700c tyre for towpaths and forest tracks?

[Dan B]

My Genesis Croix de Fer was supplied with "Continental Cyclocross Speed" 700x35 tyres which worked fine when I was using it on-road but now I've branched out (sic) and added a bit of mud, leaves, gravel, tree roots etc to my commute, I fairly frequently get punctures especially when the ground is wet.

Can I get a more resilient tyre for these conditions or should I expect to get a flat every fifty miles or so when I'm riding on wet mud under trees? Looking at the most recent hole there seems to be no kevlar or any kind of protective layer in the tyre itself so I'm hoping for a better solution than "well, don't do that then"

32-35mm (the present tyres only just fit under my mudguards, so certainly no wider), preferably enough tread to make the offroad bits feasible but not full-on knobblies because I also like to go fastish on tarmac.

 

[I like Skol]

What kind of punctures are you getting? Are you finding thorns and bits of sharp stone etc stuck in the tyre or are these pinch punctures due to the tube being pinched between objects on the ground and the rim? I am surprised by the level of punctures you are suffering, what pressures do you have in the tyres?

 

[I like Skol]

I have been commuting on THESE for the last 3-4yrs/10k miles and find them fast on tarmac but sufficiently grippy for off-road use. Although they don't have the knobbly shoulders of your current tyres they do have more tread/rubber in the centre and when I wore out the tread on one of the original ones I cut it up to see how much life was left in it and there was a reassuring wedge of different coloured protective strip still to go before reaching the threads of the carcass. These last me around 5k commuting miles. Perhaps your Continentals are just a bit thin in the centre area to keep the weight down?

 

[jiberjaber]

I'm running Schwalbe Land Cruiser Tyre 700 x 40c, just under 500miles since I put them on at the end of August and no punctures. They do them narrower as well, so at £14 per tyre or less depending on where you get them, I think they are quite a good tyre.

 

[jiberjaber]

 

[Venod]

Before I sold the CX bike I ran with Scwalbe Marathon Racer 30mm on all surfaces,and, they were pretty quick on the road only suffered 1 puncture in over 12 months, I suspect this was a pinch puncture,probably not suited to a lot of mud.

 

[raleighnut]

Schwalbe Marathons in 32mm would be my choice. (I've got 28s on my hybrid/tourer and am thinking of going up a size when I have to replace em)

 

[srw]

Marathons or Marathon plus. Kept slightly softer than you might if you were just going on-road.

 

[Dan B]

What kind of punctures are you getting? Are you finding thorns and bits of sharp stone etc stuck in the tyre or are these pinch punctures due to the tube being pinched between objects on the ground and the rim? I am surprised by the level of punctures you are suffering, what pressures do you have in the tyres?

One sharp stone stuck through the tread, one I never conclusively found the cause of but there was a piece of grit inside the tyre when I took it off the bike, and one on the rim side where I think the rim tape had shifted to expose a spoke hole . To be fair that last one's not really the fault of the tyre :-)

Running with road pressures (90-100psi), so I hope pinch flats shouldn't be an issue. I have been bunny-hopping it a bit, but not up/down anything taller than a kerb

 

[CopperCyclist]

I ran Scwhalbe Sammy Slicks, 35mm in extremely wet and muddy conditions through the New Forest for a couple of days once. I had been intending to get full knobblies, but forgot!

The tyres coped admirably well, and I don't know if it was just luck, but not a single puncture. I didn't take it easy on them either - the route incuded a river ford up to the bottom bracket, a fair amount of bunny hopping, and atrocious mud. The only thing I did avoid was going through thorns, sticking to the trails and paths instead.

 

[evo456]

I use Marathon mondials, good compromise between weight, comfort and puncture protection. Found the Marrathon plus's too stiff and heavy to make do for comfortable riding on rutted path, especially on bikes with a rigid fork. Naturally as a touring tyre, they will wear and last a long time.

 

[cyclingclueless]

ooh good I came across this- I've 700cc tyres on my bike, and think I've worn the tread in just one "sustrans" route ride!! thanks gents for the intel.