Best Touring Tyres?

[roops70]

Thank you everyone. I love the help and information everyone is prepared to share so freely.

Richp - TY for the thread - useful
Willem - I understand the principle of going for widest tyre. I tried the wheel off my city bike Claude Butler with Bontrager Satellite 37c and the tyre jammed. I reckon the gap between mudguard and rim to be 37mm, and the width and depth/height seem to be the same. The tyre also had to be squeezed through the gap between cantilever bodies. So to be safe I think 32 is max width.
Rebel Ian - looked at Armadillos, but favourite was All Condition, and too narrow.
Ivan - World Tour 32C is certainly cheap, but I am put off by some very negative reviews
Gerry - Pasela is certainly there
Kirstie - TY for comments about the selection
John the monkey - I like the City Contacts on the ATB - but 40c certainly won't fit
Jay the Clock - yup maybe 28C would be fine but I do find the 24's at present very skinny

NEW PROBLEM - in trying the Bontragers on my wheel, I find again I have real problems with getting the tyres on and off THE RIM.

The bike has very low profile/shallow rims - Mavic 3 CD (hard anodized rims). On the Claude Butler I have Mach1 19x622, which are quite deep. On these I can put the tyres on without tyre levers, while on the Mavic I really struggle both off and on, using all three. Do I need to go for folding tyres - are they a lot easier? I hate the idea of being stranded unable to change an inner tube in the middle of nowhere.

Also the Mavic rims are a great deal narrower - about15mm internal width against the Mach1's 19mm. Does this limit the width of tyre I can put on? I see no real discussion of this in relation to buying tyres.

Conclusion - do I have to go for a folding tyre, and if so is Marathon Racer 30c the best? Will Kevlar instead of wire rim make all the difference, or are new wheels the real answer - and if so what size?

Thanks everyone

 

[P.H]

Also the Mavic rims are a great deal narrower - about 15mm internal width against the Mach1's 19mm. Does this limit the width of tyre I can put on? I see no real discussion of this in relation to buying tyres.

There are recommendations, people do exceed them without problem, though using too big/small affects profile so for that reason it's probably best to stick to them.  Sheldon Brown has a table, 23 - 32mm for 15mm rims;


http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

My preference would be 30mm Marathon racers if you're looking at a good compromise and money isn't too high a priority.  28mm Conti GP All Season if you just want the fastest touring tyre (fastest I've tried anyway) not that long lasting, but a lot of fun, transformed my tourer.  On a budget I'd get Paselas, not that far behind the M Racers, just weaker sidewalls.

 

[John the Monkey]

Thank you everyone. I love the help and information everyone is prepared to share so freely.

John the monkey - I like the City Contacts on the ATB - but 40c certainly won't fit

They do make them in smaller sizes, don't worry!

Mine were £20 or so for the pair on eBay, so you won't have wasted a fortune if you don't like them.

Notice others have mentioned the marathon racer - I've heard good things about those on the Surly LHT/CC google group.

I have ridden Paselas (albeit in 25c) and liked them a lot - they stayed on a bike I sold though, so I can't speak knowledgably on their longevity.

 

[roops70]

and the winner is...........Pasela TG 32C

Eventually I've gone for Pasela TG 32's, at £19.25 including free inner tubes.

I liked the idea of many others, especially the RiBMOs, but the Paselas promise a comfortable ride with the flexible side walls (not too fragile I hope), and adequate puncture protection.

I was told that Conti's are particularly hard to fit, and that Vittoria's are not quite what they used to be. Marathons were the closed contender.

I was also told that folding tyres are hardly if at all easier to fit than wire rimmed.

The reason as I see it why my rims are tricky is that they have shallow sides/low profiles. I haven't seen this addressed as a problem anywhere else, but the modern deep-sided Mach! rims I have on another bike mean the beads can drop into the well and and I can put the tyre on without any tyre levers, while on the Mavic 3 CDs here I need three and a lot of brute force> Have I missed a vital skill? It means I reaaly fear a flat somewhere out on the road.

Thank you everyone for your advice.

 

[Crankarm]

My 2ps worth. Speicalised Armodillo All Conditions - 28C at the back 115-120psi, All Condition Pros 23C at the front 120psi. Never had a puncture with them. The back tyre is due for change as taking the wheel off last weekend to clean it I saw quite a few patches where the tyre has worn down to reveal the puncture resistant belt beneath. I reckon this tyre is about 3-4 years old and has done about 12,000 miles maybe more as I used to ride far more than 3-4k miles a year. I bought a couple of pairs of cheap Michelin Lithions 25C and Vittoria Pro Tech 25C tyres last year in anticipation as the Armadillo All Conditions had shot up in price, unfortunately now too pricey for my liking.

 

[andym]

I liked the idea of many others, especially the RiBMOs, but the Paselas promise a comfortable ride with the flexible side walls (not too fragile I hope), and adequate puncture protection.

I was told that Conti's are particularly hard to fit, and that Vittoria's are not quite what they used to be. Marathons were the closed contender.

I was also told that folding tyres are hardly if at all easier to fit than wire rimmed.

Hmm.

Lots of people ride and rate Paselas so no doubt they will deliver a comfortable ride with adequate puncture protection. so I'd stick with your choice.

But as for the other stuff it sounds more like prejudices,.

Conti's in my experience aren't difficult to fit - although I suspect particular rims may be more difficult to fit. Advantage of foldable tyre is that you can fold them (and also make the tyre lighter) so they aren't necessarily any easier to fit than others.

Schwalbe produce an extremely useful document about tyres:

http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/shopdata/files/TechInfo2-GB.pdf

I'd strongly recommend it to anyone wanting to make an informed decision about tyre and inner tube selection - including what size tyre to fit on what size rims.

 

[roops70]

OK so the Paselas are coming, the problem now is preparing to get them onto the Mavic Module 3 CD. I think the problem here is the shallow wells.

I've seen some tools on the net and was wondering if anyone has any experience of them.

Simson Tyre Mate (look identical to Kool-Stop Bead Jack in the States) @ £11.24. Look great but too big for touring?

Easyhand Tool from Australia. Only good for tyres up to 23mm?

VAR Tyre Lever, about £10 inc postage. Looks very clever, but a little light-weight?

I will try the talc and thumbs first, but want to be prepared in case....

 

[willem]

Dishwashing liquid will do it.
Willem

 

[roops70]

Tyres arrived and are now on the bike. It was a struggle, and I tried the VAR levers, but they flexed so much I gave up fearing to break them.

The answer was in a tip I was given.
1) use talc generously (I came out smelling like a baby)
2) get tyre on as far as it will go using thumbs, starting at valve
3) rest wheel vertically on ground with valve at top and push down sides
4) turn wheel other way up, with yet-to-be-mounted section at top and facing away from you
5) grip tyre and rim together in both hands and simultaneously push top of wheel away from you and twist your wrists down so your knuckles rise. The rotational force should pull the bead over the rim with a satisfying pop.

I hope the tyres get easier to mount and dismount as I don't carry talc with me regularly. Do you think it worthwhile to take the tyres off and on a few times before a tour?

 

[lowrider73]

I have the Schwalbe Cross tyres and found pretty decent, although on the work bike at the mo, I may swap them over to the tour bike. At the mo, on tour bike, I have the Spec Nimbus and not happy with them

 

[Barbelier]

I know they aren't on your list but I used Marathon Plus tyres on my recent JOGLE. Not a single puncture during the trip or since after 1,200+ miles. They roll beautifully, are very quiet and comfortable and not much heavier that some of the others mentioned here. Tried several other tyres before these and none come close.

 

[willem]

It all depends on your priorities. For me puncture resistance matters a lot on my commuting bike, but less on my tourer. The Marathon Plus 622-32 is 800 gram. The Pasela TG (steel belt) in the same size is 380 gram. Unlike you, I think that is a big difference. It also rolls a lot sweeter (faster and more comfortable).
Willem

 

[Crankarm]

Today I compared the weights of Armadillo All Condition 700-28C tyre against the SMP+ 28C and 32C tyres. Christ the SMP+ tyres are heavy!!!!! I would say in 28C size the SMP+ weighs 50-75% more than the Armadillo AC. When you consider SMP+ 32C the weight is at least double the AAC 28C I'd say, maybe more. The SMP+ 32C is significantly heavier than the SMP+ 28C. The 35C and above SMP+ tyres must be like making a tyre with the weight of lead.

I'm keen to look at some Paella TG 28 or 32C touring tyres for the favourable views above, but don't know any LBS in Cambridge that stocks them.

 

[willem]

When I was living in Cambridge I bought mine over the web. I never tried to get them locally. On the tandem they suffered quite a few punctures in town from all the glass and other litter. A solo bike will suffer fewer, of course, and hopefully the city is cleaner now.
Willem