Outer tire recommendations

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silva

Über Member
Location
Belgium
Does anyone know a brand/model that places puncture protection and wear resistence as number 1 priority, above all the rest like weight etc?
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Schwalbe Marathon Plus. At least the puncture resistance. Slow, heavy, slippery, can be hard to get on wheels but pretty good against sharp things
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
All air filled tyres can puncture. If this is the one priority, you'll need to consider solid tyres - Tannus
 

Spiderweb

Not So Special One
Location
North Yorkshire
Continental Gatorskin Hardshell, great puncture resistance and 8000+ miles. The back tyre will obviously wear quicker, for a more even wear I swapped mine around after 3-4000 miles.
On a bike I don’t use so much I have some Specialized Armadillo tyres, they too have great puncture resistance, I can’t comment on longevity as yet.
 
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silva

silva

Über Member
Location
Belgium
Schwalbe Marathon Plus. At least the puncture resistance. Slow, heavy, slippery, can be hard to get on wheels but pretty good against sharp things
I've had Marathon Plus for nearly 15 years because recommended by dealer and the cross section of the protection was like 5 mm thick. I didn't know better then, I also didn't do much effort to find better.
I think over that period I had a couple dozens flats (about 2 / year) due to punctured, also in the center despite the thick blue filling. But I could live with that.
Though I ceased to use it, I think it was 2015 or 2016, after like 3 punctures in 2 months, at that time there was a new version of the Marathon Plus that in my (Dutch language based) region was named "onplatbaar".
When trying to find an explanation for those sudden and quick flat occurrences, I noticed that the rubber felt like softer than before.
All 3 punctures were caused by an object sticking in the rubber and craving its way through the blue. One occasion it was like a round stone, it even hadn't that sharp edges.
I decided to do a test. I kept (and keep) a set of complete spare wheels, all of them but 1 had still the older version of the Marathon Plus mounted. I replaced the rear wheel by one of those. I had 4 months no punctures. I put the new model wheel back, it took 3 weeks to a next puncture, and again a little stone, that punctured the tires surface rubber and got "catched" by the protection layer to not escape anymore.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
Marathon Plus.

A nightmare to get on the rims but they do soften up with use. The only time I ever had to get one off the rim was when I had a leaking valve. They are pretty bombproof, even on London streets.
 
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OP
silva

silva

Über Member
Location
Belgium
All air filled tyres can puncture. If this is the one priority, you'll need to consider solid tyres - Tannus
I've considered that many times, but all dealers I asked about were negative about it, despite one selling such solid tyre bicycles as company-terrain bicycles. Also on the internet I found enough critics on it to a make the conclusion that solid tires had their own drawbacks. I abandoned the idea, this was 10 years ago.
Did times change since? I'm certainly interested.
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
I've considered that many times, but all dealers I asked about were negative about it, despite one selling such solid tyre bicycles as company-terrain bicycles. Also on the internet I found enough critics on it to a make the conclusion that solid tires had their own drawbacks. I abandoned the idea, this was 10 years ago.
Did times change since? I'm certainly interested.
I'm still on old fashioned tyres and tubes, but there are a few on here that recommend solid tyres. My daughter has them on her commute bike and has been happy with them,

Personally, I am happy to get the occasional puncture and run with fairly light weight tyres. On one bike, I even run 20mm supersonics and although they get very little mileage, haven't met the PF's on any of the TT courses I've ridden over the last 10 yrs.
 
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