Choosing puncture resistant tyres on a new bike before buying

[Supersuperleeds]

But are real barstewards to mount.
Have a rep for being heavy and slow but for puncture resistance can't be beat. You can't have everything.

They aren't difficult to put on and yes they may be heavier than other tyres, but for the vast majority of us we aren't going to notice the effect on speed/performance.

If you want to minimize punctures then you can't beat Marathon Plus, unless you go tubeless. (or use solid tyres )

 

[presta]

As I replied elsewhere, I put them in my bike in June 2022 and I've not had a puncture since. Other people might have different results, of course.

Doesn't it gunge up the valve when you let air out, though?

 

[All uphill]

Ms AU and our son insist on slime filled tubes inside Marathon tyres. Neither have had a puncture in years.

I did recently have to cut the tyres off our folding bike because the valves were full of congealed goo. That was after 7 years use.

 

[Deleted member 121159]

Best to look at https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/ and choose the most puncture resistant tyre. I wouldn't go by what the manufacturers say. They all say their tyres are puncture resistant, but the tests show there are huge differences.

 

[cyberknight]

depends on type of bike with slime ? i found at road bike pressures it tend to just blow out before it can seal .

 

[slowmotion]

I put Marathon Pluses on my first bike but I changed to Vittoria Rubinos about 12 years ago. The Marathons were pretty good for punctures but not infallible. I didn't like blood oozing out from under both thumbnails as I tried to follow the classic Spa Cycles fitting video. There are numerous versions of the Rubinos but I tend to go for a folding version that costs less than twenty quid. Considering the amount of debris on inner London roads, they are pretty impressive.

 

[cyberknight]

I put Marathon Pluses on my first bike but I changed to Vittoria Rubinos about 12 years ago. The Marathons were pretty good for punctures but not infallible. I didn't like blood oozing out from under both thumbnails as I tried to follow the classic Spa Cycles fitting video. There are numerous versions of the Rubinos but I tend to go for a folding version that costs less than twenty quid. Considering the amount of debris on inner London roads, they are pretty impressive.

my goto tyres for general riding are rubinos and zaffiro pros , good balance of rolling resistance/ grip and price .

 

[Roadrat77]

I bought a second hand Trek Alpha 1.1 and it still had the original Bontrager boots on - which promptly punctured twice almost immediately. I binned them and went to Conti Gatorskins. Brilliant tyres.

 

[cyberknight]

I bought a second hand Trek Alpha 1.1 and it still had the original Bontrager boots on - which promptly punctured twice almost immediately. I binned them and went to Conti Gatorskins. Brilliant tyres.

i found gators a hard ride and had more punctures with them than my current tough tyre of choice , and they are renowned for being like bon jovi ... slippery when wet .I was getting a flat every month on average before i changed .the roads are that bad i have to use for commuting .

 

[Roadrat77]

i found gators a hard ride and had more punctures with them than my current tough tyre of choice , and they are renowned for being like bon jovi ... slippery when wet .I was getting a flat every month on average before i changed .the roads are that bad i have to use for commuting .

I (thankfully) don't commute anymore and don't do much wet-weather riding either so Bon Jovi stays in his studio!

 

[froze]

The first line of defense against flats is the tire, I think we all know that, but the last line is the tube, but there is a 2nd line of defense that occurs after the tire but before the tube, and that is a tire liner.

First off, a slime tube weighs around 172 grams each.

A Clear Motion Rhinodillos liner weighs about 95 grams each but is much more effective at stopping punctures than a slime tube. The Rhinodillo liner works far better than a Mr. Tuffy, I know this because I tested them both. First I took a pair of scissors to cut them both, and the Tuffy cut like butter, whereas the Rhino was much tougher to cut. Then I took a tack and drove it through the Tuffy fairly easily, but the Rhino bent the tack and did not penetrate it.

Since I started using the Rhinodillo liners in my commuter/RV camping bike and in the touring bike I haven't had a single flat in about 8 years. But the touring bike now has Schwalbe Amotion tires, so those by themselves are highly flat-resistant. Because I use a liner in those bikes, I use lightweight 65-gram butyl tubes. When added up my combination comes to 160 grams, not that much different than using a slime tube, but my flat protection is far better.

By using a liner instead of slime you eliminate the mess, you eliminate having to refresh the slime after 3 months thus increasing the weight of the tire/tube, and you eliminate clogged valves.

The Rhino liners will not chaff your tube causing a hole after a thousand miles or so because they use a soft end that prevents that, Tuffy liners do not do that.