Touring tyres... Super Marathons??

[bobg]

It's weird. People above say Conti's are crap and Spesh 'dillos are ace. I've personally found the absolute reverse to be the case. I've never had probs with Conti Contacts (formerly known as Top-Touring), and all the Armadillo's I've used have perished within 600 miles. I'm not lying and I'm sure they're not too. Maybe we ride differently!?

Maybe only the dissatisfied people both with reviews.....
The Top Touring of mine were ace, pity the sidewalls are cracked cos my son had the bike for a year and did what sons do

 

[andym]

The search continues, Conti Contacts which replaced my Conti's are £35 and the reviews are rubbish

Which Contacts are you looking at?

If you're looking at the Top Contacts, Continental bought these out to compete with the Marathon XRs. There has been criticism of them with people saying they aren't as good as the Top Tourings (and I think the issues about the sidewalls crankarm was referring to) - how much of it is justified I don't know.

But for what you want you really don't need to be looking at the premium-priced tyres. You should be able to get a very good quality tyre from Schwalbe, Continental, Panaracer, Vittoria etc etc for about £20. They'll last you about 5000kms (for the rear - possibly longer for the front) and do everything you want.

If you look on Wiggle (for instance). You'll see that the Conti Sport Contact/Travel Contact, Schwalbe Marathon Kevlar, Panaracer Pasela and Vittorian Randonneur Pros all come in at fairly similar prices with pretty similar satisfaction levels. This is what you'd expect: tyres from reputable manufacturer with anti-puncture protection, kevlar bead and a similar TPI are all going to perform to a pretty similar level. I'm sure any one of them will do the job just fine.

Oh and mountainbikers have been ignoring Sheldon Brown's table for years and living to tell the tale.

 

[bobg]

Which Contacts are you looking at?

If you're looking at the Top Contacts, Continental bought these out to compete with the Marathon XRs. There has been criticism of them with people saying they aren't as good as the Top Tourings (and I think the issues about the sidewalls crankarm was referring to) - how much of it is justified I don't know.

But for what you want you really don't need to be looking at the premium-priced tyres. You should be able to get a very good quality tyre from Schwalbe, Continental, Panaracer, Vittoria etc etc for about £20. They'll last you about 5000kms (for the rear - possibly longer for the front) and do everything you want.

If you look on Wiggle (for instance). You'll see that the Conti Sport Contact/Travel Contact, Schwalbe Marathon Kevlar, Panaracer Pasela and Vittorian Randonneur Pros all come in at fairly similar prices with pretty similar satisfaction levels. This is what you'd expect: tyres from reputable manufacturer with anti-puncture protection, kevlar bead and a similar TPI are all going to perform to a pretty similar level. I'm sure any one of them will do the job just fine.

Oh and mountainbikers have been ignoring Sheldon Brown's table for years and living to tell the tale.

I sense your frustration with me Andy and I have to admit to being a bit "anal" about these things

 

[Moodyman]

The M+ are brilliant at puncture protection. They roll well, but as others have said, they're heavy. You'll feel this weight - especially at the front.

Most punctures occur on the rear wheel. So you could fit the M+ on the rear wheel and lighter, less puncture resistant tyre on the front. I do this on my daily commuter and it works perfectly.

Having said that - it appears that you're going to be touring, in which case, slightly heavier tyres don't matter if you're fully laiden with panniers.

Spa Cyles of Harrogate - £19 each - cheapest in the country and great service. No I'm not affiliated.

 

[bobg]

Thanks Moody. I have Marathons on my Moultons so I finally decide to have a stab at the Supremes given the reviews and just because I fancy them. As you say, good old Spa, they're £25 each... mind you its more than I've ever paid for a tyre and exactly what I paid for my lovely old Dalesman that they're going on Still intrigued about how Sheldons table on rim sizes for tyre sizes is no longer relevant and as Andy rightly says, is contadicted by MTB rim/tyre sizes? I've ordered 32's and am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[willem]

I would strongly recommend against the Marathon Plus for this kind of riding: it is heavy with a high rolling resistance. Also it is hard to fit or take off.
For your riding I would suggest the widest possible touring tyre that will fit your frame. Don't overinflate them because of the relatively narrow rims. Of the many different tyres I have used, I would have two suggestions, depending on the trade off you want to make. If you want the nicest rolling fastest and most comfortable tyres, I would go for the Panaracer Pasela TG. They are not bomb proof, however. The side walls in particular are fragile. That makes them light, fast and comfortable, but it is their weak spot. They are not extremely puncture proof either. I like them for faster touring with not too much luggage, but I am probably not taking them on my next trip to Norway. If the load is heavier, or conditions tougher, I would go for the ordinary Schwalbe Marathon (not the Supreme, not the Dureme, not the Extreme, not the Plus, not the XR, not the Racer). We have them on a number of commuter and touring bikes, and they are very good indeed. The only punctures we get are of the kind "big nail" and the like. I really don't think you need beter than this, unless you have to deal with a lot of broken glass near pubs. They have enough tread to cope with unpaved Sustrans bike lanes, unless very muddy.
Willem

 

[srw]

I would strongly recommend against the Marathon Plus for this kind of riding: it is heavy with a high rolling resistance. Also it is hard to fit or take off.
For your riding I would suggest the widest possible touring tyre that will fit your frame. Don't overinflate them because of the relatively narrow rims.

Isn't that advice contradictory? Lower inflation will, in my experience, increase rolling resistance much more than a different tyre. In any case, as the Schwalbe tech document shows, even at "touring" speeds, rolling resistance is far less important than air resistance.

Personally I use Marathons on the commuter and Pluses on the tandem. The tandem came with Paselas - which were discarded quickly after the wall split. I've experimented with Armadillos on the solo bike, but found them squirmy and pretty heavy, even at full inflation, so reverted back to Marathons PDQ.

 

[Yellow7]

I fitted these on my tourer & have [so far] done 750 miles across France & 2500 on U.S. route 66, only had 1 puncture.
Some of the US route involved interstate use & several times I ended up pulling small pieces of wire (mesh from lorry tyres) from the tyre that had penertrated several mm & still no puncture, due to the extra thick lining. There an amazing tyre!
ok, a tad heavier but a beneficial 'penalty' harldy noticable on a loaded tourer.

 

[GrahamG]

In a totally contrary fashion, after finding them for £10 a pop in Decathlon, I've gone for 26"x1.5 Vittoria Randonneurs. This doesn't help the thread in anyway, but felt it would make a dramatic departure from Schwalbe/Continental debate.

 

[Crankarm]

I saw a postie's bike in town yesterday, all alone leaning up against the old Woolworths. So I spent a few mins looking at the tyres which were Schwalbe Marathon Pluses and hub which I couldn't tell what make it was. The racks looked pretty heavy duty agricultural things as well.

 

[willem]

The reason I suggested not to over inflate the wider tyre was simply to avoid damage to this fairly narrow rim. On the other hand, in the real world highly inflated tyres do not actually roll as well as they do in the lab. On a real road they bounce too much, thus increasing rolling resistance.
Willem