42-45mm All Round Multi Use Tyre options

[QUIK]

Soon to be getting a GIANT Escape 2 Disc as a weekend bike but want to change the standard 38mm tyres to either a 42mm or 45mm.

Looking for something that gives a good level of performance on roads and gravel.

 

[Sharky]

Welcome to cycle chat and happy cycling on your new bike.

As somebody who thinks 28mm tyres are slow and heavy, I'm not really the one to advise, but I would give the ones that come with the bike a good run in before you start changing them.

 

[Spiderweb]

As above, see how you get on with the stock tyres first.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

As somebody who thinks 28mm tyres are slow and heavy, I'm not really the one to advise, but I would give the ones that come with the bike a good run in before you start changing them.

I wouldn't bother changing them either. I have 38 mm Marathons on one of my hybrids which does a fair bit of gravel mileage and I see no reason why anyone would want anything wider, as traction is not a problem nor is comfort so long as appropriate tyre pressures for rider weight are used.
Wide tyres are considerably heavier than narrow ones, so there is little point in going any wider than necessary for acceptable soft ground flotation/comfort/load rating. @Sharky would be horrified if he weighed my 28 Marathons on the Dawes never mind the 38's! The wide ones weigh two pounds per tyre, but the air always stays on the inside which is why I use them.

 

[weareHKR]

Cool... I've got 50mm wide on my hybrid & its awesome to ride on everything, with the exception of sticky mud!
I don't care what anyone says or how heavy they are, never understand why a regular cyclist gets all hung up on the weight of things, especially when they're about 3 stone overweight...

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Cool... I've got 50mm wide on my hybrid & its awesome to ride on everything, with the exception of sticky mud!
I don't care what anyone says or how heavy they are, never understand why a regular cyclist gets all hung up on the weight of things, especially when they're about 3 stone overweight...

I don't see any point in engaging in a tyre arms race to see what the biggest possible size you can fit is. I mainly want to avoid anything that is so narrow it will rattle my teeth on normal tarmac, which at my weight I have found to be below 28 mm. Anything narrower needs such high inflation pressures that the resulting ride quality is unpleasant. A lighter rider than me (13st 10lb ATM) might be happy on 23's or 25's. For me, they are a no-no, so it's an absolute min of 28 and ideally 32 for a light steel drop bar bike.
On a hybrid where the bike itself is a few pounds heavier, and I might have a few more pounds in a pannier or sitting on top of the rack, then 35's are practical. I got some 38's on a very good special offer to try out. They are comfortable, but pretty heavy. I've experimented with running a 38 on the back and a 35 on the front, which is less heavily loaded. It works well enough, but in future I will probably stick to 35's. Being Marathons, it will take years to wear them out though!
I agree with not being too obsessive about weight, but I don't disregard it entirely either. Everything carried on the rider or on the bike still has to be propelled around so it does make sense not to burden yourself unnecessarily, especially if your intended ride isn't very flat.

 

[QUIK]

I can probably get a good deal if I buy some tyres with the new bike now to keep as spares.

So are their any recommendations for say at least a 42mm.

The two I found are Panaracer GravelKing SK however read a lot about puncture issues with Panaracer and then theirs the Specialized Pathfinder Pro, but not many options at 42.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

For me, puncture resistance and high mileage durability are the absolute most important criteria when I look at buying tyres. If they are not bomb-proof I'm not going to buy them, irrespective of any other factors like price.

 

[T4tomo]

I can probably get a good deal if I buy some tyres with the new bike now to keep as spares.

So are their any recommendations for say at least a 42mm.

The two I found are Panaracer GravelKing SK however read a lot about puncture issues with Panaracer and then theirs the Specialized Pathfinder Pro, but not many options at 42.

You might find they will swap out the tyres for your preferred choice and only charge the difference. Epic cycles did that when I bought from them. Need to weigh up against alternative online prices for your choice though....

 

[Sharky]

Just to repeat my earlier comment. Try the stock tyres first.
You won't know what tread pattern you want until you get a few miles in.
I believe your bike comes tubeless? If so and you want to change the tyres, you will have to master the teething problems of fitting tubeless. And the reasons for going tubeless is for instant repairs of punctures and a more comfortable ride.

Cheers

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I wouldn't bother changing them either. I have 38 mm Marathons on one of my hybrids which does a fair bit of gravel mileage and I see no reason why anyone would want anything wider, as traction is not a problem nor is comfort so long as appropriate tyre pressures for rider weight are used.

Wide tyres are considerably heavier than narrow ones, so there is little point in going any wider than necessary

Ah but they will be able to go 42mm and still be lighter than your marathons.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Ah but they will be able to go 42mm and still be lighter than your marathons.

Possibly depending on construction, but the only tyre I would bet hard cash on getting less punctures compared to my Marathons or Land Cruiser+, is M+, which are heavier still.
I'm not aware of any tyres that are both light and super-durable.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Possibly depending on construction, but the only tyre I would bet hard cash on getting less punctures compared to my Marathons or Land Cruiser+, is M+, which are heavier still.
I'm not aware of any tyres that are both light and super-durable.

There’s always that trade off but I didn’t see the OP saying they were looking for marathon green guard levels of puncture resistance.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

There’s always that trade off but I didn’t see the OP saying they were looking for marathon green guard levels of puncture resistance.

No they didn't but if you are riding on "gravel" - actually more likely hard-packed chippings, you are going to encounter a lot of sharp stuff that will cut flimsy tyres to shreds. Same goes for urban riding where the margins of the carriageway are full of all sorts of debris. Frequent flats can really suck the enjoyment out of riding and are a major inconvenience if you need to be somewhere at a certain time.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

No they didn't but if you are riding on "gravel" - actually more likely hard-packed chippings, you are going to encounter a lot of sharp stuff that will cut flimsy tyres to shreds. Same goes for urban riding where the margins of the carriageway are full of all sorts of debris. Frequent flats can really suck the enjoyment out of riding and are a major inconvenience if you need to be somewhere at a certain time.

Marathon is overkill though and tyres with less puncture protection are not necessarily flimsy. It’s just that Marathon is at the extreme end of robust. There are far better riding tyres for gravel type surfaces that offer more than adequate puncture protection and grip.

Whilst marathon cam do easy gravel it’s a million miles away from the best choice.