Commuting - Cheap tire + liners vs Kevlar tires

Hey everyone,
I still have a lot of miles in my tires but when I start looking for new ones I was just wondering what everyone's opinions would be on the combo. Should I go with a puncture resistant Kevlar tire or a cheaper tire and add Mr. Tuffy tire liners to them? I commute 14-18 mi round trip daily and the road is relatively smooth but there have been instances where broken bottles have littered the side of the road so I definitely want some puncture resistance. Any thoughts?

I run kevlar tires, armadillo nimbus currently. They have about 4000 km on them so far, 1 flat that no tire could of prevented, and looks to be about 1/2 tread left, maybe a bit less.

But...in my garage waiting to be used is a set of $10 conti ultra sports and tuffy liners.

So although this post is totally useless to you, if you wait till next summer, i'll have a difinitive answer by then :)

Tire liners will not protect the sidewalls. I would recommend getting puncture resistant tires.

Paul

I've run cheapo tyres and more expensive kevlar lined, including conti ultragators and marathons. The kevlar stops some punctures but not all, about half as many. The Mrtuffys make a much bigger difference difference, less than 10% of the punctures than with kevlar lined tyres. It's true they don't protect the sidewalls but in many 100's of punctures I've had only 1 in the sidewall - a 4" nail that nothing was going to stop, and it was into a kevlar lined tyre. Your sidewalls arent wats making contact with the road.

Now I'll choose a tyre on grippiness of the compound, and wear resistance rather than puncture resistance, and run Mrtuffys.

Now I'll choose a tyre on grippiness of the compound, and wear resistance rather than puncture resistance, and run Mrtuffys.

Awesome, so what tires do you prefer now?

I tired running cheaper tires and tuffy liners, and I ended up flat! I now run Armadillos, and have not had a flat in months!

No puncture flats in 2+ years on conti gatorskins.

I ride nimbus armadillo ATB 1.5's on my converted MTB. My commute is only 8 mile RT, but I ride through some of the most narly road conditions (under a major interstate bridge repair project). I'd have to take a picture of this stretch of road for you to get the full impression of what these tires have handled flat free (knock on wood). I'm sure it helps they are 1.5s but they get my vote! Friends ride same tire in 38 x 700c and love them as well. Kinda pricey, but seem to be worth it.

I perfer good kevlar belted tires. I guess I am of the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) philosophy. Theyv'e served me well for several year now.
However I know a messenger that mostly rides light tires with Mr. Tuffys. Ofcourse this same messenger has been know to messenger on a 15lb Pista Concept and thinks 53x15 brakeless is a good setup for the city.

Craig

I ride expensive, light, low rolling resistance, tires with a Mr Tuffy liner. It has a kevlar belt under the tread but no special sidewall protection. I dont have problems with flats and the ride is faster and more enjoyable than with the Armadillos.

I have both - kevlar belted tires on my road bike, and cheapo tires with Mr. Tuffys on my track bike. Either way, I don't get flats, but if I had to choose one, I'd go with cheap tires and Mr. Tuffy. I messengered for years in NY and DC with that setup and never got flats.

Last time I got a flat was when I decided to run 12 dollar tires WITHOUT Mr. Tuffys - I flatted once per day for three days. Put the Tuffys back in, haven't flatted since.

What are people running over that they get punctures in the sidewalls of their tires? Construction debris?

I have had flats CAUSED by tire liners... they did a great job of intercepting debris, but their presence inside the tire casing with the tube at 100 psi, rubbing ever so slightly against the tube with each wheel rotation eroded a hole in the tube.

This has happened more than once... I've gotten long, linear scratches in the tubes leading to flats. My bike shop agrees. Now I just run Armadillos.

I've used both Kevlar lined and Mr Tuffy's with roughly the same benefit (and many, many flats without!). You still get flats, just fewer of them. Now, if you want the best flat protection, go with Schwalbe tires with SmartGuard. They even withstand the glass shard infested cobbles of Northern Europe. Expensive, but they've saved me a lot of rainy day flats in Germany.

Awesome, so what tires do you prefer now?

I really like the Continental ultragatorskins, yes they have kevlar but I like them because they're grippy even in the wet. Still use the liners tho.

I'm running 23mm Michelin pro race on the OCR0, only have about 400km on them but I like them.

The nice thing about using tuffy is that when you do flat out and on a decend the tire will still roll decently while you work on slowing down. I know, I have flatten on the front tire while on a fast decend and had no worries keeping the front end stable.

I use Armadillo tires with slime in the tubes. I'm not sure I need the slime with the Armadillos, but It's a carry-over from the other tires I used to use, and all the flats I've encountered.

I ride expensive, light, low rolling resistance, tires with a Mr Tuffy liner. It has a kevlar belt under the tread but no special sidewall protection. I dont have problems with flats and the ride is faster and more enjoyable than with the Armadillos.

+1

I run Michelin Pro 2 Race w/SpinSkin liners. No flats in over 1,600+ miles. Before the SpinSkins, I'd flat with the same tire every few weeks.

I have had flats CAUSED by tire liners... they did a great job of intercepting debris, but their presence inside the tire casing with the tube at 100 psi, rubbing ever so slightly against the tube with each wheel rotation eroded a hole in the tube.

This has happened more than once... I've gotten long, linear scratches in the tubes leading to flats. My bike shop agrees. Now I just run Armadillos.


Talcum powder will fix this.

I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I have had no flats in well over 6,000 miles (10,000 km). I used to use Vredsteins with Tuffies -- that combination gave me a flat every 200 miles (300 km).

Paul

I'm running Specialized Fatboy 26x1.25 with Mr. Tuffys on my dedicated commuter /rain bike. The front tire has so many holes it looks like swiss cheese. The liners do affect the ride but this setup refuses to die.

I have also had good luck with Vittoria Rannoneur 700x28s. For about $28 they are a very tough tire. The new version has a reflective strip on the sidewall.

I can't stand nice supple road tires with liners. It makes them ride like poo. For getting to work I am willing to compromise a smooth ride for not having to stop for a flat.

I'm running Specialized Fatboy 26x1.25 with Mr. Tuffys on my dedicated commuter /rain bike. The front tire has so many holes it looks like swiss cheese. The liners do affect the ride but this setup refuses to die.

I have also had good luck with Vittoria Rannoneur 700x28s. For about $28 they are a very tough tire. The new version has a reflective strip on the sidewall.

I can't stand nice supple road tires with liners. It makes them ride like poo. For getting to work I am willing to compromise a smooth ride for not having to stop for a flat.

I got my first road bike about a year a half ago. Being such a newbie, I'm ashamed to say I don't even know what kind of tires I have. But I did put Mr. Tuffy liners in them after a while and haven't had a flat since. I'm curious--what about the liners makes the tires "ride like poo?" Do they make a significant difference? I don't think I'm an experienced enough rider to know (or remember) how my tires felt before I put the Mr. Tuffys in them.

I got my first road bike about a year a half ago. Being such a newbie, I'm ashamed to say I don't even know what kind of tires I have. But I did put Mr. Tuffy liners in them after a while and haven't had a flat since. I'm curious--what about the liners makes the tires "ride like poo?" Do they make a significant difference? I don't think I'm an experienced enough rider to know (or remember) how my tires felt before I put the Mr. Tuffys in them.

They lose a lot of the suppleness with the liners. I really noticed it when cornering when I had the liners in. This was with 700x23 tires. It's less noticable with fatter tires and lower pressure.

One thing about liners is that they really increase the rolling resistance of the tire, to a degree that I find unpleasant. I find tire liners work better than kevlar belted tires at preventing glass flats, but I don't use them unless I am trying to squeese another month out of worn out tires.

stans no tubes system


you cannot kill them. people have burped,
popped, ripped these systems and they
friggin hold air like nothing else

Talcum powder will fix this.

Talcum powder also makes changing a tire a LOT easier, especially armadillos and such. It acts as a dry lubricant between the rubber and rim.

I keep my spare tube in a zip loc baggie filled with it. So when i get a flat, the new tube is already completly coated in powder when i go to put it in. Just watch for passing police as your putting the white powder filled baggie away :eek:

One thing about liners is that they really increase the rolling resistance of the tire, to a degree that I find unpleasant. I find tire liners work better than kevlar belted tires at preventing glass flats, but I don't use them unless I am trying to squeese another month out of worn out tires.

Can you explain this? Tire liners add weight, but I thought rolling resistance had to do more with tread and tire pressure.
I ride about 100 miles/week commuting, and I have had one flat since running tire liners. I had many flats before running tire liners. So on my commuter bike which is already heavy with fenders and panniers the extra weight of tire liners is worth it, for me.

I would go for a cheapo tire+tube+ sealant. For comuting is enough

http://www.superbike.co.il/movies.php

I've ridden the Spec Nimbus armadillos for well over 5000 and 1 flat; however the harshes ride out there. I have since switched to Schwalbes marathons(not the Plus model) on 1 bike and Continental Security Contacts on the other. So far no flats and both offer a much smoother ride. Total miles are around 2000 miles. If I had the liners and cheapies they would be my first choice but if I had neither then I would buy one of the above tires. Charlie
The links:
Continental security contacts: http://tinyurl.com/8vj9h
Schwalbe marathons: http://schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires