Tyre width for commuting

[thecube]

I have just bought a Boardman CX team bike for my commute to work and to generally potter about on. It feels OK but the tyres are a bit of a shock coming from a road bike. I think they are some pretty cheap and basic nobbly Schwalbe tyres, 35mm. My commute is a mere 3.5m on mainly road and cycle paths, so I want something a little faster and more suitable. But, I also want something comfortable and reliable. My favourite choice so far (based on a small amount of research and reviews) are the Schwalbe marathon (or Plus). But, not sure on size, 35, 32 or 28mm. I do want something a little more suitable to the pot holed roads and cycle paths with the option of the odd trail. So I am thinking maybe 32mm, or will I still find them sluggish on the road? Any suggestions welcome, I can look at other tyres too if they are recommended.

 

[vickster]

I was considering these for the 2014 version in a 32. I think 28 will look weird with the frame

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...performance-road-tyre-raceguard/rp-prod151075

Although I'm going to stick with the knobblies as they give a different option to the roadbikes. The bike will always feel different to a lighter roadbike on 23s

Marathon plus are hateful and would probably be slower!

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I have just bought a Boardman CX team bike for my commute to work and to generally potter about on. It feels OK but the tyres are a bit of a shock coming from a road bike. I think they are some pretty cheap and basic nobbly Schwalbe tyres, 35mm. My commute is a mere 3.5m on mainly road and cycle paths, so I want something a little faster and more suitable. But, I also want something comfortable and reliable. My favourite choice so far (based on a small amount of research and reviews) are the Schwalbe marathon (or Plus). But, not sure on size, 35, 32 or 28mm. I do want something a little more suitable to the pot holed roads and cycle paths with the option of the odd trail. So I am thinking maybe 32mm, or will I still find them sluggish on the road? Any suggestions welcome, I can look at other tyres too if they are recommended.

You don't say what's wrong the current tyres nor have you expressed what you want from alternative tyres other than comfort and reliability. Comfort is a matter of tyre pressure and you can many any tyre comfortable or uncomfortable with a bicycle pump. That's leaves reliability. That's vague and I can only guess you mean puncture protection. All good brand name tyres are reliable.

Here's some guidelines to decide if you have the right tyre for the job.
1) If the tyre cannot leave an imprint on the surface of the road, they should be slick, not knobbly.
2) If the tyre can leave an imprint on the road (i.e. soft stuff you're riding on), then a tread pattern is useful.
3) Slick tyres have less rolling resistance than an equivalent treaded tyre.
4) Given the same tyre casing and tyre pressure, a wider tyre has less rolling resistance than a narrow one.
5) Grip is not dependent on width unless you are riding in mud, where narrower offers more traction than wide.
6) Puncture protection comes from more rubber on the tread. This also brings with it higher rolling resistance. All heavily puncture protected tyres are sluggish by comparison to their thinner-skinned cousins.
7) Tyre width relates to tyre volume. The wider, the more volume you have and volume is inversely proportional to pinch flats typical of potholes. Thus, the wider the tyre, the less chance of a pinch flat, provided you maintain sensible pressures.

My suggestion is to ride your existing tyres until they are bald. They will improve in all aspects as they wear down. I.e, they will not deteriorate, but improve. Adjust your tyre pressure for the required comfort.

 

[vickster]

The Boardman CX team comes with Schwalbe Rapid Rob tyres. I have these, for knobblies, I don't actually find them bad at all on roads. I run at around 80psi. As above, they do seem to feel better with a couple of hundred miles on them as compared to when new

 

[I like Skol]

If and when you change tyres I have recently started using 32c Vittoria Randonneur pros (I suspect the wired version will be exactly the same but slightly heavier?) and can't praise them highly enough. Feel and robustness have been explored with long days of tarmac, lots of grubby urban cycle tracks and several off-road rides that were verging on MTB territory. They haven't let me down yet. I always use Schwalbe road cruisers in 700x35c for the commuter but these suffer from cosmetic cracking of the sidewalls which hasn't been a problem yet and they perform well in the urban environment they are predominantly used. These will be replaced with the Randonneurs when the time comes.

I did recently pick up a Marathon plus that I saw hanging on the peg in a shop I was browsing in because everyone seems to rave about them but I had never seen one in the flesh. Strewth! I quickly put it back down again before I strained my back, I thought I had accidentally picked up a triple pack! Can't imagine why anyone but the most puncture fearing person would inflict those on themselves. I am definitely not a weight weinie but they cross the line!

 

[KneesUp]

Just to second @I like Skol , my commuter / do it all bike has Vittoria Randonneur Pros on as well - my commute sounds similar to yours. I've so far never had a puncture, and the last bit of my commute is a little short cut near some pubs and university accommodation, so there is quite often broken bits of bottle and pint glass down there.

They do (to me at least) seem quite sensitive to pressure changes - they really seem to drag when they are a bit soft - but then maybe on my tired days I blame the tyres and pump them up a bit

EDIT - I got mine because they were quite cheap in Decathlon.

 

[Lonestar]

Yes thanks I've got on fine with Marathon Plus 700x25 for years.

 

[Arjimlad]

I run the Schwalbe Smart Sams 700x35 on my Revolt through the winter on wet & muddy roads then switch to Vittoria Randonneurs 700 x 32c for the summer.

They give a harsher but faster ride and last very well indeed.

 

[thecube]

thanks, just had a browse through, will look more over lunch. Sounds like I might stick with the tyres for a bit, let them wear down a little. After a few commutes I feel less shocked! I think the pressure was around 80psi.

 

[Vantage]

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVIVOHY/vittoria-voyager-hyper-folding-tyre

I dare anyone to find a better tyre for the money.
Lightweight. Supple. Grippy on just about any surface other than slushy mud and the fastest rolling tyre I've ever had the pleasure of using.
I even have a spare set for when my current ones wear out...which might be a while away given that there must be over 4000 miles on them and still look good.
Puncture resistance isn't spectacular, but given that these folding tyres go on and come off the rims without much difficulty, I can live with that.
I know one guy who's stockpiled around 7 or 8 sets in case they cease production. If I had the money, I'd do the same. They're too good a tyre to disappear.

 

[KnackeredBike]

They're too good a tyre to disappear.

And this is why tyres are such a personal opinion, if I had a p*ncture every 500 miles I would be tearing my hair out but for some it is an acceptable compromise for a better ride.

Personally I love my Conti Gatorskins, only ever let me down once and an acceptable ride for me, bearing in mind I seldom have to unexpectedly take part in the Tour de France on my commute to work. Others say they are the tyre prized by Satan himself. Horses for courses.

 

[Tangoup51]

I have just bought a Boardman CX team bike for my commute to work and to generally potter about on. It feels OK but the tyres are a bit of a shock coming from a road bike. I think they are some pretty cheap and basic nobbly Schwalbe tyres, 35mm. My commute is a mere 3.5m on mainly road and cycle paths, so I want something a little faster and more suitable. But, I also want something comfortable and reliable. My favourite choice so far (based on a small amount of research and reviews) are the Schwalbe marathon (or Plus). But, not sure on size, 35, 32 or 28mm. I do want something a little more suitable to the pot holed roads and cycle paths with the option of the odd trail. So I am thinking maybe 32mm, or will I still find them sluggish on the road? Any suggestions welcome, I can look at other tyres too if they are recommended.

I run 28mm vittoria rubino Pros on my 2014 CX, I find the bike itself is good at dealing with the shocks and a 28mm tyre gives me a fair bit of comfort to speed.

I did try running 28 at the back and 25 at the front, that also worked pretty well too.

Though like another user said here, VIttoria has a range of commuting tires, I think you might want to look there.

 

[Tangoup51]

I was considering these for the 2014 version in a 32. I think 28 will look weird with the frame

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...performance-road-tyre-raceguard/rp-prod151075

Although I'm going to stick with the knobblies as they give a different option to the roadbikes. The bike will always feel different to a lighter roadbike on 23s

Marathon plus are hateful and would probably be slower!

Those knobblies wear down super fast though. I already did my rapid robs in and have only done about 1K+ miles. Running them on tarmac ruined them tbh.

 

[vickster]

Those knobblies wear down super fast though. I already did my rapid robs in and have only done about 1K+ miles. Running them on tarmac ruined them tbh.

When they do, I can try the 28mm Rubino pros on the same bike. Probably be several years before I do 1k miles on the Robs tho

 

[Tangoup51]

When they do, I can try the 28mm Rubino pros on the same bike. Probably be several years before I do 1k miles on the Robs tho

Mm, I think you'd do well with them. I love the grip they've been offering though, the tread pattern on the rubino pro is just what you need for the roads around here imho, plenty of little bits to bite into the roads imperfections. - That said I also run them with a Conti skinny butyl tube, not for weight reasons but for rapid braking/cornering, the tread bites a little easier into said imperfections because theres less rubber to flex around.