What tyres do you use..?

[J-Lo]

Im getting my new EBC tourer this thursday, so thinking about which tyres im going to put on it.

I have previously used schwalbe marathon plus's and been very happy (never had a puncture).. However, I remember when I first put them on they took me hours to get on it was that tight of fit... So it makes me wonder if I did ever get a puncture am I going to be able to get the tyre on and off trouble free at the roadside (well i might but it would take ages). Its obviously because of the smartguard they have built in, the tyre is so hard to get on the wheel.

Bringing up the debate...

Are 'puncture proof' tyres best (take ages to get on and off, but less chance of puncture) or would it be better to have say some conti's on (more chance of puncture, but easier to fix), then if I do get a puncture I can fix it up fairly quickly and be on my way trouble free.

Obviously its about finding a happy medium.. not easy! :S

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[andym]

Doesn't it already have tyres on it? Why not get the wear out of them.

One thing to remember about Marathon Pluses is that all that puncture protection comes at a price - they are heavy. There's a rule of thumb (I don't know how scientific it is) that every extra kilogramme of 'rolling weight' is equivalent of 2 kilos on the bike. I think you can worry too much about punctures: I have decent quality tyres (yes they are Contis) with a kevlar mesh puncture protection and I consider myself very unlucky if I get a puncture more than once a month of touring (and I do a fair amount off-road). Given that fixing a puncture takes about 15 minutes I'm not really sure that it's worth fitting heavy puncture-proof tyres.

 

[J-Lo]

Yeah I agree... and actually it already has Continental sport contact tyres on which ive heard are quite good for touring etc? Should be easy to get on/off? The only thing I worry about is they dont seem to have much tread on etc

 

[corshamjim]

I really can't be bothered with punctures (although I'm well practised changing tyres from M+ to M Winter and back twice a year) so personally I'd stick with M+.

 

[the snail]

Yeah I agree... and actually it already has Continental sport contact tyres on which ive heard are quite good for touring etc? Should be easy to get on/off? The only thing I worry about is they dont seem to have much tread on etc

My bike came with conti contacts (not sure which variety, they are just labelled 'continental contact'), cant fault them. Don't know how easy they are to fit, since I haven't had to remove them in 5000km. They seem to roll well, hold the road well, and there's plenty of tread left on them. So far I'm planning to buy the same tyres again when they wear out.

 

[slowmotion]

I changed to Marathon + on the hybrid and had a real epic trying to fit the new tyres. ( Google "Fitting Marathon plus tyres" for the incredible video from Spa Cycles). A couple of months later, I had a flat that was due to my badly repaired tube and nothing to do with the toughness of the tyre. I just dreaded a roadside repair. The tyre went on without having to use levers. They get a whole lot more pliable with age.

 

[J-Lo]

Yeah ive just watched that video on youtube... I wonder if it's really as easy as he makes it look :S That is whats putting me off, the thought of having to take it off on the road. Practice makes perfect I suppose!

 

[the_mikey]

Puncture proof tyres are a necessity when cycling around Bristol, but for sportives and rides in the country lanes I bought a second wheelset and put some slightly lighter tyres on them so I can just swap the wheels rather than the tyres.

Tyres I'm using:


Folding continental gatorskin 700x23 - approx 240g each (not too heavy for puncture protection)
Folding vittoria rubino proIII 700x23 - approx 220g each (again not too heavy for puncture protection but lousy in the wet)

Wire bead continental gatorskin 700x25 - 320g each these are heavier but more comfortable , I use these anytime after october for winter cycling.

 

[Moodyman]

It depends on the type of cycling one does.

A puncture on the way to work on a cold December morning is not nice.

A puncture when you're touring in nice weather and not rushed for time, is acceptable.

The Marathon+ is great for year round commuting where your distance is limited to home > work. On a tour where you're doing 50+ miles per day, you'll curse it.

The Sport Contacts are a good tyre for unladen riding. I rode a pair for 986 miles before I got a puncture and then replaced them with some Bontrager Racelite Hardcase for the oncoming winter

The Bontis are about the right balance between speed and puncture protection. Reasonably durable too.

 

[Moodyman]

Yeah ive just watched that video on youtube... I wonder if it's really as easy as he makes it look :S That is whats putting me off, the thought of having to take it off on the road. Practice makes perfect I suppose!

The first time is always the hardest.Once you ride them for a while the rubber breaks in and they become as easy any another tyre to mount.

I frequently switch between the M+ and full on knobblies on my mtb. It takes less than 10 minutes to swap tyres over and saves the cost buying a new wheelset

 

[andym]

I've got some Sport Contacts which I love and they were grippy and fine even in winter. And I regularly rode them in and around Bristol and fully-laden.

Tyres are made to a tolerance of say a couple of millimetres, and so are rims. If you get a combination of a tyre that's a couple of millimetres too small and a rim that's a couple of millimetres too big then it's going to be tight. I don't think it's particularly an issue about makes of tyre. They say that kevlar-beaded folding tyres are easier to fit.

I'd put new tyres relatively low down the shopping list - if you have any money after paying for panniers etc etc then think about tyres. A few quid for decent tyre levers might be an idea though.

 

[Herbie]

Im getting my new EBC tourer this thursday, so thinking about which tyres im going to put on it.

I have previously used schwalbe marathon plus's and been very happy (never had a puncture).. However, I remember when I first put them on they took me hours to get on it was that tight of fit... So it makes me wonder if I did ever get a puncture am I going to be able to get the tyre on and off trouble free at the roadside (well i might but it would take ages). Its obviously because of the smartguard they have built in, the tyre is so hard to get on the wheel.

Bringing up the debate...

Are 'puncture proof' tyres best (take ages to get on and off, but less chance of puncture) or would it be better to have say some conti's on (more chance of puncture, but easier to fix), then if I do get a puncture I can fix it up fairly quickly and be on my way trouble free.

Obviously its about finding a happy medium.. not easy! :S

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

I use Marathon plus tyres and thankfully have yet to have puncture..If you go on to You Tube and type in How to change a Marathon Plus tyre there is short film with a guy doing a demo..He does it minutes..not sure if i could do it so quick though.

 

[al-fresco]

I changed to Marathon + on the hybrid and had a real epic trying to fit the new tyres. ( Google "Fitting Marathon plus tyres" for the incredible video from Spa Cycles). A couple of months later, I had a flat that was due to my badly repaired tube and nothing to do with the toughness of the tyre. I just dreaded a roadside repair. The tyre went on without having to use levers. They get a whole lot more pliable with age.

That video was inspirational - since seeing it I've never used levers to get any tyre back on the rim, not even brand new ones.

 

[willem]

Marathon Plusses are indeed pretty puncture proof, but also slow and uncomfortable. I would hate to have them on a tourer. I am currently testing the new ordinary Marathon 2011 for Schwalbe, and that uses the same technology to avoid punctures. The difference is that the layer is thinner, so the tyre is not as stiff and heavy. Even so, I hate the tyre. Unloaded my refined steel bike feels like a truck. Loaded the difference with a nice tyre is not as big, but still too big for my taste. I would only recommend this new Marathon for pretty heavily loaded tours in demanding conditions. And I would never recommend the Plus. Anyone who needs a lot of puncture protection can have that with the new ordinary Marathon.
For normal tours in Europe, I think this much protection is overkill, and at the expense of speed, comfort and grip. If you have the clearance, my personal favourite for such tours is the 50mm Schwalbe Big Apple. If you want to go even faster, with still a bit of comfort, I think the Panaracer Pasela TG (fit the widest size for which you have clearance) is hard to beat. Now that you have Sportcontacts, use those. They are pretty fast, but rolling resistance increases rather a lot at lower pressures (unlike with either the BA or the Pasela). They are quality tyres.
Willem

 

[hubbike]

marathon xr are, in my experience, fantastic. gravel tracks are fine, and there is very little noticeable wear after 10,000 kms or so...