Read the Clyde's tire thread, great info.

Getting a Surly Travelers Check, it's going to be my boat bike as I'm sailing around. It'll get me out and riding for fitness and sightseeing and do a little light touring and utility duty. I'll be able to break it down and stow it below on passages.

Taking advantage of the cross style frame to handle 3 sets of tires, some grippy 45mm's, some stout 32mm commuters... no problems so far, but I want some slicks for asphalt. The conti ultragatorskins would be my first choice but at 230 lbs I want a 28mm tire under my butt. Continental doesn't make folding gatorskins over 25mm. Stowing spares, and carrying multiple tube/tire options on a ride really necessitate the Kevlar/Aramid bead. (This bike is going to be a little bit of a swiss army knife for varying conditions)

Puncture resistance/durability is my priority, but this is my go fast tire so I don't want too much ride sacrifice.

Lots of third world countries and no permanent shipping address for at least a few years means I've got to make a good choice up front. Anyone have any suggestions on a folding, durable, fast, non-puncture road tire?

Your really going to be limited in the folding category in 28 and higher size. I know, I already researched this before. I know they are not folding, but I swear by the Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase in 28's that are on my hybrid. 2700 miles and have yet to flat. While they don't fold, you can twist them without ruining the bead, there is a video on Sheldon site on how to do this.

You might also want to check here: http://www.biketiresdirect.com/

As a side thought, would the magical figure-8 method of folding a wire bead tire compactly work with your limited space on board?

jim

I bet that specialized has an armadillo tire that would work for you too although I doubt that it is a folder. Check out their website.

Coiling would work fine on board I suppose... I could always find a locker to put coiled tires in. I will be storing 3-5 years worth of spares, folders would sure be an easier way to go.

Recently would have liked to make a ride from a little cove in the sea of cortez about 30 miles over a dozer cleared rock road for pickup travel and then 50 miles up the highway to Mulege... riding light with no panniers, and stopping for lunch and swapping out tires in the middle. This ride would have meant carrying three coiled road tires (assuming a spare).

I'll go with wire bead if I have to, but folders are much more attractive to me.

Viking... hey that's a moniker I usually use.

The armadillo all-conditions have a kevlar bead in a 28... looks to be more of a commuter though. Do they function pretty well as road tires? Or would it be repetive of my 32mm cross tires?

I have the wire beaded 700X25 armadillos and they work really well on my road bike. My guess is that the 700X28s will fit your bill. My 700X23 tires are Michelin Krylion Carbons but they only come as large as 700X25.

Panaracer Paesela Tourgaurd Folding Folding, slick, wear pretty well, kevlar belt for puncture resistance. I understand that It's pretty popular with touring riders as a backup tire.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/622.html

I believe that biketiresdirect.com is also a panaracer dealer

I rode part of the BRP last summer on a set of 700 x 28s. When I got home to Florida it seemed that they started to flat every other day. Yes, I kept them pumped up to 110 psi. Got so frustrated that I put a set of AirLess tires from Nu-Tek in Colorado. Haven't flatted since and now I don't have to carry a bunch of extra stuff for me, just for those that I ride with.

Bill

You are balancing opposing needs here, toughness and lightness.

The lightest and fastest would be...
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/productdetail.asp?p=CO4SV



My choice would be the Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy 27c. It has a sweet ride for a belted tire.
http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/p/COMPTRRDCPAN/TR2320

My choice among the rugged tires in this size would be the Schwalbe Marathon Racer. The catalog says 30c but it says 28c on the sidewall when you pull it out of the box. While very tough, it is slower and the ride is stiff.
http://www.schwalbetires.com/marathon_racer

Your really going to be limited in the folding category in 28 and higher size. I know, I already researched this before. I know they are not folding, but I swear by the Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase in 28's that are on my hybrid. 2700 miles and have yet to flat. While they don't fold, you can twist them without ruining the bead, there is a video on Sheldon site on how to do this.

You might also want to check here: http://www.biketiresdirect.com/

+1 on the Hardcase. After 3 sets of dillo's I came out of the box to try something different. They ride real nice as compared to the Armadillos. No flat's as of yet, knock on wood.

Panaracer Paesela Tourgaurd Folding Folding, slick, wear pretty well, kevlar belt for puncture resistance. I understand that It's pretty popular with touring riders as a backup tire.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/622.html

I believe that biketiresdirect.com is also a panaracer dealer

Absolutely. I just scored some 700x28s TourGuards from Nashbar for $17.99/tire. And I've had the non-folders on one bike with over 1500 miles on the tires, and the tread still looks great!

Ive been running the speciaized 700x28 on my tandem and keep one in the bag as a backup spare. it's held up great and was the toughest folder i could find.

For the narrower size tires, I like the Pasela Tourguard.
I've had good luck with them so far on my road bike. They tend to run narrower than the stated size, though.

On my CrossCheck I like my Vittoria Randonneur Pros. They're relatively light for their size (35mm),
have reflective sidewalls, and seem pretty tough. I only have around 100 miles on them so far, though.
I think they're comparable to the Marathons, but the tread is a little smoother, more suited for roads rather than gravel or trails.

I've had pretty good luck with the continental grand prix 4 seasons. Good flat protection, moderate weight, moderate rolling resistance, comes in 700c x 28mm, and is foldable.

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/race/grand_prix_4_season/grand_prix_4_season_en.html