Best Tyres to Avoid Punctures

Noddy501

So I had my first puncture today ... 15 miles out from home, with no repair kit or spare inner tube with me. A big lesson there in always to carry spares. However, this got me thinking to the tyres on the bike - are there tyres that are more puncture resistant than others? After all I still don't fancy changing a wheel at the side of rode when tired and cold.

Any advise would be very much appreciated...

Don

cyberknight

Marathon plus
Bombproof

cookeeemonster

Do a search on the forum, hundreds of threads discussing it.

Marathon pluses are the most puncture resistant you'll get, but are heavy compared to a normal road tyre. Durano pluses are lighter but still offer good resistance...then you have gatorskins which so e like some don't, gp4season which are expensive but light and offer very good puncture resistance...

...loads of choice basically. Everyone will give you a different answer...it's all about deciding between weight, level of puncture resistance you want and grip plus price...I run marathons on my commuter as I tend to get a fair few punctures on my route. Also use gp4seasons which roll fast but are not as resistant. Good luck deciding

Noddy501

Thanks. I've done more reading and have pretty much decided on Marathon plus tyres. I'll fit these to my new bike when I get it :-)

What do you guys think about slime? I've done a bit of reading around it ... some people hate it, but others recommend it. Seems that it does the job for most punctures, but not all, but adds weight to the tyre.

Don

anthdci

If you have marathon plus on you wont need any extra puncture protection. I had mine beat by an inch long blade of metal that would have got through anything. Carry a spare tube though. I am running 23c gator hardskins with Panaracer Flataway Tyre Liner. So far not beaten since I put them on last september.

t4tomo

Slime is the work of the devil. :twisted:

As above complete overkill if you have marathon pluses. You should always carry a spare tube and tyre levers though.

drlodge

Noddy501 wrote:

So I had my first puncture today ... 15 miles out from home, with no repair kit or spare inner tube with me. A big lesson there in always to carry spares. However, this got me thinking to the tyres on the bike - are there tyres that are more puncture resistant than others? After all I still don't fancy changing a wheel at the side of rode when tired and cold.

Any advise would be very much appreciated...

Don

What tyres do you currently have? I think the lesson here is to always carry a spare tube, repair kit, levers abd a pump!

BigLee1

Another very good lesson is to practice changing a tube at home a good few times so when you have to its a slick operation and you`re not worrying that you can`t do it. Pumping it back up will also keep you warm No tyre is totally puncture proof and you might not get another one for months/ years. It`ll save you money buying new tyres as well.
Also pop some of those really thin gloves dentists use in your toolkit as it`ll keep your hands clean of chain lube when you`re putting it all back together!

Captain Slackbladder

cyberknight wrote:

Marathon plus
Bombproof

Agree with this, i've had one puncture on the current set that are almost due a change.

cookeeemonster

Regarding slime...I looked into it before I switched to marathons as I was getting too many punctures and wanted a belt and braces approach (and I'd destroyed a marathon before - though no tyre even with slime would've survived).

Basically the thing with slime is this: works fantastic for lower pressure (normally mtb, and wider) tyres but pretty useless for the higher pressures you get on road tyres. That explains the marmite love it/hate it reviews you get with it...

So I wouldn't use it.

samsbike

Marathon plus are not infallible but are very good having had 2 punctures in as many years. I have had 5 this year all on normal Marathons.

I wonder if a lighter tire and a liner is a better idea?

One other consideration is the surface you ride on. If you are mostly on road and given summer should be coming I would be tempted for something lighter. Simply because there is less chance of having a really dirty surface. The exception is if there are loads of roadworks, as then there tends to be more debris around.

However, if you are on cycle tracks, shared lanes, etc I would go for the marathon plus as these tend (well on my route) have a lot of broken glass.

So in conclusion, depends on your route.

If you do have a M+ and a puncture they are not the easiest tires to take on and off, so bear that in mind as well.

anthdci

samsbike wrote:

I wonder if a lighter tire and a liner is a better idea?

This is the route I went out as the smallest marathon plus is 25c, and I did not think they would fit on my giant defy with mudguards fitted, hence I went for the 23c gatorhardskins with the tyre liner as my winter tyres and to be honest I'm not sure if I am going to go back to my GP4000s for my commute over the summer.

Initialised

If you can fit 28mm then you can use an old 23mm carcass (cut off the bead) as a tyre liner.

I'm about to retyre my rear Specialized 23mm Espoir Elite in this fashion after ~4000 service miles with one actual puncture. I'll use it's carcass and a 28mm next winter.

A fair bit of abuse wore through the carcass and the tube blew out the side of the tyre, I limped to the next bike shop by stuffing a gel wrapper inside to stop the tube going again.

wandsworth

BigLee1 wrote:

Also pop some of those really thin gloves dentists use in your toolkit as it`ll keep your hands clean of chain lube when you`re putting it all back together!

This.

And another shout for Conti GP4Seasons.

Bordersroadie

No tyre is puncture proof so make sure you get one that will easily remove* and refit* at the roadside and of course always have a spare tube and levers with you.

* the hard thing is that tyre/rim combinations are many and various in this respect and you don't find out until you buy a tyre and try to fit it. But trust me, on a cold, wet pitch black winter's night in the middle of nowhere, with a flat tyre, it becomes a critical factor.

I've found GP4S lovely tyres but cut easily on my roads - I've had more p's with these than any other tyre. GP4000s's are good in my experience but they get only summer use so that doesn't really compare.

Gator Hardshell are the best compromise I've found for wet/dirty roads. They remove easily from Ambrosio Excellight and are very tough for general cut resistance. However, even these got a massive thorn right through the middle of the tread when they were virtually new, so whatever tyre you get, be prepared to get a flat once in a while.

SPOC

Gatorskin folding tyres. I find the folding ones easier to change the tubes on for someone as weak and pathetic with their hand strength as me Also, they are lighter and no heavier than non gator wired conti sports.

Only ever had 3 punctures in about 15,000 miles on these. Two of these were down to piss poor riding on my part in the dark and hitting a pothole, only once has anything ever got through the tyre. I ride in a cycle lane on the way to work that is basically in the gutter and all the shit from the A27 ends up in there, so they are tested daily. Kiss of death now!

A few sets have come and gone, usually finally only dying once the rubber has almost completely worn through.

Noddy501

Thanks for everybodies advise.

I've yet to purchase my new bike, but when I do I'll put Marathon plus tyres on it. Although am concerned about how easy they are to remove/fit if I do get a puncture.

For my current bike, I have filled the tyres with slim and so far no punctures in nearly 100 miles of riding. I also now carry a puncture repair kit and two spare inner tubes. This made me a hero at the weekend when the girl I was riding with had a puncture and I was able to repair it for her :-)

Lesson to all newbies, always carry a spare inner tube and means to repair the tyre!

Don

The Rookie

I run 26" slicks, thicker tread than a 'proper' road tyre but a lot less heavy than a marathon plus, 2 punctures in 4,500 miles (time isn't relevant, miles are not 100% equatable but better than no punctures in 2 years (P.S. I only did 1 mile).

While I understand the attraction of the M+, I wouldn't wanted to have lugged that weight around for that distance to save on just 2 punctures (one of which I finished the commute on as it was slow enough to get away with).

brynlewis

I had to reply to this one as I wanted to shout about how good my Schwalbe Big Apple Tryes are on my Dahon Jack folding bike. I have been commuting for 8 years , 5 days per week which is approximately a 5 mile commute twice per day over a variety of terrain, including oad, cobbles, canal towpaths and grass. I have had 1 puncture in this time and these tyres are still going strong. They handle well. They are 26".

chris_bass

I use Michelin Pro 4 Endurance, seems people seem to hate them but I do a lots of miles and find them great, can get up to 8 to 10,000 miles out of a pair.

gruffymax1982

Marathon Plus. I ride a set of 32x700c. 2 years and 6000 miles puncture free commuting. Any weight gain or installation difficulties are a tiny price to pay for such reliability. So reliable in fact that I have been tempted to not bother packing a pump or repair kit!

mr_eddy

Personally I use 28c Gatorskins wire bead, no punctures yet in 500 miles. As others have said depends on the route / pressure etc.

If you hit a nail or sharp thorn not tyre will stay inflated no matter how many puncture strips you have. My advice on a road commuter bike is go at least 1 size wider than standard maybe 2x as long as you have the clearance for it also get your tyre to about 90% max pressure, If you are a big rider then maybe max it but defo never go lower than 80% of max as that is when you can get pinch punctures also the lower the pressure the more rubber on the road increasing chances of puncture not to mention the added resistance .

The only 'puncture proof' tyres are solid rubber and they went west as soon as Mr Dunlop got on the scene.

tomawest

To be fair there are lots of good options out there depending on your needs and requirements. Personally I have 4 different tyres; Marathon Plusses, Gatorskins, Marathon Winters, and also some Bontrager 29er tyres with Panaracer Flataway lining.

Personally I would go for the Marathon Plusses everytime as I have seen first hand how ridiculously tough they are to puncture when I ran over a fully smashed pane of glass and remained puncture free (only had to yank 1 piece of glass out of the tyre). I also have to cycle through an industrial estate and have only suffered 1 puncture during their use thanks to a massive piece of flint.

Gatorskins are good however their reputation suggests that they deteriorate pretty quickly and require more care than the marathons.

Maraton winters are just good for use when there is ice on the roads. they also have a kevlar lining and due to their limited use, are brilliant.

Panaracer Flataways are great (pig to install though). Havent had a puncture whilst using them but they have the same issue as the gatorskins.