Best Hybrid Tyres?

[Paulq]

I want some decent tyres to put on my hybrid/winter bike that are as p***ture proof as possible but not too narrow as I want it to be quite a comfortable ride. 700c wheels.

Any suggestions?

 

[ianrauk]

Spesh Armadillo Elite.
They have got me through several winters with very few punctures.

I do keep on banging on about this on here. But do get in the habit of checking your tyres after every ride/commute. It takes very little time. You soon learn to quickly spot crap that's stuck in the tyre/tread and dig it out. Doing this does save you future punctures.

 

[Paulq]

What width of these would you recommend for a comfortable ride? I put some 28c Marathon Plus on and whilst their protection is excellent they do make the ride a lot racier (as you'd expect) whereas I want a tyre that's quick but absorbs the bumps a bit more kindly. Maybe 700 x 35c?

 

[ianrauk]

well I ride 23's (my commute is all road) but Spesh Armadillo's are sized strange so 23's are more like 25's and 25's more like 28's.

Why are you changing from the Pluses? They do offer the best puncture protection of any tyre. You could run them at a lower psi (minimum psi will be on the side of the tyre) or get some good padded shorts.

 

[HLaB]

Conti contacts come in 32mm IME they are good rolling, hard wearing and relatively p'free tyres. Mine were/are 37mm, I ditched the rear after 8,500 miles it had had 1 p'ture in that time (a drawing pin). The front has become the rear and is now 8,600 and has also had 1 pture in its life (a half glass bottle that I should have easily avoided but I was day dreaming ). The new front is a 32mm conti reflex city ride and it seems to be a good rolling tyre but I can't comment about p'tures yet other than up to now, its had none!

 

[Paulq]

The Marathon Plus are excellent puncture proof but this is more of a leisure bike so I want it more comfortable. I think the widest they do in the M+ is 28c.

Bear in mind the bike is a hybrid - not a road bike. I have found some of the Armadillo Elites at a reasonable price but in hybrid form they seem to be a standard 700 x 38c size.

Are they significantly better and worth the extra overthe standard Armadillos?

 

[ianrauk]

The Marathon Plus are excellent puncture proof but this is more of a leisure bike so I want it more comfortable. I think the widest they do in the M+ is 28c.

Bear in mind the bike is a hybrid - not a road bike. I have found some of the Armadillo Elites at a reasonable price but in hybrid form they seem to be a standard 700 x 38c size.

Are they significantly better and worth the extra overthe standard Armadillos?

In my opinion, yes.
That doesn't mean much though.
I do need good tyres as I have a 35 mile round commute through some of SE London's crappiest roads.
But as I said in my earlier post, look after your tyres and they should look after you.

 

[DresdenDoom]

I use Marathon Originals at 700x38C. They're superb and very comfy due to thin sidewalls that balloon out. The tread is extremely hardy and i've had no punctures over the 6 months since they were fitted. Cheap too, so a win all round I think.

 

[moon_monkey]

I've done the last 3 winters (plus late autumn and early spring) on 28c Armadillos.
No punctures, but they are now developing a few splits, which I've glued as a temporary repair measure.

 

[Paulq]

Just seen that the M+ actually comes in a 35c as the biggest size. I like the look of the Armadillo Elite's though (purely aesthetically) as they make the bike 'look' a little better. How do they compare to the Marathon Plus or is the M+ pretty peerless for protection?

Oh and where can I get decent non plastic tyre levers from? That's from experience fitting the 28c M+ that are on at the moment!!

 

[ianrauk]

I would say the M+'s are pretty peerless.
One good thing about the Armadillos is that they are relatively easy to put on a rim without levers.

The best tyre levers I have ever owned are the Park Tools ones.

 

[BSRU]

My opinion of the M+ is pretty much puncture proof compared to other tyres but they are very heavy, give a harsh ride and not very good in the wet.
I used to use M+ tyres but the extra puncture protection isn't worth it, in my opinion, my previous 28c Continental GP 4 Seasons only had two punctures when they were old and needed replacing.

 

[DresdenDoom]

... Oh and where can I get decent non plastic tyre levers from?...

The wider the tyre, the easier the fit. I always use wooden clothes pegs. V handy, they clip underneath the saddle.