Commuting - experiementing with tires for rough road surface

On one route option in my daily commute there is about a 1/2 mile of very rough asphalt. Part of it is just that crappy road construction where the crew lays down aggregate, then sprays tar on it (and repeats)... thereby having the vehicles that use the road be the roller to smooth it out. It never gets very smooth. It's absolutely horrible on the shoulder, which is marked as "Bike Lane"- ha! Another 1/4 mile consists of this basic construction, but degraded such that it needs repairs.

So far, I've tried my commuter MTB with high volume slicks (Conti 2.1s) at max pressure and my road bike with 700x28c Specialized Armadillos (not sure of the exact model as I write this) as max pressure and at 10# less than min. Here are the subjective results in the order tried:

700x28c @125# (max) - ouch! if I had fillings in my teeth, I'd be worried about them.

26x2.1 @65# - is this the same road as yesterday? I can feel a little vibration and hear a different tire sound, but where's the chatter?

700x28c @ 95# (min-10#) - better than the other setup on this bike, but still a somewhat annoying rattle sensation - I had hoped it would be better than this.

I don't know what the speed differences were... I may try to be more consistent with my further "testing" of this setup vs. road conditions.

I will also try a nearby multi-use trail (like a rail trail) witha crushed shell surface.

My goal is to make progress towards tire/bike selection for multi-day touring which will include some rough roads, but will mostly be nice blacktop.

I commute everyday, quite often on the type of roads you describe (GCCC has a nasty habit of continually digging totally unnecessary holes in perfectly good roads). I find a slick-shod MTB to be the perfect weapon from 10 paces (or 13km in the case of my commute). I've also used it for multi-day touring, which gives me that little bit of insurance against maps that inaccurately describe the road surface.

I have 2 touring style bikes with 700c, my commuter has 28mm and my custom tourer has 32mm (conti top touring). There is a real difference in the ride, the 28mm is much faster and harsher. For rough roads and good trails, or loaded touring, I prefer the 32mm.

I commute every day on very bad roads, the only tire that I found that gives me a tollerable ride and flats very seldom is the conti top touring 2000, I have them on my 26" commuter, 26 X 1.75, I ride them at 45 psi and the bike is well loaded just about every day. On my touring bike I started riding the top touring also 700 - 32 C at 70 psi, they ride well and seem to wear well, I have never flatted on those yet. On my road bike I ride conti ultra 2000 700 - 28C, I ride them at 90 psi, they are a little hrsh on bad roads but they wear well, offer little rolling resistance and rarely flat. I guess that no matter what tire i try, I always end up with conti's.

Another vote for the Conti Top Touring 2000, 700x32c, an all-around winner for speed, smoothness, comfort, and especially durability. When my rear tire wore out I tried a set of Panaracer Pasela TG, same size, because I'd heard good things about them. Lighter and possibly faster, but too many flats. (very easy to get on and off the rim without tools, though.) I put the old front Conti on the rear and left the Pasela on the front, and that's a real nice mix.

Another tire I've had success with is the Avocet Cross K, 700x32c. This cyclocross tire is heavy and has a pronounced tread, which makes it less smooth and quiet, but it's very good on rouch surfaces and extremely tough. The current version, the Cross II, comes in a 700x28c, which offers interesting possibilities for road bikes being used for commuting.

RichC

Just ease that pressure down in those tires. Just because they are rated at 120 psi doesn't mean you need to run that.

I ride on what's called "G7 treatment" everyday. That's gravel dumped on top of tar on the shoulder of a 65 mph expressway. They make it rough on purpose so if some idiot falls asleep and starts to run of the road, the rough surface wakes 'em up. Anyway, I run a fixed gear road bike with 28c conti's. I run 'em at 80/85 psi (front/back) and I weigh 165 + my commuter kit. It's a cushy ride.

Dave