Started commuting this week. Need a bombproof tyre.

Bustacapp

As the title says, on Monday I started commuting to work (21 mile round trip). On Tuesday I got a puncture. Can anyone recommend a tyre that is virtually puncture proof yet can be changed by the roadside if need be? So far I am considering the following:

Continental Gatorskins Hardshell
Schwalbe Durano Plus
Armadillo's

I was going to go for the Durano Plus until I read that they can be a swine to fit and that would be the last thing I need if it did indeed puncture out in the sticks.

Thanks,
Busta.

Blandiblub

One vote here for Gatorskins (although it's all I've used so no frame of reference against the others).

Bustacapp

Thanks for the replies. Is there any particular disadvantage to go for the cheaper wire beaded options?

Long_Time_Lurker

In general, the main difference is in the weight.

Rahario2012

I use Durano Plus on my Allez for commuting- they're heavy but the puncture protection is excellent. Not 1 single puncture in 18 months (roughly 1000+ miles)...

can't recommend enough if you're concerned about punctures...

Azhar

Marathon plus tyres!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cookeeemonster

Marathon plus are the nearest you'll get to bombproof - but they are heavy and a little bit of a pain to get on. It's pretty unlikely you'll need to change them at the roadside tbh but they are easier to get on/off after he first time usually (loosen up a bit)

Else Durano pluses are pretty good!!

jongooligan

Another vote for Schwalbe Marathon plus. Haven't had to take them off the rims for three years and I ride to work over broken glass every day. There's a video on here http://www.spacycles.co.uk/ showing the best way to put 'em back on if you need to.

Bustacapp

The only thing that puts me of the marathon plus is the huge sacrifice to speed.

cookeeemonster

Bustacapp wrote:

The only thing that puts me of the marathon plus is the huge sacrifice to speed.

Durano plus it is then (next best thing...not quite as puncture resistant as the marathon but lighter...but not as light as some. It's a trade off basically).

Or you can listen to the 323133131230000000000000 other choices people will mention on this forum

fossyant

Conti 4 Seasons - the best all round tyre, light, fast, grippy and durable.

edhornby

I've used gatorskins a lot and never had issues with them - the 4 seasons have a better inner carcass and rubber tread taken from the gp4000s and the gatorskin protection layer but they are pricey, mind you if you are commuting daily then it's worth it

MrSweary

fossyant wrote:

Conti 4 Seasons - the best all round tyre, light, fast, grippy and durable.

This.

chris_bass

best i have found are Michelin Pro Race 4 Endurance!

best tyre I have ever used, thousands and thousands of miles covered on them!

Bustacapp

Chris Bass wrote:

best tyre I have ever used, thousands and thousands of miles covered on them!

puncture free?

cookeeemonster

Bustacapp wrote:

Chris Bass wrote:

best tyre I have ever used, thousands and thousands of miles covered on them!

puncture free?

you need to decide whats most important to you. Want the least ever chance of a puncture? Then you need a real heavy duty tyre like the marathon plus (other, similar ones out there too). Else if you want lightness/less rolling resistance and so on then you have to accept that you will get a puncture at some point, and get over it. Yes it's a pain but 15 minutes later (if you take your time) and it's done.

Almost every tyre will puncture at some point if used enough on bad roads. And dont place too much emphasis on how many punctures people claim to have not had with a certain make and model of tyre - there must be plenty of people out there who have never punctured with a cheap as chips £10 tyre with the protection of a peice of paper mache...only thing is they ride on perfect roads in the dry for around 100 foot before packing up and going home

The point is without people specifiying exactly how many miles on exactly what type of roads and the conditions of the roads and the type of crap they have run over (glass, flints, etc or none of these) then how do you know if their tyre will be suitable for you? Even if you ride the exact same route at the exact same time one of you may puncture and the other will not.

So basically...practice taking tyres off and on so you have the knack when you really need it...and choose at random one of the suggestions on this and one of the other hundred threads on the same topic. I currently run Vredstein Fortezza Tricomp on my commuter for the summer - 25mm come in at 240g (225g for the 23mm) and they roll real well plus have decent all weather grip and good puncture protection. Come winter and I'll put the heavier tyres back on (more likely to puncture in bad weather apparently...and more hassle). But next time I might try the 4 seasons as they seem to be highly regarded...so up to you

Bustacapp

CookeeeMonster wrote:

you need to decide whats most important to you. Want the least ever chance of a puncture? Then you need a real heavy duty tyre like the marathon plus (other, similar ones out there too). Else if you want lightness/less rolling resistance and so on then you have to accept that you will get a puncture at some point, and get over it. Yes it's a pain but 15 minutes later (if you take your time) and it's done.

Almost every tyre will puncture at some point if used enough on bad roads. And dont place too much emphasis on how many punctures people claim to have not had with a certain make and model of tyre - there must be plenty of people out there who have never punctured with a cheap as chips £10 tyre with the protection of a peice of paper mache...only thing is they ride on perfect roads in the dry for around 100 foot before packing up and going home

The point is without people specifiying exactly how many miles on exactly what type of roads and the conditions of the roads and the type of crap they have run over (glass, flints, etc or none of these) then how do you know if their tyre will be suitable for you? Even if you ride the exact same route at the exact same time one of you may puncture and the other will not.

So basically...practice taking tyres off and on so you have the knack when you really need it...and choose at random one of the suggestions on this and one of the other hundred threads on the same topic. I currently run Vredstein Fortezza Tricomp on my commuter for the summer - 25mm come in at 240g (225g for the 23mm) and they roll real well plus have decent all weather grip and good puncture protection. Come winter and I'll put the heavier tyres back on (more likely to puncture in bad weather apparently...and more hassle). But next time I might try the 4 seasons as they seem to be highly regarded...so up to you

Amen brother! The bit that bothers me is rear punctures. I get all confused and get the wheel stuck/covered in oil when trying to get it back in.

I think though that the 4 seasons or gatorskin hardshells will be on the cards.

cookeeemonster

once you've done it a couple of times the rear wheel is no problem. Remember to pack some disposible gloves with you and maybe some wipes if you have room and then you wont get so dirty (or can clean up after)

Initialised

CookeeeMonster wrote:

Bustacapp wrote:

The only thing that puts me of the marathon plus is the huge sacrifice that indeed.

Durano plus it is then (next best thing...not quite as puncture resistant as the marathon but lighter...but not as light as some. It's a trade off basically).

Or you can listen to the 323133131230000000000000 other choices people will mention on this forum

Vanilla Duranos are pretty good but don't have the Plus guard that causes the listless handling of the Marathon and Duranos Plus. I haven't punctured then conventionally, and just a couple of pinches for hitting a pothole and running them too low pressure. as above, it's always a trade off, my kevlar lined Snow Studs have never punctured but I wouldn't recommend commuting on them unless it's been snowing or is icy as they add 700g per wheel.

The best way to minimise punctures is to ride in the left tyre line, a good strong but not obnoxious road position that is constantly being swept by passing cars.

BigLee1

Spend a few minutes a day for a few days practising getting your back wheel out and tyre off so you`re slick if you ever have to do it for "real" Good idea for the disposable gloves as well

Downward

Just had my 1st puncture on my 2 year old vittoria rubinos which are now down to £11 each. Before this I had some Michelin tyres of a similar cost that lasted 1 year.

Marathon plus however have been on the winter hack since 2009 with no issues.

I have just replaced the Vitts anyway as they are pretty worn and cut up now. I don't keep a record but guess they have done 2000 miles easily

Mike_L

Using the correct pressure is as important as tyre choice.

I've used Marathon Plus in the past & they were excellent - when correctly inflated.

I'm currently using Gatorskins on winter bike & Michelin Krylion on summer bike.
Both seem good - but I do also check pressures weekly & remove any debris on tyre surface then.

I have previously used Armadillos - which were also good , but in very cold weather they often seemed
very 'stiff' and gave a hard ride on rough surfaces as well as seeming to lose grip on painted road markings.

Mike

Mindermast

Conti Grand Prix 4-Season were my favourites last winter, still using them. Very bad traction on snow of course. But the two punctures I got over six month where due do 1/2-inch flint shards, probably a real challenge to any tyre. Schwalbe Marathon Plus look absolutely bullet-proof, but they feel a bit wobbly and they are really big and heavy. I bought them because I wanted to try the traction against the contis, but the snow was gone before they were delivered. I should say, that the contis are 23 mm, while the marathons are 25 mm. I didn't ride the Schwalbe much, so, having had no puncture at all, doesn't mean anything.

rolf_f

Standard Durano - no need for the plus. I use the even lighter Durano S and rarely have any problems (and most of the punctures I've had have been atleast partly self inflicted. I do a lot of miles as well).

What you need also depends on where you are riding - eg Mndermast above talks about flints - there are none where I ride. But I do ride past a number of scrapyards on my commute and the metal debris from those is certainly a potential source of punctures.

-=mike=-

Had the Armadillos on my commuter Fixed, certainly couldn't puncture them and they last for ages. Only problem was the rock hard ride and lack of grip in any hint of moisture.

Running Schwalbe Supremes on my CX commuter now and they have been fantastic, plenty of grip and no punctures so far.

twoshots

A lot depends on your commute, rural or urban? Glass strewn or tidy? Smooth tarmac or potholed (aka looks like the council cluster bombed it for comedic effect)? Half decent tyres with a Kevlar or other puncture proof layer inflated to the correct pressure should be sufficient. [There are lots of opinions on tyres and some of them are even based on real life experience!]

Personally, I have one bike with one set of wheels and it has to do everything I ask of it, from commutes to group rides (I am known for riding through every pothole on the road). I am lucky in that I have a rural commute with no glass/nail worries so I run a tyre that I like and has a sufficiently low puncture rate (1 in the last 2500 miles). They are not cheap but they are nice and I have never had a puncture on a commute (that curses tomorrow morning then!). [Vittoria Open Pave Evo CG at 35 quid a throw since you didn't ask.]

Bustacapp

twoshots wrote:

A lot depends on your commute, rural or urban? Glass strewn or tidy? Smooth tarmac or potholed (aka looks like the council cluster bombed it for comedic effect)? Half decent tyres with a Kevlar or other puncture proof layer inflated to the correct pressure should be sufficient. [There are lots of opinions on tyres and some of them are even based on real life experience!]

Personally, I have one bike with one set of wheels and it has to do everything I ask of it, from commutes to group rides (I am known for riding through every pothole on the road). I am lucky in that I have a rural commute with no glass/nail worries so I run a tyre that I like and has a sufficiently low puncture rate (1 in the last 2500 miles). They are not cheap but they are nice and I have never had a puncture on a commute (that curses tomorrow morning then!). [Vittoria Open Pave Evo CG at 35 quid a throw since you didn't ask.]

The commute is an eclectic mix of country & poorly maintained urban roads with a splash of cycle paths once I get to the town centre to avoid being splattered on the busy roundabouts. Said cyclepaths have a cornucopia of debris ranging from broken beer bottles, abandoned typewriters and dead animals.

I very narrowly avoided a broken bottle this morning.

I have sort of decided on armadillo's. Is there any reason you can think of why I should not do so?

cookeeemonster

Bustacapp wrote:

twoshots wrote:

A lot depends on your commute, rural or urban? Glass strewn or tidy? Smooth tarmac or potholed (aka looks like the council cluster bombed it for comedic effect)? Half decent tyres with a Kevlar or other puncture proof layer inflated to the correct pressure should be sufficient. [There are lots of opinions on tyres and some of them are even based on real life experience!]

Personally, I have one bike with one set of wheels and it has to do everything I ask of it, from commutes to group rides (I am known for riding through every pothole on the road). I am lucky in that I have a rural commute with no glass/nail worries so I run a tyre that I like and has a sufficiently low puncture rate (1 in the last 2500 miles). They are not cheap but they are nice and I have never had a puncture on a commute (that curses tomorrow morning then!). [Vittoria Open Pave Evo CG at 35 quid a throw since you didn't ask.]

The commute is an eclectic mix of country & poorly maintained urban roads with a splash of cycle paths once I get to the town centre to avoid being splattered on the busy roundabouts. Said cyclepaths have a cornucopia of debris ranging from broken beer bottles, abandoned typewriters and dead animals.

I very narrowly avoided a broken bottle this morning.

I have sort of decided on armadillo's. Is there any reason you can think of why I should not do so?

"Only problem was the rock hard ride and lack of grip in any hint of moisture."

Durano plus get my vote...or marathon plus if things really are that bad (have marathon on the back, durano on the front for my winter commute)

Bustacapp

CookeeeMonster wrote:

Durano plus get my vote...or marathon plus if things really are that bad (have marathon on the back, durano on the front for my winter commute)

Durano's are up there on my wish list. Which are easier to fit between teh durano plus and armadillo's ? (should a roadside puncture occur)

benleicester

Hi,

1. No such thing as a bombproof tyre.

2. IMO, ones that offer higher puncture puncture resistant give a poor ride and are a pig to change.

3. I would much rather have a grippy light tyre, that is easy to change - learn how to quickly swap inner tubes and when it happens its a 5 minute job.

drlodge

Quick report on the EVOs...had 2 punctures in 3 rides. First ride was fine. 2nd ride started in the rain and a bit of flint slashed the tyre causing a very slow puncture. 3rd outing, another very slow puncture happened where the slash is so the tyre is clearly compromised. Bit pissed off given how new these tyres are, and as I'm doing Leith Hill multiple times tomorrow including the notorious Tanhurst Lane (aka officially the worst road in Surrey), I'm switching back to the old GP4000S for a bit.

Other options to replace the GP4000S? I really do like the EVOs ride but they do seem a bit delicate.