Gravel Tyres.

rubertoe

After a third puncture in as many weeks on the commute its time to change the tyres on the Kaff. I am currently running Conti Gatorskins; and i think that the pressure might be too high, but they have some cuts in and need replacing anyway.

My commute is now mainly on compacted gravel.sand of a disused railway (known as the Stratford greenway) and it is littered with debris and crap and mud and all sorts.

I think i need some gravel/CX tyres but this is an area i know FA about.

So i am looking for something that will fit open pros and offer a bit of grip on slippery, gravelly tracks but is not to sluggish on the road.

Go.

asprilla

I use Kenda Small Block 8s on the SS Hybrid and on the kids bikes and (touch wood) haven't had a puncture yet.

They are good on road, loose gravel and hard pack. Crap on grass or mud.

Really good tyres. Not lightweight racing tyres, but that kind of tyre won't give you the protection you want.

fat daddy

I use racing ralphs on my Single Speed CX bike that I commute with 1-2 days a week and for a while had them on the daily commuter.

They work well on wet grass and medium mud and roll great on the road as well as long as you have the tire pressure up. don't seem to be wearing badly either.

Everyone has a favourite tyre .... I never did until I discovered the RRs .... but without a doubt, by far my favourite tyre and the only knobbly I have ever used that has worked well on Tarmac ..... although it helps that the roads in Bristol are so bad that "tarmac" is a loose term, it might as well be off road

veronese68

Asprilla wrote:

Really good tyres. Not lightweight racing tyres, but that kind of tyre won't give you the protection you want.

When I did the off road London to Brighton on the CX I put some Surly Knards on having no idea how strong they would be, so I stuck some tubeless sealant in my tubes in the hope it would help. Those tubes are still on the bike under some Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pros and have been for about 2 years now. I have to carry spare tubes as I doubt a patch would stick to the tube if sealant is oozing out. But at risk of tempting fate, I haven't had to find out yet. The sealant can make the valve a bit sticky when I pump the tyres up which is a slight downside.
This is purely anecdotal and may not work for others so don't blame me if it doesn't work for you. Might be worth a go.
I would recommend the Randonneur Cross Pro, even if the name is ridiculously long.

rubertoe

I dont want light weight, I want durable - its for the commuter. My race days are long behind me

veronese68

rubertoe wrote:

I dont want light weight, I want durable - its for the commuter. My race days are long behind me

Schwalbe Marathon Plus are that, but they are horrible. The Vittorias seem to be a pretty good compromise.

ding33

If you have the clearance Schwalbe G-one are awesome. I run the 40s tubeless on my commuter (Genesis Croix de Fer) and I have had one puncture in two years and 4,500 miles. This was caused by a 1.5 inch screw and was fixed in two minutes with a tubeless repair kit. They roll great on tarmac (the majority of my route) and seemingly last for ever. Can't recommend them highly enough.

smokey_bacon

I used to use Conti cyclocross speed's on my SSCX for commuting. Never had any problems with them and they were very decent in all conditions.

rubertoe

Marathon plus are out - they are to much of a pain in the Arse to get on the open pros.

Anyone had any luck converting open pros to tubeless and is this even possible?

The Schwalbe G-one look a good option if i can go tubless.

mrb123

Vittoria Randonneur Pro are extremely durable and puncture resistant. I've not punctured in 2 winters of use, both on and off road (35mm).

For something a bit more racy I would be tempted by the Clement Strada tyres recently given a great review on BR.
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... iew-51033/

Nellyspania

I have a set of Schwalbe CX Pro tyres, I use them for the terrain you describe and they are a brilliant balance between off-road grip and rolling resistance on tarmac. £15 each at Chainreaction.

imatfaal

rubertoe wrote:

Marathon plus are out - they are to much of a pain in the ars* to get on the open pros.
...

To be honest they are a pain in the arse cos they are such a bad ride. But if you want puncture protection and long lasting they are ace - and if you fit them using a decent method they are a piece of cake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUFVrl0UT4

I use three old laces which take up hardly any space in my tool tube - and I used to fit them to open pros. Current set have done 2,568km according to strava with no punctures - all commuting and comprising two sections of river bank, limehouse cut canal path, and very bad east london roads

If you want silky ride and can go tubeless then I would also vote for g-one

mrfpb

Conti 4 seasons do me well on mixed canal path/road through the winter. The canal path has some really grotty sections, but it's only the really boggy bits that I can come unstuck - but only if I stop pedalling. No punctures in two years, but I probably don't use them as much as you would.

jds_1981

I tend to just go for a big volume slickish tyre that says city or something like that in the name. Unless you are on actual gravel or sand you don't really need tread.

I did however run some of these all winter tubeless with no known punctures

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYWTBCW/wt ... f-tcs-tyre

Volume is a little lower than a city style tyre so if you hit things hard you might snakebite. I didn't manage to though and I'm light but ride heavy.

Good for grip but if on tarmac or paving they wear quicker than I like.

jds_1981

Checked and this is what I use for what is probably worse part than yours.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Continental-Com ... _60516.htm

I have had the odd puncture but not too many.