Commuting - Punctureproof tires

I was wondering if anyone here used the "punctureproof" tires (the ones that they show pictures of with nails driven through them and still working). I heard about them a while ago, and after changing my umpteenth inner tube, I wanted to know how they compair to regular tires, where you can get them, and which brands are good and which arent.

I put Schwalbe Marathon 2006 on the rear of my mtb commuter.
http://www.schwalbetires.com/

It's a little over two weeks old and has 220 miles. No flats yet in some of the most treacherous commuter roads in South Florida. I need better innertubes though.
The Marathon Plus is the Schwalbe top of the line.

There is some threads on them i've seen. Bike forums search sucks, so just google "airless tires bikeforums" and you'll get all the threads on them.

As for air filled and as close to puncture proof, specialized armadillos are probably the highest puncture rating, which also comes with worst ride rating. Lots of threads on those too.

mopst touring tires offer a decent enough ride with very minimal flats.

what are you running now?

Most of those "tires" with nails and drills through them are actually solid rubber or a very stiff foam rubber. The defects of which are exhaustively covered elsewhere. Suffice to say I had 5 broken spokes on one ride with them.

I've been searching for puncture resistant tires too. I have the stock Bontrager tires that came on my Trek 1200 and have gone through 5 tubes in 300 miles. 1 was my fault, I busted the stem while trying to pump it up. Yes, I do ride around everything I can, I just have an nasty unavoidable section of road to cross on my commute.

I've read that the Continental Grand Pri 4 Season was supposed to offer very good puncture protection in addition to being a fairly fast tire. They have them at REI for $55 each.

I run Panaracer Pasela 32c with liners and got my first flat yesterday. I suspect it was the liner that caused a pinch flat. Other than that they seem to be pretty decent.

Any one else use these tires?

I've been searching for puncture resistant tires too. I have the stock Bontrager tires that came on my Trek 1200 and have gone through 5 tubes in 300 miles. 1 was my fault, I busted the stem while trying to pump it up. Yes, I do ride around everything I can, I just have an nasty unavoidable section of road to cross on my commute.

I've read that the Continental Grand Pri 4 Season was supposed to offer very good puncture protection in addition to being a fairly fast tire. They have them at REI for $55 each.

I have a Trek Pilot 1.0 with the same tires. 3 flats in about the same distance. Kevlar belted doesn't seem to help, small pieces of glass went right through. I too busted a stem (doh!) pumping up! I am going with the Conti Ultra Gatorskins in the same 28mm size for the rear tire. Were your flats all rear as well? I carry a trunk bag and clothes/lunch/papers/etc. and I'm no lightweight, so I wouldn't expect the cheaper stock tires to last anyway. Had to try though!

Kerry

I use Serfas FPS tires in 700x25.
I've ridden through construction zones, fields of glass, off road on jagged rocks..

..and the one flat I got was a thumbtack that went in the shoulder of the tread, just beyond the 'flat proof' centre strip.

I tried one after a period of many flat tires. Bad mistake. I felt like I was dragging lead weights behind my bike. I returned it, but lost out on the deal for a large amount of shipping.

It turned out there was a simple solution to why I was getting so many flats, I'm too embarassed to say why, however.

My Panaracer Pasela Tour Guards have ~3000 miles and no flats yet! Hope I didn't curse myself. :o

I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus. No flats for over 6,000 miles. Puncture resistance seems comparable to that of car tires. With results like that, why bother with "puncture proof" solid tires?

Pneumatic tires made solid tires obsolete back in the early 1920s, and the technology has been improving steadily since them.

Paul

armadillos. I've ridden thousands of miles without a puncture flat. In fact, I wore the tires down and had to replace them, but still no punctures.

I run Tufo w/sealant.

I had my first puncture this morning. I stopped when I heard the air coming out, rotating the tire so that the puncture was at about the one o'clock position. I watched the sealant do it's thing. After it sealed, I gave the tire a squeeze--plenty of air left in it! I continued my commute with no further regard for what just occurred.

I'll give the tire a better inspection once I return home. If there's a cut, I have a method using congealed rubber cement and tire patch glue to close up the hole with more rubber.

I know a guy who switched from solid tires to Schwables. They are very nice tires.

I also know people who've ridden for thousands of miles on Continentals without any flats.

It seems like either brand offers as much flat protection as a body needs.

I've ridden Schwable Marathon HS for a long time though without flats. I don't see the point in going for the plus for a lot more money.