Best tyre for commuting?

mattdanielc

Hi guys,

Currently choosing between these 2 tyres: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-marath ... road-tyre/ or http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-marath ... city-tyre/ .

My current tyres that need replacing are these budget tyres:

https://www.evanscycles.com/vittoria-za ... e-EV151207

Which are a lot lighter than the new ones which does worry me (350g to 800g ish). Will it make my bike feel sluggish?
Anyone got any experience of this?

I want the new ones because I'm not completely on road - I do use a tiny gravel section etc.

craker

'Best' means lots of different things to different people...

What's the maximum width of tyres that will fit in your frame? Getting some 28s or 30s will make for safer riding on gravel.

As for brand / quality, those Vittorias are really on the cheap side of things. If you don't mind fixing punctures occasionally they might work OK. Schwalbe Duranos seem quite popular at the £20 pound each price point.

arthur_scrimshaw

The marathon plus is a truly dead and heavy tyre. If your bike weighs 20kg you may not notice but otherwise avoid unless puncture resistance is your only requirement.
Generally speaking it's an inverse line, riding enjoyment vs puncture resistance. Unless you are talking tubeless..

tgotb

Ugh! Those tyres are truly awful!

Road tyres are actually fine on short stretches of gravel. Couple of years ago my combined school run + commute was a mile or so along a gravelly/muddy towpath, followed by about 14 miles on tarmac; never had an issue with Durano Plus. Daughter had proper CX tyres, but she was only doing 4 miles each way.

Gravel (and even mud) are grippier than you think, and less inclined to shred tyres than your typical glass-strewn road.

mattdanielc

thanks guys. I need 700 x 28 tyres (to fit my mudguards). My bike weighs 11kg so yes the wheel weight would make a considerable difference. I'm surprised to read the negative feedback above - many websites recommend those tyres for commuting?

Would welcome any thoughts on which tyres are more ideal

I have a 10 mile ride each day - it's mainly road but with some gravel / pot holes galore section at the top of a park. Very bumpy. Keen on the puncture protection just to ensure I get to work on time.

The durano plus weigh 530g so that's inbetween what I currently have (350g) and the ones I have in my OP (800G) so is that a good one? Two of you mentioned it on here.

CitizenLee

As above, you'll struggle to puncture Marathons but ride quality is akin to filling your innertubes with cement.

Have a read of this:

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/20 ... ld-and-wet

anonymousblackfg

How is this conversation happening again...

Budget/solid all rounder - Vittoria Rubino Pros
Last for ever/Heavy - Schwalbes
Fast/grippy - Conti GP4000

Thread closed (in my opinion)

mattdanielc

CitizenLee wrote:

As above, you'll struggle to puncture Marathons but ride quality is akin to filling your innertubes with cement.

Have a read of this:

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/20 ... ld-and-wet

Thanks! But that link actually recommends one of the tyres from my OP...

I don't want my ride quality being affected that much though. The Durano Plus seems a better option at the moment.

CitizenLee

mattdanielc wrote:

CitizenLee wrote:

As above, you'll struggle to puncture Marathons but ride quality is akin to filling your innertubes with cement.

Have a read of this:

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/20 ... ld-and-wet

Thanks! But that link actually recommends one of the tyres from my OP...

I don't want my ride quality being affected that much though. The Durano Plus seems a better option at the moment.

Yeah you can ignore their recommendation (although they do still state that they're heavy - which is fine as some people do value puncture protection over ride quality), it was more just to give you an idea of what other options to consider

I'll be changing the tyres on my commuter to G-One Allround Tubeless soon, but then a lot of my commute is gravel/off-road if choose not to go the direct route, which is most days when it's dry.

Bottom briquettes

I’m still on the Tannus tyres, for commuting. I’ve got 28 and 25mm versions. I value not having to sort punctures in the dark, when it’s cold / wet, over a bit of drag.

prawny

I'd rather Duranos than Marathons (other than Supremes, but I'm not sure what sizes they come in). I'm currently on ultra sports because that's what my new bike came with but I doubt they'll last long over winter so I'm planning on giving tubeless a whirl soon

Fwiw I had the zaffiros on an old bike, they were ok for the money, not as good as the old rubinos which were fantastic, not tried any of the new ones.

tgotb

The Durano Plus is basically a decentish (in terms of feel & rolling resistance) road tyre with very good puncture protection. Almost but not quite as good as something like a Conti GP4000 for feel and rolling resistance, and almost but not quite as good as a Schwalbe Marathon Plus for puncture resistance. It's very much a road tyre rather than an off-road tyre, but I'd argue that it'll be fine for the sort of gravelly terrain you describe, and then much nicer on the road.
One other trade-off is longevity. I'm not sure how long my Durano Pluses last; tempted to think it's 4-5000 miles. The Schwalbe Marathons will last basically for ever, partly because you'll hate them so much that you give up riding, but also because they have a very hard rubber compound. The trade-off is that that hard rubber compound makes them quite skiddy in the wet (Conti Gatorskins have a bad reputation in this respect, but Marathons are a lot worse).

inbike

My last set of 25mm Durano Plus tyres outlasted the wheels they were fitted to, and I never had a puncture despite riding over lots of glass.

Have just fitted some new 28mm ones - they have reflective sidewalls which is nice on a commuter. Complaints about potholes from my child seat passenger have decreased so they must be comfy. SJS have them for about £18.

pblakeney

TGOTB wrote:

...The trade-off is that that hard rubber compound makes them quite skiddy in the wet (Conti Gatorskins have a bad reputation in this respect, but Marathons are a lot worse).

Flashback. I had a set of 19mm Vredsteins back in the day when that was the “thing”. Wet road and they stepped out but I held it. Extremely proud as the effect was enough to buckle the wheel.
Anyway, as you were...

Bottom briquettes

inbike wrote:

My last set of 25mm Durano Plus tyres outlasted the wheels they were fitted to, and I never had a puncture despite riding over lots of glass.

Have just fitted some new 28mm ones - they have reflective sidewalls which is nice on a commuter. Complaints about potholes from my child seat passenger have decreased so they must be comfy. SJS have them for about £18.

Durano plus are incredible, regarding durability, and puncture performance. I rode over a piece of broken headlight glass, in the dark, last year, on a bike fitted with D+ tyres. I only noticed because it felt like I was riding with a coin stuck to the tyre. It didn’t cause a puncture. They are mighty draggy though.

mattdanielc

Bottom briquettes wrote:

inbike wrote:

My last set of 25mm Durano Plus tyres outlasted the wheels they were fitted to, and I never had a puncture despite riding over lots of glass.

Have just fitted some new 28mm ones - they have reflective sidewalls which is nice on a commuter. Complaints about potholes from my child seat passenger have decreased so they must be comfy. SJS have them for about £18.

Durano plus are incredible, regarding durability, and puncture performance. I rode over a piece of broken headlight glass, in the dark, last year, on a bike fitted with D+ tyres. I only noticed because it felt like I was riding with a coin stuck to the tyre. It didn’t cause a puncture. They are mighty draggy though.

What do you mean by 'draggy' ? (forgive me I'm relatively new to cycling).

I still think I'll go for Durano Plus - they aren't much heavier than my current wheels so hopefully won't notice too much difference (compared to the ones in my OP!)

tgotb

mattdanielc wrote:

What do you mean by 'draggy' ? (forgive me I'm relatively new to cycling).

I still think I'll go for Durano Plus - they aren't much heavier than my current wheels so hopefully won't notice too much difference (compared to the ones in my OP!)

Some tyres are definitely faster-rolling than others, but I don't think Durano Plus are actually too bad in that respect. If I were to put the clinchers I've used on a scale from 0 to 100 where 100 is a fast-rolling Conti GP4000s (which I happily use for time trialling) and 0 is a Schwalbe Marathon, I'd probably give Durano Plus a 90.

The Nodder

I can tolerate punctures on weekend riding, part of cycling, but for the commute I changed to marathons in 2013 and love them, utterly reliable, cheap and I find they have plenty of grip in the wet. But it all depends on your priorities.

rhodrich

It also depends where you commute too. I rode for a year on 1990's Conti Top Touring tyres, which have no puncture protection belt, and in that year (6000 odd miles), I only had one puncture, which was a large nail that would have gone through anything. When they finally wore out, I replaced them with Schwalbe Marathons, and I've barely ridden the bike since, since it's turned into such a miserable ride.

Currently, for the sake of research (and because I'm a tight wad), I have a Conti Ultra Sport on the front of my bike, and a Gatorskin on the back. Tyre choices are limited when you're running 27 x 1 1/4. The Ultra Sport has no puncture protection belt, whereas the Gatorskin does, so I'd imagine I'd be having a lot more punctures on the front than the back. To date (1500 miles), I've had none on either (here am I tempting fate!) In fact, I'm so impressed with the 'budget' ultra sport that I've just bought another pair for when my current tyres wear out (which they're showing no sign of doing so).

The Conti Gran Sport tyres that I've got on my other regular bike had 2 pucntures in a week when I first had them. I was quick to write them off, but since then, again I've had none. It was just bad luck (and the very poor surface on the pavé section that we had on Chelsea Embankment last year).

Bottom line is - puncture protection is overrated for normal road use. My average puncture rate on the commute is about once in every 1000 miles, which is once every 2 months or so, regardless of which tyres I'm running. Yes - I get clusters (I've had 2 in a day, and 3 in a week before), but that's more down to luck than anything else. To fix a puncture adds about 10-15minutes to my commute. I'm happy with that once in a while, rather than riding on 'dead' tyres the whole time.....

hopkinb

Rhodrich wrote:

To fix a puncture adds about 10-15minutes to my commute. I'm happy with that once in a while, rather than riding on 'dead' tyres the whole time.....

This. Though no doubt I'll get a double on the way home now...

roger_merriman

TGOTB wrote:

The Durano Plus is basically a decentish (in terms of feel & rolling resistance) road tyre with very good puncture protection. Almost but not quite as good as something like a Conti GP4000 for feel and rolling resistance, and almost but not quite as good as a Schwalbe Marathon Plus for puncture resistance. It's very much a road tyre rather than an off-road tyre, but I'd argue that it'll be fine for the sort of gravelly terrain you describe, and then much nicer on the road.
One other trade-off is longevity. I'm not sure how long my Durano Pluses last; tempted to think it's 4-5000 miles. The Schwalbe Marathons will last basically for ever, partly because you'll hate them so much that you give up riding, but also because they have a very hard rubber compound. The trade-off is that that hard rubber compound makes them quite skiddy in the wet (Conti Gatorskins have a bad reputation in this respect, but Marathons are a lot worse).

I attually found the Gatorskins worse than the Marathon Plus both 25mm though the Marathon Pluses are true to size (ie not undersized) and more robust side walls ment I ran them significantly lower pressures, at which point they are better both in terms of ride and grip.

Few years back I switched from a SS to a old MTB and difference in grip was noticeably, a year ago due to change in work location I switched out middling XC tyres to Marathon Plus Touring. Compared to the proper MTB tyre they are less comfortable and less grip but due to there size 54mm they still don’t loose much grip even on wet metal work which even with high end roadie tyres I found tended to make the bike step out, in short go big enough and even hard compound tyres grip, I feel they are roughly on par with the gravel bikes tyres in terms of grip though no where nr ride or rolling.

sgt.pepper

I've got cheap no-brands 1 1/4s on my Arena, and 28mm Conti 4 seasons on the GT. Couldn't recommend the 4 seasons anymore highly - low rolling resistance, great grip in the wet, still quick in the dry. Only had one puncture on them from a big chunk of wire, and I've ridden over broken glass a couple of times while I haven't been paying attention.

The 1&1/4s are also tough, but that's just sheer thickness - dreadful rolling resistance. But then again, they were the equivalent of about 30 quid for a pair, so I shouldn't complain too much.

mattdanielc

Sgt.Pepper wrote:

I've got cheap no-brands 1 1/4s on my Arena, and 28mm Conti 4 seasons on the GT. Couldn't recommend the 4 seasons anymore highly - low rolling resistance, great grip in the wet, still quick in the dry. Only had one puncture on them from a big chunk of wire, and I've ridden over broken glass a couple of times while I haven't been paying attention.

The 1&1/4s are also tough, but that's just sheer thickness - dreadful rolling resistance. But then again, they were the equivalent of about 30 quid for a pair, so I shouldn't complain too much.

Thank you! Found some good reviews of the 4 seasons from continental so it's between them or the Durano Plus. The 4 seasons is a lot lighter - and more expensive - if it's lighter does that mean it's more suitable for racing over commuting?

tgotb

mattdanielc wrote:

Sgt.Pepper wrote:

I've got cheap no-brands 1 1/4s on my Arena, and 28mm Conti 4 seasons on the GT. Couldn't recommend the 4 seasons anymore highly - low rolling resistance, great grip in the wet, still quick in the dry. Only had one puncture on them from a big chunk of wire, and I've ridden over broken glass a couple of times while I haven't been paying attention.

The 1&1/4s are also tough, but that's just sheer thickness - dreadful rolling resistance. But then again, they were the equivalent of about 30 quid for a pair, so I shouldn't complain too much.

Thank you! Found some good reviews of the 4 seasons from continental so it's between them or the Durano Plus. The 4 seasons is a lot lighter - and more expensive - if it's lighter does that mean it's more suitable for racing over commuting?

I used to use 4 Seasons, and found them nowhere nearly as good as the Durano Plus I switched to. The sidewalls are quite light, and it's not uncommon for them to split along the tyre bead as they get older. I lost another to a sidewall gash. Durano Plus have much more solid sidewalls, and the compound itself seems to last longer too.
Ride quality is pretty comparable, despite the Durano Plus being heavier.
From my perspective, the Durano Plus is the tyre I thought I was getting when I bought my first set of 4 Seasons.

joe_totale-2

How about the regular Durano? I commute on them and find them a good compromise of price and puncture proofing whilst not being too sluggish. They're not as tough as the Durano Plus but certainly a fair bit faster.

prawny

Currently, for the sake of research (and because I'm a tight wad), I have a Conti Ultra Sport on the front of my bike, and a Gatorskin on the back. Tyre choices are limited when you're running 27 x 1 1/4. The Ultra Sport has no puncture protection belt, whereas the Gatorskin does, so I'd imagine I'd be having a lot more punctures on the front than the back. To date (1500 miles), I've had none on either (here am I tempting fate!) In fact, I'm so impressed with the 'budget' ultra sport that I've just bought another pair for when my current tyres wear out (which they're showing no sign of doing so).

This is what I used to do, and will start doing again soon no doubt.
I tend to get more rear flats than front so I was running a 25c Durano Plus on the rear (£25ish) with a 25c Lugano on the front (£15ish)

Got through a rear tyre ever year 6-8000 miles, and a front ever 18months - 2 years. 1 flat in each in that time.

UndercoverElephant

I guess it depends on your outlook. For some people, the 10 minutes you spend fixing a flat is the worst thing in the world so they ride any tyre which gets rid of that, no matter what. For me, riding my bike and enjoying it is the best thing in the world, so I ride the tyres that maximise that enjoyment. I can fix a few flats (occasionally) and not take away from my overall enjoyment, but I realise that the best commuting tyre means something else to other people.

For me:

Schwalbe One Pro Tubeless - fast and fun and (with sealant) not too many troubles.
Vittoria Rubino Pro - also fun, slightly less grippy but with fewer problems.
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Schwalbe Marathon Plus - Wood, but great in an active minefield.

mamil314

I agree on not compromising the ride too much and use normal Durano 28mm on my commutes. Durano Plus has a hard plastic protection belt and just so much less pleasant to ride. I found both Conti tyres, 4k and 4 season, too fast wearing.

itboffin

i hate 50 visits in my first year of commuting and spent a fortune on gas tubes and tyres since then i've learned to regulate tyre pressures, and run only Vittoria tyres + tubes. Now i have 1-2 a year.

Mind you i foolishly dabbled again with Michelin and had one every ride oh and two broken ribs

cjcp

Durano Pluses. Used them for nearly eight years, with the exception of an unfortunate few months when I was forced to used Spesh somethingorother.

I've got them on my commuter and 'nice' bike, and used them on the Marmotte. I'll admit that they don't corner on Alpine descents** as well as Conti GP4000Ses, but they do me just fine on the commute and the very occasional foray into Surrey or out to Windsor.

** had an ohhhhh sheeeeeet moment down the Glandon.

roger_merriman

My old commute was fairly short and with a low probability of a puncture, so I tended to use tyres that I liked generally than puncture proof etc.

I now have a reasonable commute plus it’s littered with glass even the Marathon Plus Touring have some war wounds the front has some that I can see blue! My worry is that a lighter faster tyre would sooner or later slash the sidewall and that would be that.

Oddly the Marathon Plus Touring feel better off road my deer cull/can’t be assed with traffic follows the river crane south though Donkey Wood and so on, they do far better on the wet and in places angled boardwalk than they have any right to!