Noob tyre question

porlyworly

Hi all, after some advice on tyres & inner tubes.

I have a puncture on my front tyre and upon closer inspection the sides of the tyre walls look like they are splitting so I'm thinking I might as well replace the tyres as well.

It's an iron horse hybrid bike and the wheels are Freedom rcx 2.0 - 622*14 and the current tyres are Vittoria Zaffiro 700*28.

I only use the bike for commuting so I'm looking for something cheap and cheerful and beginner proof, I've never changed a bike tyre since I was about 15 My commute is mostly road / cycle path with a small section of off road through farmland.

I think this is the sort of thing I'm looking for (only checked wiggle as I don't really know any other sites):

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-spo ... -tube-set/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-randon ... tyre/#more
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-rubino ... cher-tyre/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-ult ... road-tyre/

I'm sure this sort of thing has been covered a million times but would appreciate some input! I'm guessing I need to stick with 700*28 size? Leaning towards the continentals as they come with inner tubes that will be compatible!

cjcp

Schwalbe Marathons would probably be my choice. I've never used them, but I use the Durano Pluses and the Marathons seem to be wider version. Excellent for the commute. Very good p******* resistance.

oxoman

I currently use specialized armidillo flak jacket tyres which are good but will probably upgrade to Marathon when i require new ones as they are highly regarded.

yakk

I use the Vittoria Randonneurs - they're a cheaper and poorer alternative to Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres in terms of puncture resistance (which is pretty good really) and grip, the latter not fantastic but no worse than Specialized Armadillo's etc. They're overpriced at Wiggle.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ITTTYRR500

Ribble are out of stock of the 28mm (They are quite a narrow tyre for a 28).
If you want to spend more and get the ultimate puncture resistance/grip, go for the schwalbes as above, usually around £23 each at Spa Cycles (http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... 2b0s142p31).
Hope this helps.
Yak

jomoj

re: cheap and cheerful - you don't need to get top of the range but really cheap tyres are a false economy, they are after all what comes between you and the road - which is not an area to compromise on.

schwalbe marathons are a good choice but be prepared to swear and lose a thumb trying to fit them the first time. I use them on my commuter over autumn / winter then swap to some conti gatorskins when its a bit drier.

handy tip - put some soapy water on the rim and bead and follow the method in this video.
http://youtu.be/-XUFVrl0UT4

Blue Meanie

Good vid, but he takes his time and what's with the toe-straps?
I was shown a similar technique by an old roadie and I pass it on to anyone who'll listen. It's rare that I reach for a tyre lever for even the most recalcitrant of tyre/rim combos, normally removing the tyre and tube before most people have got their spare tube out.

Pro Tip: Align your tyre's label/sticker/branding with your tube-valve.

jomoj

the toestrap stops the seated bead pulling back over the edge of the rim, it's a good idea and stops the frustration where you start trying to fit the bead on one side and it pulls back out on the other.

I just have a small length of nylon cord in my toolkit for the same purpose, its like a tyre tourniquet a shoelace will also do the job. The trick really is to push the bead right down into the bottom of the rim to get as much slack at the other side. It's still tricky but you can do it without levers.