Tyre choices for commuting

joelsim
joelsim Posts: 7,552
edited August 2011 in Commuting general
How far? City centre?

Surely some heavily puncture resistant ones? Gators or Marathon Plus or suchlike? Not much fun changing a flat on the way to work.

Comments

  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Duranos. Awesome tyre and well worth the money.
    FCN 2-4.

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  • Curious Yellow
    Curious Yellow Posts: 281
    Are you on tarmac all the time? I commute to work on a road bike and use Hutchinson Equinox tyres which came with the bike. So far two punctures in two years. My commute is 12 miles in total and involves cycle lanes and A roads.

    You could read the Sheldon Brown article on tyres if it helps you make up your mind? It certainly helped me. Personally I'd just go for the cheapest tyres I reckon I could get away with.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Stanley222 wrote:
    cjcp wrote:
    Duranos. Awesome tyre and well worth the money.

    I knew someone would recommend those at another £40 on top of the price of the bike!

    Heh heh.

    They're pricey, but the only deflations to date in 18 months/12,000 odd miles have been two pinch flats on the cobbles near work. The good thing is that I havent had to change a tube in the rain, cold etc.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • bobinski
    bobinski Posts: 570
    I am in exactly the same position with my new commuting Pompino being built tomorrow.
    I currently commute on an slpro with 25 mm Rubino pros which i love.Had a few punctures though.Not glass but embedded small sharp stones.But On-One dont sell them, have np marathon Plus and have offered me a choice from these...

    Schwalbe Marathon Supreme Wired Tyre / 700c / 35 mm / Black
    Schwalbe Marathon XR HD Ceramic Folding Tyre / 700 / 35c / Black with Reflective Stripe
    Schwalbe Marathon Racer Raceguard Folding Tyre / 700c / 35mm / Black
    Schwalbe Marathon Racer Raceguard Wired Tyre / 700c / 35mm / Black

    Schwalbe Marathon Tyre Wire Bead / 700c / 25 mm / Black
    Schwalbe Marathon Comfort Wired Tyre / 700c / Black / 28 mm

    The XR HD look like they might be good but 35mm....ummh

    anyone use any of these? any recommendations?

    cheers
  • oodboo
    oodboo Posts: 2,171
    I use schwalbe 35mm marathon tyres (not the plus) and they've been great, done 684 puncture free miles since fitting them. I do about 30 miles per day commuting on bridalways, roads and cycle paths.
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  • bobinski
    bobinski Posts: 570
    oodboo
    that is good to know.

    May just plump for the racer though also tempted by these though not the plus version unfortunately but at least available in 25mm- Cream :)
  • Lancslad
    Lancslad Posts: 307
    My last lot of tyres (came with bike 32mm) got shredded on my commute. I have been using durano plus(26mm) for last 3 months not a mark on them.
    Novice runner & novice cyclist
    Specialized Tricross
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  • hargo
    hargo Posts: 8
    My 28mm tyres which came with the Specialized Sirrus 2011 Hybrid were pretty prone to punctures (3 in 2 weeks) so I've swapped mine out for some 28mm Marathon Plus's and hoping to be puncture free for the foreseeable. I suppose that as I'm cycling down some fairly ropey roads and bridal paths that I should have expected to get flats on the stock tyres.

    I'm doing 35-40 miles a day 2-3 times a week I'll be able to give an update in a couple of weeks to see how they are holding up but for now they seem pretty good, if a little bit slippery on the road today in the torrential rain of Manchester.
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    Cont speed kings all the way.
    I had them on my cx bike from new and got an amazing 900 miles from the rear and 1100 miles from the front. The p8inture resistance was also fantastic since I only got punctures every time it rained. The do make an amazin howling noise on tarmac which is great coz with all that noise I must have been going really fast so the rolling resistance is probably near zero.
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    PS it sounds like your needs for commuting are the same as for any other road bike, so if you're happy with chosing a road bike tyre, carry on.
  • walkingbootweather
    walkingbootweather Posts: 2,443
    Most of the tyres listed are pretty cheap (available for £10 a piece or less). Speed Kings are normally £20 or more, and Durano plus's £30+ each. If it was my money I'd pay the £40 extra for Durano Plus, settle for cheaper tyres and source what I really wanted, or ask for no tyres and a discount (or something else instead).

    {Edit} Regular Durano's can be had for less than £40 a pair, so I wouldn't pay £40 to upgrade to those
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  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    I'd say Schwalbe Marathons. I run 28s and they're a bit heavy but offer superb grip, even in the wet. Very confidence inspiring tyre. They have a reflective band which will help you stand out at night.
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  • bobinski
    bobinski Posts: 570
    walkingbootweather wrote:
    Most of the tyres listed are pretty cheap (available for £10 a piece or less). Speed Kings are normally £20 or more, and Durano plus's £30+ each. If it was my money I'd pay the £40 extra for Durano Plus, settle for cheaper tyres and source what I really wanted, or ask for no tyres and a discount (or something else instead).

    {Edit} Regular Durano's can be had for less than £40 a pair, so I wouldn't pay £40 to upgrade to those

    I got the regular duranos gratis so going to try those. May not have quite the puncture protection of the plus's but if i get lots of punctures i can move up to the plus's. And if they prove to be as puncture resistant as the Rubino's, or better, then i will be veryt happy.

    cheers
  • arthur_scrimshaw
    arthur_scrimshaw Posts: 2,596
    I had Spesh All Conditions with flak jacket on my commuter bike when I got it, changed them for Continental Sport Contacts which were fairly p proof but wore out quickly so just bought a pair of marathon pluses (£21 each with free p&p from discount cycles) hoping to get through the winter with zero flats!
  • Paul E
    Paul E Posts: 2,052
    I like the michelin krylions, 25c, get the right pressure for your weight and they make a big difference, I had specialized all condition pro 2 ones on it in 25c too but they felt dead compared to the michelins
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    bobinski wrote:
    I got the regular duranos gratis so going to try those. May not have quite the puncture protection of the plus's but if i get lots of punctures i can move up to the plus's. And if they prove to be as puncture resistant as the Rubino's, or better, then i will be veryt happy.

    TBH, I doubt that the plus is necessary (at least if you check regularly during wet periods for shards in the tyres). I was going to get standard Duranos for my Ribble but High on Bikes only had plus and S - so I went for the S which have been fine so far (only about 500 miles in). Price about £22.

    To the OP - I have used Delta Cruisers on my tourer for commuting - partly because you can get them with gumwalls which are essential for that bike! They are cheap and the puncture resistance is good but I think the Duranos last longer. Whether they last twice as long (for twice the price at least) is another matter.

    I think the Stelvio is the predecessor to the Durano.
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