commuting tyres for cross bike

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Nebulous

Guru
Location
Aberdeen
Hi folks - I have a revolution cross disc, with a rack and guards fitted. I use it almost entirely for commuting and work miles, with a very occasional family outing, generally on old railway lines, no poor surfaces.

The tyres have been ridiculously good - not a single puncture in over 1500 miles. They are nobbly though and are probably the main factor in the bike still feeling 'heavy.' The rear is quite worn down and will need replacement soon. The front is still very good.

So - what would you suggest for a replacement, slick or semi-slick, 32 or 35 mm? I've looked at Marathon plus, but I'm not convinced bt some of the tales of dodgy handling. My commute is short but all-weather, including when we get any, ice and snow.
 

mcshroom

Bionic Subsonic
I use Marathons (not plus) for touring and commuting. 32mm Marathons feel lighter than their 35mm counterparts IME; but tgey rarely if ever puncture and the grip is fine.
 

subaqua

What’s the point
Location
Leytonstone
marathons here too. not sure which flavour I have on the commuter and I am warm and comfy in bed at moment so not going to look .
 

steveindenmark

Legendary Member
Unlike Mcshroom, I use Marathon Plus for everything.

Why not Plus for touring?

Whatever you choose it looks like Marathon gets the vote on here.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
Marathons here as well and if your current tyres are knobbly then you will find the handling better but I'd go for the 32mm option. (or even 28s)
 

cosmicbike

Perhaps This One.....
Moderator
Location
Egham
I have Schwalbe Land Cruisers on my CX, covers off muddy towpath etc as well as giving a smooth road ride
 
I've recently replaced the pneumatic tyres on one of my cross trails, with Schwalbe Tyragos (37's). They are harder work than the M+, but the grip is much better on the slippery trails. The Tyragos are puncture resistant, but not to the same degree as the M+. I'm still running Tannus solids on the other cross trail.
 

Turbo Rider

Just can't reMember
Yep, M+ for me too. Went from slick 700*25 to same size m+ and they probably take a couple of rides to adjust to, depending on which tyres you run, but you'll probably find that with most tyres.
 

Wobblers

Euthermic
Location
Minkowski Space
I must confess I do get surprised when people say that the M+ has little grip: that's certainly not my experience. I ran with a marathon plus on the front and a Panaracer Pasela on the rear for a good few thousand miles: on three separate times the Pasela lost grip on roundabout. I'd have been in trouble had the M+ been on the back! I've had no trouble with grip over visitations with either the marathons or marathon plusses - I run both on different bikes. If you don't fancy the leaden feel of the M+ the ordinary marathon's a good choice, or you could try the Continental GP 4 Season which is supposed to be lighter.
 
OP
OP
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Nebulous

Guru
Location
Aberdeen
Thanks guys - I think I'll try the marathons in 32. I don't have a huge amount of clearance in my guards and don't see that I'll need 35s.
 
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