Recommendations for 700x38c ish touring / gravel tyres please..

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wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
Having now covered about 200 miles on my new CdF I'm thinking maybe I was a little too generous to the WTB Riddlers it came with.

Perhaps unsurprisingly since they've been used a lot on the road, I've found noticeable wear to the tread already (again, unsurprisingly especially on the rear), while this afternoon's job is to fix the punctured back tyre resulting from the long thorn that had made its way through the tyre's light, non-puncture-protected carcass.

Granted I'm used to riding on the road so have probably been spoilt by slicks operating in a less hazardous environment (current road bike has done 1600 puncture-free miles on its original tyres so far), but I'm not keen on regular puncture repair or having to chuck money at replacing tyres every other month because I've knackered their knobbly tread on the roads.

So, I'm after recommendations for something with middling puncture protection (don't want the weight or compromised ride of full-on stuff like Marathons) and a tread pattern that will be hard-wearing on the road (possibly with a continuous raised centre section?) but give me some grip in light off-road applications.

I'm still getting used to the bike (and how I wish to use ut) but I'd guess my riding is currently split 80/20 between roads and not-too-challenging off-road; tow paths, bridleways, gravel tracks etc. I'm not looking to do anything particularly technical, rough or muddy, although some grass is inevitable. I'd also like tyres that are tubeless-capable should I decide to take this route in future. The current tyres are 37c and measure bang on 37mm wide; IIRC the max rated size is 38c and I'd like to stick to this (true) size if possible.

Cheap is obviously always good, but I'm happy to pay for quality if I can be confident that they won't need replacing six weeks down the line.

Thanks :smile:
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
Never heard of Ridlers before, but they look good. However, on one site, just read the reviews and they were slated for poor fitting and frequent flats, so I don't blame you for going after a different pair. Once you lose confidence in a product, it's no longer worth sticking with it.

Can't recommend an alternative, I'm sure others will.
 
OP
OP
wafter

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
Never heard of Ridlers before, but they look good. However, on one site, just read the reviews and they were slated for poor fitting and frequent flats, so I don't blame you for going after a different pair. Once you lose confidence in a product, it's no longer worth sticking with it.

Can't recommend an alternative, I'm sure others will.
Thanks :smile:

Tbh I think in the capacity of a pure cyclocross tyre that will always be used on loose / muddy conditions for shortish distances they're probably great. However, on something that's expected to eat up a lot of road mileage (for the sake of it, plus getting to and from the off-road bits) I think they're just going to wear out prematurely.

I didn't measure the tread on the tyres when new but I reckon the knobbles in the centre of the rear tyre are maybe 20-30% worn after only a couple of hundred miles. With the distance I'm currently covering (a combination of lockdown, nice weather and new bike fever) that could spell a new tyre every six weeks; for which my pockets are insufficiently deep! Likewise with the punctures; I imagine if used tubeless this would be much less of an issue.

I've read the reviews you mention too; not looking forward to getting mine off the rim later! I've not necessarily lost confidence in them but if I can find something suitable might remove them and save them / flog them on part-worn as it seems wasteful to rapidly wear them out by mercilessly running them on surfaces they're not really intended for.

I'm tempted to go for a tread pattern like these Continental Road Contacts, but fear I might be screwing my off-road capability by doing so..
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
By coincidence, Conti contacts (28mm) are on my winter bike and have been very good on the back lanes round here. Always on tarmac, but after tractors have been busy, not much difference.
No good on black ice though, but then not many tyres are.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Good old standby Marathons take a lot of beating especially at the price. Also had good use from Schwalbe Tyraccos, not sure if still available. Continental Tour Rides are also good. I'm sure there are plenty of others equally as good but sometimes twice the Marathon"s price.
Currently running Schwalbe Land Cruisers on my gravel bike and are holding up well.
 

CanucksTraveller

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Location
Hertfordshire
Try Marathon Mondial, they're a touring tyre and not quite as hard as the M plus (which I have on a hybrid). I really like them to ride and so far they seem to have good protection too.
 

Spiderweb

Not So Special One
Location
North Yorkshire
I have these Vittoria Revolution on my Specialized Tricross, probably covered at least 1500 miles with no punctures as yet, I like them so much I bought 2 extra sets just in case they are ever unavailable.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVIREVTECH/vittoria-revolution-tech-g-rigid-tyre

517891

As mentioned above, for summer use the 32mm Conti Gatorskin would be a good choice too.
 
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ChrisEyles

Guru
Location
Devon
I'd go with schwalbe regular marathons or land cruisers for that purpose. Regular marathons aren't too bad for rolling resistance compared to the M+.

When my current 32mm marathons finally wear out on my tourer, I'll probably replace them with 38mm marathons.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
You could try Marathon Racers. They're a lot lighter than normal Marathon tyres and a fraction of the weight of SMP+ tyres which also give wooden handling plus the Racers roll a lot more easily. I tried Mondials for a short time, they don't roll that easily and are HEAVY like SMP+ tyres. I would guess Land Cruisers would be similar. I used Conti Contacts a few years ago, ok, but got a few punctures. Also tried Specialised Armadillos, almost a slick tyre, but once half worn they would succumb to easily puncturing which is when I went to SMP+. The Marathon Racers which I have now been using for about a year have had zero punctures. I ride mostly road and cycle paths, but occasional tracks nothing too gnarly and the tyres perform fine. They have Schwalbe's Smart Guard puncture protection which seems to work. I have done about 8k miles on mine and the rear is about half worn and the front still pretty much full tread. Grip is good in all conditions except obviously snow and ice where all bicycle tyres unless they have studs will have pretty poor grip. They are quite cheap. I think I paid about £22 for a tyre.

HTH
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I don't find the ride on Marathon Greenguards to be overly compromised, so long as they are not inflated stupidly hard for the load they are carrying. Rolling resistance is not an issue, and they will be miles less draggy than any knobbly & narrow CX type tyre. I have stayed well clear of M+ though, because no-one I have ever spoken to about them would recommend them for comfort, although the bomb-proofness and enormous mileage lifespan is not complained about....
I run some mixed sets of tyres, with puncture-protected Schwalbes on the rear, and any old rubbish that I need to use up to wear it out on the front - as rear wheel punctures are far more common than front wheel ones, so you get the best bang for your buck by fitting your most protected tyre on the back and getting the full mileage out of lower quality tyres on the front rather than binning them when they still have hundreds of miles left in them.
 
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