Recumbent - What's your favorite tire and why

I've really liked my Schwalbe Marathon slicks. But they don't make them anymore. I've got over 3200 miles on one and have had only one flat. Another one has about 2800 miles. My other has only about 400 miles so it should last a while. The higher mileage two are starting to wear. These are 406s. I mainly ride on paved trails and roads with some limestone trail thrown in sometimes. Any recommendations?

I've just put a Marathon Plus on the back wheel of my Rocket. That was a struggle, that hopefully I won't have to repeat for many kms. I like the fact that Marathon Plus' are virtually bomb proof. you may like to try the new Marathon Racers if you have been running Marathon slicks previously.

I like Primos. They're light, fast, and pretty inexpensive - $16-20 apiece. I run them down to the cords and throw them away, and never have to worry about premature failures. The rear tires usually last 3500-4000 miles for me. The fronts, longer. The last flat I had with a Primo was about 4 or 5 years ago, when I ran over a sharp stick in the rain. That put a nasty-looking cut right in the middle of the tread, but I patched the tube and ran that tire right down to the cords, just like all the others. However, I generally stay off shoulders and ride around patches of junk I see in the road. There's no point in tempting fate!

The Marathon Slicks are still available at a few stores [online]. They are very nice lightweight tires comparable to the Comets, but a little better built IMHO.

I also like the regular Marathons [HS-368]. I have them all around on my trike. I like the fact that 1) I ride on a 10mm bead most of the time 2) their relatively cheap for a quality tire 3) wide compatable pressure range 4) they lift the carcass of the tire another 1/8" from the debris and last 5) they are quality tires.

I also exclusively use Schwalbe's tubes. I've always ordered direct from schwalbetires.com.

And if you do want the slicks: https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/12840

The Marathon Slicks are still available at a few stores [online]. They are very nice lightweight tires comparable to the Comets, but a little better built IMHO.

I also like the regular Marathons [HS-368]. I have them all around on my trike. I like the fact that 1) I ride on a 10mm bead most of the time 2) their relatively cheap for a quality tire 3) wide compatable pressure range 4) they lift the carcass of the tire another 1/8" from the debris and last 5) they are quality tires.

I also exclusively use Schwalbe's tubes. I've always ordered direct from schwalbetires.com.

And if you do want the slicks: https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/12840

Thanks for the info. I'm going to call them this week and see if they've got three left. I too also use only Schwalbe tubes now. I've tried others, but these simply hold air better.

I see BP runs his tires down to the cords. How many others do that? I guess I always figured when I started getting flats regularly on a tire that it was time to replace it. About 2500+ miles for the slicks.
That's some pretty impressive mileage for a tire from my experience. Maybe I've just got lousy tires before.:innocent:

For me, it's the Schwalbe Stelvio. I know a lot of folks have had casing failures and tread separation with them, but it looks like that may have been a bad batch of tires. Mine have 1500, oops make that 1900, miles on them with no significant wear and no punctures. That includes commuting (with plenty of cinders and glass), training, and brevets. They ride smooth, roll fast and corner well. At 26x1.1 (559-28) they're the biggest tire that'll fit under the fenders on my Force 5. And to top it all off, they're only $35 at biketiresdirect.com.

SP

FWIW, I stopped using Schwalbe when the Big Apples that came stock on my Dahon Matrix took too many punctures for my liking. I put Bontrager Hardcase on all my bikes and almost never get a flat--and that's including a lot of can't-swerve-in-time-to-avoid-the-glass/nail/thumbtack/porcupine street miles in NYC.

I put Bontrager Hardcase on all my bikes and almost never get a flat--and that's including a lot of can't-swerve-in-time-to-avoid-the-glass/nail/thumbtack/porcupine street miles in NYC.

Another meaningless data point: I tried a pair of (700x28c RaceLite) hardcases on my df brevet bike a couple years ago, and couldn't get rid of 'em fast enough! Slow, harsh-riding and "greasy" cornering feel. Could NOT stand them! That was the first pair of tires in I don't know how long that I disliked so much that I didn't wait for them to wear out before replacing them. Sounds like they might be suitable if you ride in minefields most of the time, but they're not for me.

SP
Bend, OR

I know a lot of folks have had casing failures and tread separation with them (Stelvios), but it looks like that may have been a bad batch of tires. P

I believe you're partially right. Some people have had pretty good luck with Stelvios. As for myself, I have had problems with the 406 size over the course of 3-4 years, so it's not a single batch. Those who like Stelvios are almost always talking about other sizes than 406, so maybe different sizes are made at different plants or something. I can't decide whether to say that they have some serious unresolved problems with some sizes, or to say that their quality is extremely inconsistent. Either way, it doesn't speak well for a company that has pretensions of being a quality manufacturer.

Schwalbe Marathon Racers. Over 4500 miles on first set. Corner great, 1 flat(front) and only changed because of spring and wanted new tires

I just put on Conti Sport Contacts. No real mileage yet, but they feel good.

I use continental grand prix 20" . Its a bit tricky to find a tube that fits this tire though.

My grasshopper came with marathon slicks, which are cool since you can sort of use them offroad without much worry, but the rolling resistance was a bit of a drag for my commute.

Too bad you can't take the grand prix offroad. I've sort of wanted a second set of wheels to have both options but haven't got around to it yet.

I bought some m. slicks from Hostel Shoppe a year ago or so, they might still have them.

I'm trying out a Schwalbe Marathon Plus on the front, but the rear will always have a Specialized Nimbus Armadillo as long as they make them. From the wear pattern, I'm running on less than a one inch wide section as I roll along.

Schwalbe Stelvios for me.:)

I like the round ones best. I tried the square ones, and they were cheap and all but man they sucked.

I bought two more pairs and tried them too--I figured, okay, maybe these ones are just bad??? but no. So then I got smart.
~

+1 on the Primo's. Are you running the kevlars or std comets?
I have 3,000 miles aprox on my front tire right now. 1" 3/8 451 on a tour easy