Northeast - NYC: What tires are you running?

I've tried panaracers, Gatorskins, Armadillos - shredded all of them in under six months. The panaracer got a rip in the sidewall after a month from a pothole, the Gatorskin blew the bead out (remember that Matty and jeebus?!), and the Armadillo gets glass flat after glass flats, last one just pretty much destroyed the tire.

So what are you guys running and what have you had luck with in terms of glass? Or any suggestions to prevent it more?

Thanks!

Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700X32 - Heavy. Good grip. Wear like iron. Passable ride and rolling resistance. No holes yet. Not expecting any. Heavy. Overkill is nice sometimes.

Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 26X2.0 - Not too heavy. Roll really nicely. Excellent grip. Excellent puncture proofing. Wearing very well, but no Plus in that department. I'm looking to get a set of these in 700 X 32 for the Pacer.

Continental Grand Prix Four Season in 700 X 23 and 28 - My default tire. Nothing but love for these things. Excellent grip. Very lightweight for what they do. They do wear. Favorite tire by far.

No flats on any of these over Thousands of Miles. Some luck involved there.

I've been running Vredestein Fortezza and have had zero problems with these tires. I've always had good luck with all tiers of their tires...from the Tri-comps, Fortezza and their low-end Volante.

I've been running Vredestein Fortezza and have had zero problems with these tires.

+1
They pump up so hard (160 psi) glass doesn't get a chance to embed.

These? (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=25894&item=50-7236&slitrk=search&slisearch=true)

An older set of Avocet Cross K's, 700/28, inverted tread, Kevlar belted, on my tourer. Bombproof

Rivendell RuffyTuffy's, 700/27 on my Heron faster road bike. Also pretty durable

I have Conti Grand Prix 4 Seasons, 700/23, on my Ti road bike. No flats in 2 years, but I don't commute on this bike

Commute is south shore L.I. to central Brooklyn via the Rockaway's

SB

Air,
I agree, I'm NOT sold at all on gatorskins. Been through several sets and I don't find the flat-proof claims to hold up. Vittoria's been my favorite brand. I had a pair of Vittorias on until the sidewalls looked like they were going to give way any second and they still held up for hundreds of miles better than new Gatorskins. I have Vittoria Rubino Pros on at the moment and I think I've had 1 flat in about 800 miles.

I splurged on Continental Grand Prix 4000's once... and liked them. They were fast and light and wore pretty well, but the ride was pretty harsh and getting them on was murder. I broke a few tire levers on 'em.

A friend of mine swears by Vredestein Fortezza and he seems to flat very rarely.

Panaracer T-Serv for Messenger, 700x28. That's my road/touring rig, I had one blowout after hitting a nasty sharp bit of something or other, had to put a boot in the tire. Otherwise, they've treated me very well over the years.

Continental Contacts on the commuter, 700x35. 4 or 5 days a week year round. These have also treated me very well. Certainly not as zippy as the panaracers, but they feel good and handle the extra load on my bike (laptop and work bag, kryptonite chain and a beer gut).

Armadillo 700x25 since Spring 2005.

The only time I've flatted was during the 2007 Montauk Century, when I only had about 500 miles on that set, and my front tire must've picked up some shell on Dune Road. I replace them after 3000 to 5000 miles when they begin to fall apart. Last time I had a large u shaped flap in the rear tire but they still kept going.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus 20" x 1.75. You know my commute. I've never had a flat on the Swift.

Boy howdy do I remember your gator blowing up, it sounded like a gunshot!

Schwalbe Marathons are hardcore. Only drawbacks are that they're not roadslicks, they're pretty heavy, and they're expensive. But as far as flat protection goes, I don't think you can do any better.

Yeah, they're heavy and pricey--but FWIW, I find them close enough to slicks.

Gatorskins. I skip and even skid once in a while on them and they've held up fine. You're a monster though. You need solid rubber tires on a soviet era work bike.

Yeah, they're heavy and pricey--but FWIW, I find them close enough to slicks.

Absolutely, I don't even notice, but some people might take issue with it.

These? (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=25894&item=50-7236&slitrk=search&slisearch=true)

Yup...those are the ones.
They are rated for 160 psi but i keep mine at 120.
Never had one blow but at that pressure I'm sure it would make one hell of a noise.

Armadillo 700x25 since Spring 2005.

The only time I've flatted was during the 2007 Montauk Century, when I only had about 500 miles on that set, and my front tire must've picked up some shell on Dune Road. I replace them after 3000 to 5000 miles when they begin to fall apart. Last time I had a large u shaped flap in the rear tire but they still kept going.

That's what I have now - I can peel back the rubber and see whatever it is underneath that. Not trusting it on long rides with no shops around but might make a good backup.

Haven't had a rear tire make it to 1000 miles yet :(


Schwalbe Marathon Plus 20" x 1.75. You know my commute. I've never had a flat on the Swift.


Schwalbe Marathons are hardcore. Only drawbacks are that they're not roadslicks, they're pretty heavy, and they're expensive. But as far as flat protection goes, I don't think you can do any better.

Have one I have to put on my folder - my road bike though I don't think can take the width of them (Deep V in the back). May be my last resort though if the others don't hold up.


Gatorskins. I skip and even skid once in a while on them and they've held up fine. You're a monster though. You need solid rubber tires on a soviet era work bike.

I HAD a soviet era work bike - it's up in Boston now ;) You're probably right though....


Boy howdy do I remember your gator blowing up, it sounded like a gunshot!

Yeah, startled the heck out of - especially since it was under the overhang PLUS all the other issues I had that day! Pizza and beer on the deck made up for it :)


Yup...those are the ones.
They are rated for 160 psi but i keep mine at 120.
Never had one blow but at that pressure I'm sure it would make one hell of a noise.

Or take out the rim.

Considering the Vredestein Fortezza are half the price of everything else I'll give one a shot and report back. Any other suggestions keep 'em coming, thanks all!

Have one I have to put on my folder - my road bike though I don't think can take the width of them (Deep V in the back). May be my last resort though if the others don't hold up.

They come in 700x28.

Seriously. Zero flats since I bought the Swift.

They come in 700x28.

Seriously. Zero flats since I bought the Swift.

And it's made in Germany, you know Germans always make good stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns4mnmNBk1Y

:D

I'd never actually seen the commercial before...

I am running Marathon Supremes and previously had 23c Gatorskins. The only "heavy-duty" tire that I've had problems with was a worn out Armadillo (knock on wood).

+1
They pump up so hard (160 psi) glass doesn't get a chance to embed.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that many rims aren't rated to more than 130 psi, and doing anything above that can cause catastrophic rim failure.

Just FYI...

I commute in DC with Hutchison Equinox tires during the winter months, when the streets are far worse for the wear in terms of detritus in the roads. They work like a charm, no flat issues, decent grip and durability.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that many rims aren't rated to more than 130 psi, and doing anything above that can cause catastrophic rim failure.

Just FYI...

I commute in DC with Hutchison Equinox tires during the winter months, when the streets are far worse for the wear in terms of detritus in the roads. They work like a charm, no flat issues, decent grip and durability.

Thanks for that info.
It never occured to me that the rim couldn't handle it.
Luckily I pumped them no higher than 120.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii141/Jynx0406/krylion.jpg?t=1239823777

My bike came with Continental 4 Seasons. I got about 2k miles out of them before the tread on the rear one disintegrated, possibly from running up around 300 miles on a trainer over the winter. I replaced them with a pair of Vittoria Rubino pros that I picked up on line for $12@! I never had a flat with them but the rear tire developed a bubble in the sidewall after 1800 miles. The front tire is still good. I'll probably put on a pair of Hutchinson Equinox tires also picked up for $12@ online.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii141/Jynx0406/krylion.jpg?t=1239823777

that is what i was gonna suggest trying; I am trying those next. They get glowing reviews for toughness in most places.

I have had good luck with Gators and Armadillos. Can you run 28s on your frame? I found I get less flats with 25s than 23s.

Obviously Kevlar is a plus, and what about tire liners? Another option is thorn proof tubes....they're heavy (it's like running two tires per wheel:eek:) but pretty bullet proof. I tried running thorn proof tunes with Gators and it was belt & suspenders - fool proof....but not much of a lively ride. The heavy tubes with light racing tires was a better ride, but kind of a waste of money for the tires...

About to put an order in with two sets of tire liners too :) I'm so over this flat thing I can't even tell you!

I've tried panaracers, Gatorskins, Armadillos - shredded all of them in under six months. The panaracer got a rip in the sidewall after a month from a pothole, the Gatorskin blew the bead out (remember that Matty and jeebus?!), and the Armadillo gets glass flat after glass flats, last one just pretty much destroyed the tire.

So what are you guys running and what have you had luck with in terms of glass? Or any suggestions to prevent it more?

Thanks!

Michelin Lithion on the front and Serfas something or other on the back. Extremely durable; maybe two flats since I got them last year.