Texas - Favorite 700x25's to battle Texas chip and seal?

I plan on switching over to 25's on my weekend bike, but want a middle of the road training tire. Low rolling resistance, but decent flat protection. I have 25's on my commuter, but they are flat protection oriented and feel really, really sluggish. Specifically, I'm looking to battle the awful chip and seal vibrations on those backroads. The 23's pumped to a high pressure feel really fast, but as soon as I get to a bumpy road, it's kind of hellish.

Maxxis Re-Fuse, 700x25, folding, Aramid layer.
Rode 5,600 miles in 2011 with ONE puncture. Have them on our tandem and on racing single bike.
Tires wore out before they flatted . . . 2,000+ miles on rear tandem tire.

Tires wore out before they flatted . . . 2,000+ miles on rear tandem tire.

That is what usually happens to me, mostly with Michelins. I've been riding 700x25, but they usually measure smaller than that. I'm too heavy for that tire size so I decided to switch to 700x28, and bought some Continental gatorskins to go on the wheels I'm building.

Specialized Armadillos?
Maybe something with reflective striping adds a nice safety touch too for your commute?!

Two miles of my commute are on chip seal roads in Euless. The Armadillos ride like bricks. They are too harsh, even with lower PSI, for chip seal roads. I had them (in 700x25) on my commuter road bike and I hated them. 3000 miles without a flat, but they were brutal.

I finally selected FORTE Pro+ tires in 700x25. I got them on sale for $20 each and I couldn't be happier. They made a huge difference in my ride quality. At first I was skeptical about the quality of the cheap tire, but I soon realized they were a good value. I've put 6,000 miles on them and have had very few flats. Each flat was caused by a large, sharp object. I don't think any tire would have held up against them.

Conti 4000s. 700 x 25

I plan on switching over to 25's on my weekend bike, but want a middle of the road training tire. Low rolling resistance, but decent flat protection. I have 25's on my commuter, but they are flat protection oriented and feel really, really sluggish. Specifically, I'm looking to battle the awful chip and seal vibrations on those backroads. The 23's pumped to a high pressure feel really fast, but as soon as I get to a bumpy road, it's kind of hellish.

Have you thought about trying 700 X 28's?
That is what I now use on my road and touring bike.

Conti 4000s. 700 x 25

+1 Really like these tires. They make a 24, too.

Conti 4000s. 700 x 25

These... I use them for everything from weeknight criteriums to gravel road epics. If I know I'm going to be on a lot of chipseal I'll let the pressure down to 90 or so in the rear, 85 ish in the front. Makes a big difference.

I've got some Vittoria Zaffiro 25's. They have a decent amount of tread for the road and seem to be handling the constuction area gravel on the Trinity Trail without trouble.

I did buy some of the Performance house brand Strada-K's last year. Blew a tire out with somewhere between 700 and 800 miles on them. Won't be buying those again, though that's probably a reasonable lifespan for those tires.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6841427766_101a41079e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/yospiff/6841427766/)
Blowout (http://www.flickr.com/photos/yospiff/6841427766/) by Yo Spiff (http://www.flickr.com/people/yospiff/), on Flickr

Conti 4000s. 700 x 25

This is a good choice. I've used these for about 6 months and don't plan to go back. I run a little more than the recommended PSI, but they are still very comfortable on rough roads. They are a little heaver than the 23's but you don't notice it.

Thanks for all the input. The Contis sound promising. I'll have to keep an eye out for some deals. I have the Specialized Armadillos on my commuter in the 25 size. They are not fun to ride. Kind of bullet proof, but just zero fun. And 10Wheels, I'm not sure a 28 would fit. It's a pretty tight frame.

I just picked up a pair of Conti Gatorskins in 700 x 28 for my commuter bike (Specialized Secteur). It came stock with 25s, but I wanted a bigger tire for a smoother ride. The shop didn't have much of a selection of 28s, so I ponied up the dough and bought the Gatorskins.

They fit just fine on the road bike's frame. I'll get a chance to test them out this week.

What pressure are you all riding on your 28s?

I have used Specialized Armadillos 25's on my road bike. I think the only flats I had were when the presta valve stems broke off when I was putting more air in the tubes. It seems like I got about 3000 miles on them before the threads started showing and I replaced them. At the time the bike+nkfrench+commuter rack/panniers was probably 255#. I was running with 100psi.

The LBS said I wouldn't notice the speed difference, but I put on lighter tires last May and decided not to use the Armadillos on my "good" bike again. As noted above, the armadillos ride like bricks.
The new Armadillos I already bought will probably see duty on a commuter/trainer bike not on my good road bike.

As far as TX chipseal ... it was still a beating riding on the armadillos. I've not come up with a viable solution so I avoid it as practical. My road bike doesn't have much clearance, not sure a 28 will even fit. I am prone to handlebar palsy/irritation to ulnar nerve, had to take 2 weeks rest when it got really bad a few years ago and one hand quit working.

I think the only thing that makes riding on chipseal better is to watch the Paris-Roubaix race and see at how the cyclists and their bikes are getting punished. Hey, TX chipseal doesn't look so bad after all.
The "trick" to riding on the cobblestones was to put down some power on the pedals and go as fast as possible. The effect was like surfing the top rather than sinking into the ruts.

Conti Gatorskins here and very happy with them

Vittoria Rubino Pro (http://www.vittoria.com/en/product/rubino/#product-96) is a great tire in 700 x 25c. Lighter weight, excellent flat protection, decent price. I used them for years on my road bike with excellent results.

I'm riding Panaracer Pasela TourGuard 700c x 28mm, because my wife's new Casseroll came with them in the 32 sizeand she loved them. Very nice ride and they seem to be holding up well. I has 23mm racing slicks on the bike before I switched and the chip seal road we use daily was way too harsh. I was amazed at how totally plush the new tires made the ride. I didn't think they could make that much difference.

http://www.rei.com/product/793101/serfas-seca-survivor-tire-700-x-23-25-28

Serfas Seca Survivor Tire - 700 x 23 / 25 / 28

+1 for Conti Gatorskins which are pretty much an all-around/all-season and all surface tire. :)