turtlewoman

My step-daughter is going to start to school at UNM in Albuquerque soon. she will be taking the RailRunner from Santa Fe to Albquerque and then commuting on bike in alb. She needs a SUPER flat resistant set up (which I will be providing ofcourse). What have you found to be the BEST pair of tires and tubes. This is for a 27". thanks

531phile 

I'd use specialized armadillo 27 x 1.25 tires with any brand of tubes. I'm a big fan of the armadillos. 99% of the time, I never get flats on them.

turtlewoman

Thanks, 531phile. But aren't there puncture resistant tubes as well. Or should I just have Slime put in any kind of tube?

nahh

tubes don't matter, and Slime is bad (gross to deal with, and heavyyyy). you can run over tacks with those tires and keep going, it'll be ok. you could get tire liners too (Mr. Tuffy's) but that would be overkill.

Absenth

27" wheels really puts a cramp in your style when it comes to High Tech tires. I just purchased a Long Haul Trucker to replace my '84 Trek 520 in part because of the narrow selection of good commuter tires in 27". Yes they exist but nobody here can tell me there aren't 10 good options for 700c for every 1 27".

That said, I was torn between the Specialized Armadillo, and the Schwalbe Marathon (Ultimately just used an old set of Continentals I had. Ultrasport up front and UltraGatorskin in the rear)
I suspect the Armadillo is going to be more flat resistant than the standard Marathon. (and the Plus / Supreme tires aren't available for 27" wheels )
If you're really worried about the tubes you can also install tube liners between the tube and tire. Although with either of the above mentioned tires, I'm pretty sure anything that goes through the tire, isn't going to be stopped by a tube liner.

bhop

When I had 700x32 Vittoria Randonneurs, I only had one flat in 2 years... regular tubes.

I wouldn't count on whatever tire you get being flat proof. She should be able to at least patch a tube on the go, IMO.

Wanderer

Doesn't that RailRunner go right into the old downtown station? UNM is right there - just walking distance....

JeffS

I would have said the Schwalbe Marathon Plus - but then my wife had two flats in a couple hundred miles, the second one leaving her with an ambulance trip and ACL reconstruction.

Now, I really have no idea.

TonyS

No problems so far with my Continental Gatorskins...

gholt

I would recommend the Marathon +. Many, many, miles without flats.

RT

Slime makes a great tire liner. Get any of the tires recommended here and most importantly, pay attention to the road. The tire doesn't cause the flat, the road does.

tjspiel

Jeez, now you've terrified an already worried Mom.

tjspiel

First, I think it's awesome that she'll be commuting to school by bike. I also think it's a good idea to get her a quality set of tires. But I second the person who said it would be an even smarter idea to have her learn how to change a flat. A lot of bike shops and co-ops offer basic maintenance courses that will cover this.

aley

As another Albuquerque rider, I highly recommend Armadillos. If you want them as bombproof as possible, put Mr. Tuffy tire liners in them, then put in thorn-resistant tubes with True Goo. To be on the safe side, put new rim strips on (no sense making the tires thornproof and getting a puncture from a spoke nipple), and you'll have a heavy but indestructible setup. When I ran that combination with 700x25 Armadillos, I never had a flat - not that it would matter too much, since there's so much other stuff in there that there's not a lot of room left for the air.

Send me a PM if you'd like specific recommendations on shops - I had a heck of a time finding the thorn-resistant True Goo tubes. More than likely, though, you'll be able to find them in Santa Fe more conveniently than coming down to one of the Albuquerque shops.

Coming from Alvarado Station, your daughter's likely route up Coal and Buena Vista will cross mine - I come down the North Diversion trail to Yale, loop around the western end of campus, and ride up Buena Vista to just south of Gibson.

Cyril 

All the tire choices mentioned in this thread are good ones.
Stick to name brand tubes and get ones that are slightly heavier......thicker rubber.

That said, all tires will flat at some point.
Teach your daughter how to fix a flat in the comfort of your own home.
Have her do it several times and on different occasions.

A real flat, then, will be a minor annoyance and not a major catastrophe.

Good to see you on the boards, TW!

all the best,
Cyril

jhhall

I have two commuter bikes, one equipped with Specialized Armadillos and the other with Continental Gatorskins. While I'm happy with both, if I had to pick one it would be the Armadillos.

making

schwalbe marathons and gatorskins for me. Equally good luck with both.

nancyj

I think an important thing (I just ordered some Schwalbes) is a tire with a wire bead as opposed to Kevlar.
Some of the old rims won't hold a tire with a kevlar bead because of their construction.
The Armadillo says it has a wire bead.

PaulH

Marathon Plus with Mr. Tuffy. No flats in over 20,000 miles.

Paul

Rob_E

I've been riding a couple of years now on Marathon Plusses and I can't remember my last flat tire. And that's a big change from every tire I had tried before. Of course if they don't come in 27", that doesn't help you, but if you're not finding good options in that size, it might be worthwhile to see if you can swap wheelsets. I believe a lot of 27" wheel bikes have been changed to 700 wheels to get more modern components and increase their tire options.

I don't think there's much to look for in the way of a puncture proof tube. I run whatever they have on hand at the shop in mine, and have never had a problem, although I do think some tubes have a reputation for holding air longer than others (I think Schwalbe might be a good option here, too, from what I've heard), but basically the tire will always be tougher than the tube, so if the tire can't stop a nail, thorn, glass, what-have-you, then the tube sure won't. The only real option in that area is a Slime-filled tube or something similar, but those can be messy, especially if the Slime is unsuccessful in stopping a leak. Plus I find that topping off my wife's Slime tubes leaves the pump a little gunky. My pump tube is not a leak I want stopped, but the Slime doesn't know that. I would say get a good tire or tire liner, and don't worry so much about the tubes.

And have her learn how to fix a flat. Not everyone wants to get their hands dirty, but it's the single most common repair needed and one of the easiest things to do. If you're going to rely on your bike for transportation, it's really a handy skill to have. Even if you only have it happen once in a great while, and even if you'd rather just take it to the shop, it's pretty much a sure thing that one day you'll get a flat at the worst possible time, and being able to get back on the road will either make or break your day.

Now I need to take my own advice and actually put my repair kit into my bike bag. My Marathon Plusses have made me complacent.

TJx

I just had my 3rd flat this year with Armadillo's, this time on the front. I think the Armadillo's are absolute garbage, I will never buy them again.
I've had zero flats with Bontrager Hardcase and Schwalbe Marathon Plus'.

JerryTheSpinner

I use Bonteger Hard Case tires with slime tubes. I have a 14 mile commute each way on New York city streets and the slime tubes really work.

https://www.slime.com/

daven1986

Armadillos 100%, put a decent pressure in them and they'll work perfectly, use any tubes. FWIW I use armadillos at 125psi 700x23 with no flats in over 2 years (3000miles). They are barely even showing any wear. Also I use specialised nimbus (not armadillo) tyres, which work very well too (similar amount of miles, 700x35, 100psi, no flats).

It all comes down to your environment, some people prefer Schwalbe Marathon Plus, some Bontrager Hard Cases, some Gatorskins, some Armadillos. Try and see what works for you.

Daven

groovestew

In addition to teaching your daughter how to change a flat, as a couple folks have suggested, also teach her to check her tire pressure regularly (weekly) and top up if necessary. Too low pressure can lead to pinch flats. I suffered simultaneous front and rear pinch flats on the way home yesterday. Not the tire's or the tube's fault, simply too low pressure in the tires.

For what it's worth (not much, I'm sure) I use 23mm Continental Gatorskins on my road bike, 1.5" Bontrager Hardcases on my mountain bike, and 32mm Specialized Flak Jackets on my cross bike. My tubes are Kendas and Continentals. I have many miles on each bike, and no tire- or tube-related flats on any. I once found a safety pin embedded in the tread of one of my Bontragers, but it didn't puncture it. My cross bike came with some soft Continental cross tires, and I got a flat from a staple with those.

Pippin

I'm a Conti Gatorskin fan, but most tires with a protection belt are pretty good. However, all tires need to be periodically inspected for embedded glass/metal. Over time embedded glass and such will work it's way through any protection.

To do this clean the tire and slow look for cuts in the tire face. At any cut use a awl or similar to probe a remove anything embedded in the rubber.