Touring - Tyre Choice for Touring Bike

Hi, i have posted recently about a new touring bike i am building up, i was agonising over frame choice and finally settled on a surly cross check and have just finished building it, its a work of art if i do say so myself lol.

The final piece of the puzzle is what tyres to put on the hand built wheels that i ordered and should be arriving on monday? The rims are 17mm internal diameter and the frame has clearance for up to 45mm tyres, the wheels are 700c.

Im after tyres that will be able to handle a mixture of road (of varying quality), fire road and dirt trail riding while loaded and have good life expectancy and puncture resistance. And im undecided as to what tyre width also.

Id be very interested to hear any of your experiences on which are the best

Peter

Panaracer Pasela TG's are a good choice. One very nice thing about the Pasela is that it is available in a wide variety of sizes and widths. I have 700x32c Pasela's on my tandem and just ordered 26x1.5's for my MTB turned Long Haul Trekker.

Peter, There are tons of tire threads to meander through on this forum if you search. It is also an almost religeous subject, have fun.

Brad

These seem quite reasonably priced too, tho is 32c wide enough do you think for all terrain touring?

These seem quite reasonably priced too, tho is 32c wide enough do you think for all terrain touring?
For major all terrain use, I'd probably go with the widest that your frame can accept. I'd think a Cross-Check should be able to handle at least 35's.

Yeah the surly can take up to 45c width (42c with mud guards), perhaps 40c would be a good compromise?

Peter, I've ridden 35 mm tires on all surfaces and they've been fine, perhaps better than expected on some unimproved off road trails. If the off road mileage will exceed on road mileage on average or if there's loamy soil to ride on then I'd suggest a tire in the 35-40 mm range.

Brad

I use Schwalbe Marathon Dureme evo (700x40c) and they perform really well on different surfaces.

Peter, you leave out an important factor, load on the tires, because dirt trail riding with load pretty much says the biggest tire you can fit if you're on the heavy side.
Pasela TG and T-Servs are very nice riding tires with good puncture resistance right under the center of the tread and in a large enough size are fine for dirt but the sidewalls will not hold up for long, especially the rear if you're heavy.

$.02 is to pick a heavier tire for the rear and consider having a set of pure street tires and dual use tires instead of trying to have one tire do everything.

Maybe a Dureme or Mondial rear with a T-serv front.

I have used 32mm (Marathon) for all terrain touring and found them a bit narrow. I would have gone for 35-38mm if they fitted. I don't think you need go any wider than 38mm.

Thanks for the info, i weigh 175lbs and will be carrying approx 20kg of gear mainly on a rear rack. I should also have mentioned that cost is a factor. The Marathons seem the business but are quite pricey (probably for gd reason). What do you think of these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=24624

Resonably priced and available in 35c and 40c

If you want a good balance of speed, puncture resistance and traction off-road, I have to say that I am quite pleased with Schwalbe Marathon Racer tires. Don't know how well they do in wet, muddy off-road terrain though. I have tried them mostly in dry off-road conditions and they perform adequately. Let's not forget it's designed as a road tire. I use them on tours that are mostly on paved roads peppered with sections off-road. The Racer indeed does better with pressures on the low side. Read on "tire drop" guidelines and then try this (http://www.dorkypantsr.us/bike-tire-pressure-calculator.html) calculator. Based on your weight and the tire psi ratings, you might end up with a slightly narrower tire on the front and a little wider one on the rear.

I dont suggest the land cruiser. I've had road cruisers which are similar and they were bad. wore out really quickly, got lots of punctures and they were uneven and kept deforming over time. But there are some other cheap but good options:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=24548
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=69133

I spotted those tyres in the first link but infortunately they only have them in 26', the other link looks gd tho

Too bad you are in Ireland, I have a pair of Duremes with 25ish miles on them 700x 35 that I am getting rid of. I really like the duremes for touring but I tour mostly on my 26" LHT.

Ah thats a shame, how do the Duremes fair on off road trails?

Peter, consider this for a rear tire when riding with a touring load.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=18823


On an unloaded bike it'll feel heavy and I found it slippery on wet roads with no load but for the rear load and conditions you're describing I would want a robust tire on the rear.

I had some trouble with the sidewalls of the Panaracer Pasellas being cut and bulges developing. I suggest Schwalbe Marathon--the larger the better for touring.

Ah thats a shame, how do the Duremes fair on off road trails?I have had them off road on many occasions and they do well. They are not off road tires but do well on many surfaces. This year I had them on a 475 mile gravel and at times muddy two track and they did just fine. For the record they were the 26x 2 tires.