New Bike - Tyre advice

Ben5053

Hi i recently picked up this bike at a car boot sale as an alternative to my mountain bike for commuting (without paying hundreds of £'s). old bike but cleaned/new tape/new tyres = worked fine and managed to cut 10 mins of my commute , but i've already got a puncture 7 rides into my 18 mile round trip commute!!! i suspected i might as the road are not in great condition tyres on the bike currently are unbranded so guessing there super cheap (just put on to sell it).

1) The wheels on the bike are mavic module 3 branded - does anybody know what size tyre will fit these (current tyre only have 28c written on them)

2) what tyres would you recommend (brand + size) for a commute with fairly bad roads + level crossings etc. currently looking a7 schwalbe marathon plus 700 35c, but don't know if they will fit and if there going a bit overboard (really don't want punctures!)

3) any advice any other cost effective upgrade would be welcome!

Thanks in advance for any help!!

gbsahne001

Conti : GP 4 seasons
Vittoria: Rubino Pro or Pro tech

Marathon Plus will minimise punctures but aren't going to help your speed

The Rookie

Ben5053 wrote:

The wheels on the bike are mavic module 3 branded - does anybody know what size tyre will fit these (current tyre only have 28c written on them)

Almost certainly 700c, sure it doesnt say 700x28c?

Ben5053

Thanks for the help, so 700c tyre's should fit fine and i think i have clearance for at least a 38c. are marathon plus tyres really that much slower?) i'm not trying to break any records (not fussed if it makes me a minute or 2 slower over 9 miles if it means no punctures)

woopidstanker

I would strongly recommend the Marathon Plus but in a 28, not 35...
To start with I rode with the 35's, and puncture wise it was great, but the difference in speed when changing to 28 was pretty impressive. And this is on a Scott hybrid bike, it's no slouch.
And I'd say the 28's are just as good at resisting punctures.

JayKosta

A 700x32 should give good results, durable, and not too heavy.
I suggest that you get tires that are designed / recommended for 'touring', not 'race' tires.

Make sure the tires are pumped hard enough to not get 'pinch flats' from hitting bumps. Also riding in the wet causes more punctures because the water acts as a lubricant to allow piercing of the tire.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

Initialised

I got one puncture in 4000 miles on Specialized Espoir Sport 28mm, I'm currently running the 23mm version and the are as durable if a little less forgiving on poor surfaces, I've only put ~2500 miles on them so far but no punctures yet. I check them weekly for shards and fill the holes with superglue. I've pulled out 5mm chunks of metal, glass and stone that would have popped weaker tyres.

Some reviews that back up my experience:
http://fitrecovery.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... le-review/
http://www.commuterdude.com/2013/02/spe ... tires.html

BTW, mount the torch under the handlebars, it looks better and the button will be right by your thumb when riding on the tops.

ride_whenever

Gatorskins, also do yourself a favour and get some decent pads before you die from your new speed

Ben5053

ride_whenever wrote:

Gatorskins, also do yourself a favour and get some decent pads before you die from your new speed

haha yeah there pretty poor, thanks for the advice everyone.