Punctures....help and advice please

bsharp77

Hi guys,

Running 25c Gatorskins on my Boardman which I use to commute every day - just had 2 punctures in successive days. Looks like winter is here. Ugh. Last year I ran 23c Gatorskins, and over the winter period must have had at least 10-12 punctures.
Im sick of them, and just wanted to get your opinions on a better tyre for the job. I have given up on speed - ill take bulletproof and sacrifice a bit of extra resistance!

I was looking at either the Schwalbe Duranos or I've just seen Panracer Ribmos on Bikeradar, who say they are the most resistant to punctures (and quite grippy which is always good).

Any advice and experience of the above tyres, or any others you think would be better appreciated - I know we cant cut out punctures completely, but i want to limit them as much as possible!!

ravenvrider

Probably not the sort of tire you are wanting but i use 23c Conti GP400S's (110psi) all year round commuting, since i bought this pair last January ive done around 4k miles and not one puncture...i couldn't recommend them enough......and i must be a lucky bugger!!!

bsharp77

Hi ravenvrider,

Thanks for the reply - I have GP4000S's on the weekend bike and agree they are great, but they wouldn't stand a chance on my commute around the crumbling roads of SE London!

I must say, i do fear the high puncture rate is to do with having to ride so close to the kerb - especially on these dark evenings - roads are congested and theres not a lot of space, so I do try my best to give drivers room, but obviously at the expense of riding through the debris which causes said punctures.

bsharp77

Oh...and I agree....you must be an exceptionally lucky bugger!!

bendertherobot

Vittoria Randonneur. Fit, forget. Wiggle for cheap

gubber12345

ravenvrider wrote:

Probably not the sort of tire you are wanting but i use 23c Conti GP400S's (110psi) all year round commuting, since i bought this pair last January ive done around 4k miles and not one puncture...i couldn't recommend them enough......and i must be a lucky bugger!!!

yup +1

excellent tyres,have mine a year or so with about 1500 miles on them and only one puncture,and to be fair I don't blame the tyre for that as I was trying for a KOM near me and hit a stone with my back wheel as I turned in a side road at speed,nearly threw me off but managed to hold it,so really only for that I'd say none,and I ride a lot of back roads etc with all kinds of gravel,thorns,hedge cuttings you name it.

Davidjohnb

After lots of punctures early this summer I fitted Durano Plus and sized up from 23 to 25 they have been great and would reccomend.

desweller

My tourer / winter bike usually runs Schwalbe Marathon Supreme folders. Bit pricey but they seem to last for yonks and are tough as old boots. Much more supple and pleasant to ride than Marathon Plus.

cmhill79

I changed to Maxxis Refuse 18 months ago and I haven't had a puncture since. I do about 5,000 miles per year. Don't let the tyre run right down (especially the rear) change them when they are 75% worn. You'll recoup your costs in tubes alone and also spend a lot less time on the side of the road.

mozzer2906

Also cruising round SE London's dubious roads... bought some Conty GP 4 Seasons which thus far have been more reliable than the Gatorkins.... (the puncture in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere is hard to forgive). Quite expensive but I think they are worth the money.

bsharp77

Thanks for all the replies guys.
Ive no faith in Gatorskins at all - 2 sets and loads of punctures later, they are out of the question ever again.

It was a tough choice between the Durano Plus and the RIbmos, but ive ordered a set of Ribmos from cycle express for £22.50 each - well worth a punt I think, especially with all the good reviews. Seem to be as tough as the Duranos but without the extreme weight penalty.
Ill report back once ive tried them for a week or two.

Still running GP4000s on the weekend bike, but might give in to a set of four seasons for the winter runs.

earth

Bontrager Racelight Hardcase tires.

I run them until the rubber comes off the carcase and still no punctures. They are heavier than gator skins by about 100 grams as they have a wire bead not kevlar but they roll fast and last for years. Come in sizes up to about 35mm. And they are cheaper than gator skins. Get them from Trek dealers.

I used those Continental GP4000S on my fun bike and punctured every 10 miles.

Pepperoni Man

Schwalbe Durano Plus on my road bike and Marathon Plus on my hybrid.......so far so good!!

Camcycle1974

Standard Duranos in 28mm for me. £19.99 from Chain Reaction currently. Fast, cheap and pretty tough. Certainly tougher than the Luganos that have given me 4 punctures recently!

bsharp77

Ah, like some sort of bad joke, I walked out this morning to find my back tyre flat. 3 punctures in 4 days commuting.
Was so annoyed I just pulled out the good bike and took it to work!
The ribmos cant come soon enough.....

speedo

I have ridden the last 2 winters with Bontrager Racelite Hardcase 700 x 23 tyres on my Trek Madone 4.5.
Just fit a new pair to my new Trek Domane 6.2 for this winter.
They roll very well are so reliable -Virtually no punctures.
Highly recommend - Check out JE JAMES web page - cheapest around

rnath

Commuting through SE/SW London here and also use GP4000S all year round. Probably around 5k on current set with maybe a couple of punctures per year average at worst. At the risk of teaching you to suck eggs, I'm always careful to keep them up to pressure and check for embedded glass, flints etc once a week - definitely worth the effort.

Pepperoni Man

speedo wrote:

They roll very well are so reliable -Virtually no punctures.

"Virtually" no punctures presumably means at least one puncture?

earth

They do puncture on occasion but rarely. They are fit a forget tyres. I pump mine up every 2 weeks and pay little attention to debris embedded in the tyre.