EasyPeez
Veteran
- Location
- Cottingham, East Yorkshire
Hi,
I know this is probably a bit of a perennial debate on here, but as the threads I found weren't that recent and tyre development continues all the time I thought I'd appreciate the latest collective thinking from Cyclechatters about what the best tyre is to combine performance with puncture resistance?
I've done just shy of 1,500 miles on my stock Conti GrandSport Race tyres, which seems reasonable to me, but over the weekend I seem to have accidentally signed up to ride London-Paris the week after next and the organiser's info stipulates that riders should use puncture-resistant tyres such as Gatorskins or Marathon+ to minimise punctures and thereby disruption to the group progress.
So I feel duty-bound to get something tougher, but am a bit bamboozled by all the options. I realise that whatever I choose will be a compromise on either toughness or weight/speed but would appreciate advice on the most puncture protected tyre that will still allow me to roll easily and maintain a good pace. I'm less than 10stone in weight and currently riding 25" tyres on a steel road bike, and would prefer to stick at that size, though open to going up or down a size if people think that will also help in some way.
Some of the options I am considering based on what my local shops have in. Happy to broaden this out if I'm overlooking any better options (GP 4 Seasons? Michelin Pro4s?) -
Marathon+ - felt very heavy and unsporty in the shop - I don't want anything that's going to slow me down too much. Website says 750g - is that each tyre?!
Gatorskins - haven't seen any of these in the rubber as they were on order - less than half the weight of the M+ according to website so I am guessing much sportier, but not nearly as tough?
Freedom ThickSlicks - Look good. Not esp lightweight. Well rated on road.cc site. More style than substance?
Durano Etape - look fantastic and feel sporty but they only had the standards in, not the Etape Plus. So with a 4/6 puncture protection rating on the Scwalbe-ometer would these would be much better than my current Contis?
Black Mambas - the guy in the shop said these were the most puncture proof of the lot. Still didn't feel anywhere as cumbersome as the M+s to me. Only available in 23" or 28" and can't find any weight specs online.
Also, does anyone use this stuff? The guy in the shop I went to said if he were doing the same ride I am he'd go for the Durano Etapes plus a bottle of this split between the 2 tyres and that should see me right. Is it any good? I've heard some pretty poor reports about the Slime stuff...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/1312...3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108
Thanks in advance for any help.
Andy
I know this is probably a bit of a perennial debate on here, but as the threads I found weren't that recent and tyre development continues all the time I thought I'd appreciate the latest collective thinking from Cyclechatters about what the best tyre is to combine performance with puncture resistance?
I've done just shy of 1,500 miles on my stock Conti GrandSport Race tyres, which seems reasonable to me, but over the weekend I seem to have accidentally signed up to ride London-Paris the week after next and the organiser's info stipulates that riders should use puncture-resistant tyres such as Gatorskins or Marathon+ to minimise punctures and thereby disruption to the group progress.
So I feel duty-bound to get something tougher, but am a bit bamboozled by all the options. I realise that whatever I choose will be a compromise on either toughness or weight/speed but would appreciate advice on the most puncture protected tyre that will still allow me to roll easily and maintain a good pace. I'm less than 10stone in weight and currently riding 25" tyres on a steel road bike, and would prefer to stick at that size, though open to going up or down a size if people think that will also help in some way.
Some of the options I am considering based on what my local shops have in. Happy to broaden this out if I'm overlooking any better options (GP 4 Seasons? Michelin Pro4s?) -
Marathon+ - felt very heavy and unsporty in the shop - I don't want anything that's going to slow me down too much. Website says 750g - is that each tyre?!
Gatorskins - haven't seen any of these in the rubber as they were on order - less than half the weight of the M+ according to website so I am guessing much sportier, but not nearly as tough?
Freedom ThickSlicks - Look good. Not esp lightweight. Well rated on road.cc site. More style than substance?
Durano Etape - look fantastic and feel sporty but they only had the standards in, not the Etape Plus. So with a 4/6 puncture protection rating on the Scwalbe-ometer would these would be much better than my current Contis?
Black Mambas - the guy in the shop said these were the most puncture proof of the lot. Still didn't feel anywhere as cumbersome as the M+s to me. Only available in 23" or 28" and can't find any weight specs online.
Also, does anyone use this stuff? The guy in the shop I went to said if he were doing the same ride I am he'd go for the Durano Etapes plus a bottle of this split between the 2 tyres and that should see me right. Is it any good? I've heard some pretty poor reports about the Slime stuff...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/1312...3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108
Thanks in advance for any help.
Andy