bit strange, but more beefy

shouldbeinbed

+1 to not going for wider rubber.

Marathon + on one bike, no p*s ever gravel paths, country roads, and gnarly canal towpath.

Radonneurs on another. theres something invisible found its way into 1 or a tiny wire fragment that I'm beggared if I can find (only done 300 miles on the tyre and until I get a microsope on it its useless. so frustrating and probably not representative of the quality usually. its sibling is still going along without a problem on twice that distance.

they both roll ok, wear slowly enough to keep my pocket happy, grip well enough in wet and slippy conditions, don't give a lot of road noise and are comfortable to ride on at the top end of the pressure recommendations.

Makker

+1 for schwalbe marathon plus. After a bunch of punctures on my stock tyres switched to these and haven't had a puncture in at least a year. Starting to get worn though, so touch wood.

chilling

If you just want a tyre to get you to work +1 for the Marathon Plus here too.

Heavy and all that, but pretty much bullet proof. I've used them for a number of years. I don't really worry these days when traffic forces me to roll through that patch of glass I can see glinting in the sunlight just up the road. Always listen for the rhythmic hiss afterwards though!

(Obviously I'll get front and rear fairy visits in the morning)

jamesu

LBS were out of Marathon Plus at my service and the tread was warn down after three or so years, so I went with a bontrager 'equivalent'.

It lasted two weeks before getting a puncture. Back to the Marathon +, damn good tires...

Also, indebted to whoever it was that spotted this youtube on how to put them on - much better when you know how. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUFVrl0UT4