Puncture resistant tyres

[Thomk]

Having had 3 punctures in 12 miles I've decided to change my tyres. I currently have 25mm on my Giant Defy 2 but want 23mm and more puncture resistance. Budget £50 for 2 tyres and want the best/lightest/fastest/most reliable/hardwearing/tough tyres I can get. Any ideas?

 

[Farky]

Conti GP4000s or 4 seasons for me

 

[cyberknight]

marathon plus are the toughest tyres you can get everything else is a compromise between speed and toughness.
If i were in the market for 23 mm tyres i would look at durano plus, come in 23mm and have a protection layer like the marathons but with faster rolling tyre.
Currently i use contonental gatorskin hardshell and i have always found them an excellent balance of protection and rolling resistance.

 

[Thomk]

I like the look of the Durano Plus, it seems to fit the bill. Can I buy just one, put it on the back and leave the existing front tyre on as it seems in pretty good condition? I could then later swap the front one for a matching DP pair. Does that sound sensible? Also, what is the difference between folding and wired?

 

[anyuser]

I am currently running Durano Plus on the back and Conti 4 seasons on the front when i wrote off the rear 4 seasons recently. Works fine. Folding are lighter.

 

[SquareDaff]

+1 for Durano Plus's. Been using them since March and no visits from the Puncture Fairy yet!! {crosses everything}

 

[PpPete]

I'd be tempted to give the new Michelin ProRace4 Endurance a go.
These replace the Krylion in Michelin's range.

So far I've only seen the ProRace4 Endurance in 23mm... and they are supposed to be an improvement on the Krylion which had IMO the best combination of the properties the OP is looking for.

Puncture resistance / anecdata: Must have seen about one puncture being repaired by someone for every kilometre on the rather wet recent IOW Randonnee (100km).... I had none, nor in my similarly wet 200km the following day - running Krylion 25s

 

[musa]

Your best changing the front if anything. I've found it's the front that's goes.

 

[Sittingduck]

Bontranger Hardcase are winners. £13 each and bomb-proof. They roll well enough too. I have tried many different tyres, for commuting, including Gatorskins and Lithion 2s. Nothing comes close to the Bontrangers

Edit: The only slight negative, is that they are wire beaded, instead of folders. They are not particularly light but the pros by far outweigh the con.

 

[Moodyman]

Depends on the intended usage.

As PPete - Michelin Krylion are about the best tyre (in my experience) to the OP's requirement. I have a pair on my Defy and love them, but it only gets ridden in nice weather on quiet country lanes.

For year round commuting, I use Bontrager Racelite Hardcase on another bike and they're near perfect for that - puncture resistant and fast. Downside, is that the hard casing leads to a slightly harsh ride and you need to corner cautiously in the wet.

 

[Wobblers]

The ultimate in puncture protection is the Schwalbe marathon plus, though it's rather heavy. The marathon is lighter and still pretty good. Unfortunately neither goes below 25 mm. The Michelin krylion is also quite good - apart from the rear 25 mm I fitted, which punctured 4 times in 1600 miles - I replaced that with a marathon. The front has done 4000+ miles without problem, though. The krylion has now been replaced by the Pro4 Endurance, as PPete says, and is supposed to be "better", whatever that means. The durano plus seems quite good: a few people run it on the FNRttC and they don't seem to have too many issues.

 

[BSRU]

From my limited experience I always recommend GP 4 Seasons as an all year round tyre, light, a good ride, plenty of grip in the dry or wet and good puncture protection. My front tyre had a 1cm slash in it after Fridays ride but the puncture protection layer stopped whatever caused the slash from reaching the tube.

 

[GrasB]

Durano Plus for me. They're not the cheapest tyres but last a long time for a grippy racing tyre.

 

[iZaP]

gatorskin hardshells, i'd rather pay a little extra rather than catch myself swearing in the middle of nowhere with a puncture ;P

 

[smutchin]

I've done nearly 5000km on my current set of Durano Plus (in 25C) and haven't had a puncture in them yet.

Not the lightest and quite rigid so don't soak up the road noise so well, but still roll plenty fast enough for me. Amazing tyres.

d.