Best 20” tyre?

[GrandadPig]

Righty ho, first silly question. Got my ‘new to me’ Anthrotech home last night and had a good look over it today (eBay purchase), it’s not been used a lot and no wear in bearings or steering,. But it has not been well looked after, almost as if it’s stood outside rather than under cover, bits of rust on bolt heads and fittings. The tyres look old rather than worn, and I think I will replace them before going any distance. I used to swear by Schwalbe Marathons, but a cycling mate says they are slow and there are better tyres out there. Trouble is I have no idea. So what tyres would the collective wisdom recommend? Country lanes mainly so thorns can be an issue. Do I buy three marathons or is there something better?

 

[DCLane]

20" is a bit complicated for sizing as there's three which are all classed as 20"; 406 / 440 / 451 size?

I've bought some Schwalbe Durano 451's, but the Freewheel sale (Bargains thread) has 406 Kenda tyres at £5.

 

[classic33]

I've Maxxis Silkworm(front) and Ringworm(rear) tyres on the Brox.
I also have heavy duty inner tube's on all four corners.

I can get 25mph on the flat, and I've had 57mph(minimum) downhill, using these. How fast do you want to go?

 

[numbnuts]

I use Schwalbe Big Apple

 

[FrankCrank]

Have used all sorts of tyres over the years, on my regular bikes and 'bents. Nowadays I get tyres from Decathlon, cheap as chips, but no claimed puncture resistance. Depends how much you dread the puncture fairy, as to what choice of tyres. Even the more expensive ones, with claimed higher degrees of protection, don't guarantee against a visit from said fairy

 

[flake99please]

Any tyre you purchase will be good at something and a compromise elsewhere. Marathons are undoubtedly amongst the best in terms of puncture prevention but do carry the weight and rolling resistance penalty.

 

[PaulM]

Depends on what width you want, but the new Marathon Racers are good all round tyres and not expensive.

 

[Cycleops]

Something from Schwalbe would seem to be the answer. Marathon pluses are the most puncture resistant and hard wearing but others may be lighter and faster but without the P resistance. Over £30 a piece now so not cheap. Avoid Citizens. You pays yer money………

 

[404 Not Found Anywhere]

I find Marathon Greenguards pretty good and there have been some rolling resistance tests suggesting they are a lot better than many other “faster“ tyres. Schwalbe Trykers are good, if you can find any. I have found the Maxxis DTH in 1.5” width to be very good and it is often reasonably cheap.

Pop over to the US forum Bentrider and you will find thousands of posts discussing what is the ”best” 20” tyre…

 

[Ming the Merciless]

In winter I’m quite happy with the Marathon Green Guard. In summer I use either Pasela or Contact Urban

 

[oldwheels]

I have a Marathon Plus on the back wheel and Greenguard on the front. Speed does not interest me much and puncture resistance is more important in my case.

 

[GrandadPig]

Thank you everyone, I now have some ‘names’ to research. Very much appreciated. Things have certainly moved in in 20 years haven’t they!

Steve

 

[derrick]

I use these on the BMX , https://www.sourcebmx.com/collections/bmx-tyres/products/shadow-serpent-tyre?variant=20040587870319 Best tyre i have ever used.

 

[StuAff]

I've had a few punctures on Racers, but I'm sure Schwalbe has updated them since I got mine so they're almost certainly tougher now. Many miles on 'regular' Marathons, they're not that slow & very tough in their own right. G-One Speed might be an option worth looking at- a bit lighter than Racers, can be run tubeless, should be as fast or faster.

 

[Tigerbiten]

I run different tyres between the front and the back on my ICE trike.
Front tyre punctures on a tadpole trike are easier to fix versus the back.
Plus I wear my back tyre out at twice the rate when compared to the front.
So I risk running light 40-406 Trykers at a medium pressure on the front which helps with road buzz.
While on the back I run a 50-406 Big Apple as it's more puncture resistant and also has more rubber to wear off.

Luck ..........