Fifty Plus (50+) - Tire Choice for Rail trails

I'm building up a Specialized Tricrosss for rail trail/winter road use. What would be a good all purpose tire in the 700 x 32 range?

Everybody seems to have their own preference in tire brands.

I've been buying all Continentals for the last several years and, until they make me mad for some reason, I suppose I'll continue.

The Continental tire in the size you mentioned is the Contact or Contact Security. Both have a puncture resistant strip, the Security has reflective sidewalls.

I'm building up a Specialized Tricrosss for rail trail/winter road use. What would be a good all purpose tire in the 700 x 32 range?

Paved or not paved?

I use the Schwalbe Marathon Supreme on my Tricross. Expensive, but they last forever, roll fast, and they are bombproof.

http://www.schwalbetires.com/marathon_supreme
http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/tires_tubes_pumps_patches#product=none

I use a Continental Contact on one of my bikes. On a narrow rim, the 700x32 Contact only measures around 29mm.

The Panaracer Pasela TG is another good choice. As would be the Schwalbe Marathon and Specialized Crossroads Armadillo.

I also use the Schwalbe Marathon Supremes on my Raleigh Passage hybrid. They seem to roll fast, I haven't had a flat in over a year, but they are heavy. I noticed the weight when I first put them on but not so much now. When these wear out I will stay with the same tires. The trails I ride are limestone screenings.

I put a set of Panaracer TG's on my commuter and I have been very happy with them. They are not 32's they are 28's and that seems plenty wide enough for what I do. I ride them mostly on good roads but some gravel road and some pretty rough sidewalks on my commute. 32's just seem to wide to me unless you ride off road, but that is just my preference.

IMHO, there's no such thing as "a good all-purpose tire for rail trail/winter road use". The demands of the two riding environments are different, and what helps one, is detrimental to the other--assuming that your rail trails are gravel, like they are here.

What makes a tire good for the road--rounded profile, no tread--causes it to sink in gravel. Grippy nubs (not to be confused with knobs) on a flat profile help a tire float over gravel, but they significantly reduce the contact patch on pavement, and makes any sort of wet, or even damp, pavement extremely dangerous.

I've learned this the hard way. I ride cyclocross tires on gravel, and road tires on road. And studded snow tires below freezing, because there's always a little patch of ice that mysteriously doesn't get salted away.

I appreciate your responses. The winter roads use would be on paved roads. I only asked about 700 x 32 as that is what Specialized puts on them. I would definitetly consider 700 x 28 if those would work well on crushed stone trails. Thanks

Panaracer Pasela TG are what has been on my bike for about 3 years now. I should say I'm on my second pair in 3 years. Great tires and the price isn't bad either.

I appreciate your responses. The winter roads use would be on paved roads. I only asked about 700 x 32 as that is what Specialized puts on them. I would definitetly consider 700 x 28 if those would work well on crushed stone trails. Thanks

I used 700 x 28 on limestone and changed to 32 because of deterioration of the limestone trail. May be a local problem. Lots of loose sand. Very dangerous at higher speed also if wet. We had a bad accident with a Tandem on that and that made me more careful.
The 32 has lower pressure and more profile. Much safer. I used Bontrager with good results for many years.
There is nothing wrong with Continental or Schwalbe either. They are all quality tires.

Grifo

of the tires in my stable - I would use my Michelin City Trekking tires for crushed stone. Or I might actually put on those killer hybrid tires if I wanted to be bomb proof

Saw a prog on TV tonight and it will be possible shortly to go from London to Paris by trail. The London to the south coast will be on a cycle route that is made up of rail trail- designated cycle tracks and some road. That would be about 60 miles by the route they have given and I know some of the route as it will be on a local MUP. The route will be paved all the way so Road tyres would be possible.

40 miles into France is on a new Paved trail. It looks good. Then you start on Shale tracks and roads. The commentator that was doing the trail did it on a medium grade hybrid and it looks easy enough but on the shale track- I would be looking at a wider tyre than the 23's that I run.

So give it a year or so and it will look like a decent 3 day ride. 6 if you return aswell but for an experienced cyclist should not cause any problems with traffic. Especially in France as the French respect cyclists.

So Want to see Europe- or part of it and you may have an easy 6 day trip to plan.

huh? why would 60 miles take 6 days?

huh? why would 60 miles take 6 days?

60 miles in England- 4 hour ferry crossing-"X" hours at Customs so that is one day done with- 140 miles to Paris and there is no way I an rushing past all those cafes and bars. so reckon 2 days from the Channel to Paris.

So 3 days to Paris and 3 days back (If I can still move after all the French food and wine)

oh ok

........there is no way I an rushing past all those cafes and bars. so reckon 2 days from the Channel to Paris.


Drinking and eating my way from London to Paris and back sounds like fun. :)

Are you sure 6 days is enough? There are a lot of cafes.

... not to mention French cuties! :love: