Tyre confusion

essjaydee

Hi

Bit confused over tyre choice and sizes for my hybrid bike daily commute :?:

Bike is a Voodoo marasa that I recently got on the C2W scheme. Current tyre size fitted are 700x45, and read that you can go down to 700x28 with no problems.

Daily commute is 24 mile round trip and so far after 125 miles had 3 punctures. So am looking for better quality tyres with good puncture resistance.

So what's a good tyre and what size should I get :?:

Thanks

BelgianBeerGeek

As a rough guide, the minimum width of the tyre (or beading) is a proportion of the width of the wheel rim. Go lower and you may have a harsher ride. Big, balloon tyres are always going to be more comfortable, but the trade off is in the weight, rolling resistance etc. Can't think of the ratio (someone will know).
As to the type or make of tyre, everyone has a favourite recommendation. It's common practice to sell bikes with cheap tyres and they are normally my first upgrade.
But you can mitigate a lot of problems by always having them at the right pressure, checking them often for splits, flints etc and watching where you ride, if you can. My default favourites are Continentals.
Sorry, probably not much help.

godders1

Schwalbe Marathon plus are excellent for puncture resistance.

Choice of width will largely depend on the type of surface you're cycling on and the degree to which you want to trade off speed for comfort. Assuming a relatively good riding surface I'd go with 28mm width.

jonnyboy77

For max/min tyre sizes check out this page from Schwalbe: http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/tire_dimensions

I have ridden with 700x32c which are a good trade off between pace and cushioning. The tyres are Specialized Infinity with Flack Jacket protection, no punctures in the last 2 years (not daily use though).





I have also ridden with Schwalbe Big Apples on the MTB ... very comfy, and recently survived the removal of a 3 inch metal wire from the tyre with no damage to tyre or inner tube!

- Jon

MichaelW

2x12 is a fairly long commute so you want something efficient.
I use Marathon 32m and Big Apple 1.9".
Plain Marathon is a good all-round tyre but they make faster versions such as Supreme and Racer. The Plus version is more resistant but heavier and probably too sluggish for your commute.
The optimal size is probably 28-32.

Underscore

If you are riding on the road, the Schwalbe Durano & Durano Plus seem to be well regarded on here (though I've no personal experience) and come in 28mm. If you are going to be doing some fairly gentle off-road, the Marathon range may be more appropriate.

_

tarbot18

i cant recommend continental grand prix 4seasons highly enough , expensive tyre at £30 ish a pop but light 250g for 28 s and very puncture proof plus fast rolling. i ride a 26 mile coast route every day over all kinds of terrain and glass etc and no puntures in 6 months ..................

essjaydee

Many thanks for the replies and links

Heard good things about the Schwalbe's, so just ordered a pair of marathon plus 32's, as I think this'll be a good compromise for comfort and speed, but I'm no speed demon....yet