Hybrid Bicycles - What hybrid bike tires do you use? (or want)

http://www.onfocus.com/cam/2004/bike_tires.jpg

What hybrid bike tires do you use? (or want) and why?

Continental Top Contact. They came with the bike, and have so far proven stellar.

Michelin Pilot City. They were inexpensive, provide awesome flat resistance, and my OE Kendas flatted four times in one week.

Schwalbe Marathon Winter. Because I ride in the winter, and I don't like to fall down.

I would like to try Panaracer RiBMo tires. They are light, provide puncture protection, and are well reviewed. Plus I like to say, "RiBMo."

Specialized Hemisphere Armadillos. They came with my bike but seem impervious to everything. I'm very impressed with them. Next set will probably be Nimbus Armadillos.

Session 700. Freaking great tires.

Serfas Secas (700x28). They are road tires, but I love them. In the 2-3 months that I've had them, I have only flatted once. That flat was due to rim tape failure.

http://blbikeshop.com/images/library/large/serfas_stk_23_ref_10_f.jpg

Bontrager H2s. Would like Continental Sport Contacts for better grip on pavement. H2s I notice some rear wheel slip, and after only 300 miles the rear tire is noticably more worn than the front.

Had some sort of Cheng Shins on another bike, which were outstandingly amazing for a cheap tire. Two years with no flats and only had to put air once after the bike had sat all winter and the grip was really very good.

Vittoria Randonneurs. Decently light if you get the folders,good handling and traction,reflective sidewalls,and I've yet to flat one.

"What hybrid bike tires do you use?"

On my "road bike hybrid", Rivendell Rolly Poly 700x27.

On my "touring bike hybrid", Continental Gatorskin 700x28.

On my "mountain bike hybrid", Schwalbe Marathon 26x1.5.

"(or want)"

I have a pair of Schwalbe Durano 700x28 that will replace the Continentals when they wear out.

"and why?"

Continentals based of brand reputation and availability from favorite vendors.

Rivendells, kind of an impulse purchase. I needed tires and wheels. These tires were offered for sale by the vendor from whom I ordered the wheels.

Schwalbes based on strong recommendations here on BikeForums for tires from this brand. The Schwalbe Marathons I have are not among those recommended, but they are less expensive. :p

Strong preference for sizes 700x28 and 26x1.5. Not too narrow, not too fat.

Rolling on Kenda Kwests. Like 'em a lot. :)

Vittoria Randonneurs. Decently light if you get the folders,good handling and traction,reflective sidewalls,and I've yet to flat one.
I also run these on my hybrid commuter, for the same reasons listed. The folding ones are Randonneur Pro tires. I have pulled out many goathead thorns from the tread of my Randonneur tires, and with not one flat so far.

My road bike has Vittoria Rubino III tires. They have good grip, but I have had two flats from goathead thorns with the Rubinos.

Maxis 310s. Lightest tires I've found in 1.95x26". They are decent offroad and great on the road, and they weigh 310g each so the accelerate extremely quickly and with 70psi pressure they roll better than most strickly road tires.

Rolling on Kenda Kwests. Like 'em a lot. :)

Agreed. Cheap, effective for my riding, started rolling on them in 2004 and my first flat was in 2009. Unless a Marathon can give me 8000 miles, the price differential isn't justified. What's not to like?

700*35 Vittoria Randonneurs for the prior round, not bad, durable & passable ride, but I wasn't ecstatic about how they cornered vs. other tires I used. Not as round in the profile so not quite as smooth when leaning IMHO. The 32's are a bit less so in that regard.
Currently using 700*37 conti contacts, a bit smoother (higher tpi I think) & a bit easier on the cornering (more comparable to the 650b nifty swifty's I had on my Kog)

Bontrager H2s. Would like Continental Sport Contacts for better grip on pavement. H2s I notice some rear wheel slip, and after only 300 miles the rear tire is noticably more worn than the front.


I started with h2s, switched to the contact sports after I wore though the back tire - and I'd do it again if I had to. I have several hundred miles on the Conti's, and I don't think you loose any performance to be had in the h2's. I'd be surprised if that rear h2 doesn't last you at least 1,000 miles though. If you wanted it to.

I started with h2s, switched to the contact sports after I wore though the back tire - and I'd do it again if I had to. I have several hundred miles on the Conti's, and I don't think you loose any performance to be had in the h2's. I'd be surprised if that rear h2 doesn't last you at least 1,000 miles though. If you wanted it to.

1,000 miles is an acceptable lifespan for that tire? Good Grief.

Schwalbe Marathon Dureme in 700 x 40. A little more toward the touring/road side but they handle dirt trails and gravel just fine (desert around here, so no mud to report). Superior to any other tire I've tried (which admittedly isn't many) in every way except cost -- lighter, faster, tougher, smoother ride, grippier, easier to mount. No flats yet and it's goathead season! I am completely sold on these tires, you really do get what you pay for. Schwalbe pulled out all the stops designing these.

1,000 miles is an acceptable lifespan for that tire? Good Grief.

1 got more like 1.5-2k out of them, which works out to be a pretty good deal considering the base price of the tire, puncture protection, & the fact they came stock with the bike.

Currently have the stock Giant S-X2 700x32 that came with my Giant Escape 1. Looking to switch to a 700x28 pretty soon. No idea which one though. :)

Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700x28. Much lighter and nimbler than Marathon Plus in 700x35 I had before, and surprisingly more comfortable too. I was considering Schwalbe Durano in 700x28, but the Supreme are more confidence inspiring running over all kinds of debris on city streets as well as going on unpaved tracks from time to time. I'm very pleased with them so far.

Having purchased a used Trek 750 in great shape, the first task was to replace the Armadillo Slicks with tires suited to my commuting and light tail riding. Having used Michelin World tours for years for city commuting on my touring bike, I took a leap of faith and purchased the World Tour 700c. They were an ideal fit for my purposes. The raised center ridge and excellent shoulder shoulder protection were a joy. A ten mile City ride to my favorite trail, a six mile lap on the trail, and the return trip were handled with speed and confidence. The reflective side stripe are an added plus at a price that made these tires a terrific value.

The tyres I'm currently on and love are 700 x 32 Kenda Small Block Eight (john tomac edition)
There haven't failed me in any way (yet). I got them because I wanted the widest tyre possible on my bike and these 32's fit. The BBoy is designed for 28's so I'm surprised I got them within the frame geometry. Also, they were slightly used and only cost $5 each through a friend.

Small Block Eight is a great hybrid tire except I flatted them easily and often. (Now I run Mr Tuffy liners.. I bet they would work with those.) They're really thin, especially the sidewalls. I have heard that the new Slant Six is more durable.

My hybrid right now has some Kenda Kross Supreme and I absolutely hate them on tarmac. They weave more than any knobby I've used and it feels like you're riding on a flat tire even when they have max pressure. They're ok on singletrack but not very good. I paid $20 for the set from Amazon and I think I'm going to wave the white flag and pull them off. I suppose I'll store them in the basement in case someone I really dislike says they need a tire. :D

I think I might have my LBS order in a set of 29x2.0 Bontrager 29-3 tires. I read in a thread somewhere (not sure if it was here or MTB forum) that they fit on a BF member's 'mountainish' hybrid. If that doesn't work I'm getting a set of Slant Six. I have great tires on my road bike and my El Cheapo experiment failed miserably with my hybrid.

Small Block Eight is a great hybrid tire except I flatted them easily and often...

Just as a matter of interest, what caused your flats? Glass?

Nope, goathead thorns. Sometimes mundane "sticker" thorns which is sad.. they aren't that tough.

Nope, goathead thorns. Sometimes mundane "sticker" thorns which is sad.. they aren't that tough.

So far here in Kyoto I've been lucky here with flats...no worries.
In Australia, I'd have to pick beer glass (always green) out of my tyres after every ride. My home city in Australia is a bit of a resort area with lots of drunk wankers unfortunately.

Riding in NYC I had 5 flats in 8 months or so, and decided to upgrade from the stock tires that came with my Giant Escape 2.

Vittoria Radonneur on my front tire.

Michelin City ProTek on the rear.

The Michelin City tire bought on amazon was inexpensive, said to have good roll resistance properties, and was very highly regarded in reviews.

The Radonneur was readily available at a LBS, mid range price, and highly rated in reviews as well.

Things have shot out from under my tires like a bullet, and/or made some very unpleasant sounds when run over but I have yet to get another flat in about 3 months.

Inexpensive Forte Gotham's on our 700x35 bikes. Performance has them in stock. Dont know what kind of miles they get. They seem alright, I like the tread pattern. I noticed they have them for 26 inch tire bikes also. I'll probably try them on our comfort bikes next time too.

Innova IA-2209 700x35c with reflective stripe 1200 km no flat ggod grip on asphalt or unpaved bike path

^What kind of bike do you have? My bike came with those.

Well, minus the reflective sidewall.

^What kind of bike do you have? My bike came with those.

Well, minus the reflective sidewall.


Thats the one ;-) http://www.devinci.com/bikes/browse_19#19_62_183

Specialized Hemisphere Armadillos. They came with my bike but seem impervious to everything. I'm very impressed with them. Next set will probably be Nimbus Armadillos.

I had the Hemisphere Armadillos as well, great while they lasted, except the tire was faulty, it developed a bulge in one area. I went back to where I bought the bike to have the tire replaced. Turns out he didn't have anymore Armadillos in stock, and I didn't want two different tires on the bike, so i replaced both tires with the 28c Nimbus tires. I wasn't sure I wanted to go that thin, but I got them a really like them. The only drawback is a harsher ride over bad pavement, (90 psi vs 60psi 45c tires the bike came with) but she really rolls nice now over the mostly good roads around here. I doubt I would want to go any thinner than these tires on my Hybrid, and my stock rims wouldn't except a thinner tire than 28c anyways. I will say this though... I almost lost it going over a pretty deep patch of loose sand/dirt... these are pavement tires, hard pack trail, I wouldn't do much more than that with these. I took this pic recently of the tire on my bike.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii290/spooks_019/IMG_20111125_111418.jpg

Michelin City ProTek, all the way! 700 x 40 on my Trek 8.4 DS (3 mo); 26 x 1.85 on my 21 yr old Specialzed Stumpjumper (1.5 yrs). Fast and tough tire. No flats yet, although I always hand-sweep both tires whenever I roll up on the least bit of glass.

That Nimbus tire looks similar to a Schwalbe Marathon Supreme, which also is not great offroad. If you lowered your tire pressure it would be noticeably better, but then you could lose some on-road performance.

So far here in Kyoto I've been lucky here with flats...no worries.
In Australia, I'd have to pick beer glass (always green) out of my tyres after every ride. My home city in Australia is a bit of a resort area with lots of drunk wankers unfortunately.

Green bottles...wouldn't be VB by any chance?

I want a Challenge gum wall cyclocross tyre bigger than 35c. There biggest is 32c :mad:

Ran Schwalbe CX Compe cross tyres on my hybrid for 12,000 km with no flats and throughout this enjoyed a tyre that offered an excellent ride, great handling on everything from pavement to the trail and snow, and at 12,000 km they were still not showing any significant wear and I put them on a friend's bike for him to use as winter tyres.

That Nimbus tire looks similar to a Schwalbe Marathon Supreme, which also is not great offroad. If you lowered your tire pressure it would be noticeably better, but then you could lose some on-road performance.

Yes, I'm totally aware of that. The sand patches are somewhat rare around here, and only pop up after it rains, bringing dirt and debris down from the hills. Then everything gets back to normal. Ill keep the pressure up on my tires and just watch where I'm going, usually the roads around here are 99% debris free and I love the way it rolls at the higher pressures

I loved the Kenda Tires that came with my Giant Cypress, but I couldn't seem to find them. So I went with Continental Travel Contact. Smooth in the middle for speed on the streets, but with knobs on the side. These tires perform well on the decomposed granite paths that are all over our town. I think Continental tires look great.

Well right now I have a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 700x35 really like them, had a set of Panaracer Ribmo they worked fine and my next set will be a set of Conti Contact's the folding ones. It's been fun trying all these different tires.
wbill

Well right now I have a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 700x35 really like them, had a set of Panaracer Ribmo they worked fine and my next set will be a set of Conti Contact's the folding ones. It's been fun trying all these different tires.
wbill

I'm just the opposite :) I put a Conti Sport Contact on the rear of mine and 500 miles or so later the minimal tread that it had to start with is gone. I'm essentially riding on a slick. They are made in India and I was not at all impressed with the construction of the tire. No flats though.

I bought a pair of Pilot Sports that I will mount front a rear this winter. My front tire is the Bontrager hard case that came stock on my Mendota and it has been stellar. The rear one got a cut and I may have been able to patch it and keep going, but being kinda new to all this I wanted to replace it before the 50 mile county fair ride just in case. It seems I always end up with Michelins on the car and motorcycle and love them. I suspect the bike will be the same.

I've got the pilot sport 35c tyres there not bad being a light weight folding tyre they have good comfort and dont slow you down.

However I did get a puncture the first time I used them. I'm not using them now because to me they only look good on my retro cruiser I'm not into now.

I had the Hemisphere Armadillos as well, great while they lasted, except the tire was faulty, it developed a bulge in one area. I went back to where I bought the bike to have the tire replaced. Turns out he didn't have anymore Armadillos in stock, and I didn't want two different tires on the bike, so i replaced both tires with the 28c Nimbus tires. I wasn't sure I wanted to go that thin, but I got them a really like them. The only drawback is a harsher ride over bad pavement, (90 psi vs 60psi 45c tires the bike came with) but she really rolls nice now over the mostly good roads around here. I doubt I would want to go any thinner than these tires on my Hybrid, and my stock rims wouldn't except a thinner tire than 28c anyways. I will say this though... I almost lost it going over a pretty deep patch of loose sand/dirt... these are pavement tires, hard pack trail, I wouldn't do much more than that with these.

I've had my Hemispheres (700 x 38) for 4 months now, no issues at all with them so far. I keep them at around 85 psi and don't mind the way they ride at all. I've run over just about everything that can be run over on them and never a puncture. After talking with some Nimbus owners, I think I'll stay with the Hemispheres when it come time to replace them. As you stated, the Nimbus really don't do that well off pavement and I wind up doing some trails every now and then. The 38's seem fine to me, I don't have any particular reason to want to go thinner.

I just wanted to say that I too, really like my Specialized Armadillos. I really like the flat protection that they provide, and think that they are worth the extra expense.