Winfried

Hello

After three annoyance-free months with some brand new Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires (37-622, 700x35c), I got two punctures within the same week, one on each wheel

I'd like to take the opportunity to switch to more puncture-resistent tires. I mostly use that bike for commuting, but do also use it for week-end outings which occasionally take me through country (ie. dirt) roads. The pleasures of relying on Google Maps to plan routes ;-)

So I'm looking for tires that are reasonably puncture-resistent without weighing a ton* and being as slippery as the Schwalbe Marathon Plus.

What would you recommend?

Thank you.

* or "a dead donkey", as we say this side of the Mississipi

dynaryder

Schwalbe Marathon Supremes. Seriously. I don't know of any other tire that as flat-resistant as these that doesn't weigh alot or ride like they're made of wood. You're either going to have to sacrifice protection or ride quality.

What caused your flats? Nails,staples,and the like will flat just about anything. I've picked over a dozen bits of glass and wire out of a rear Supreme without a flat. Also,how often do you check your tires? If you don't regularly inspect them,bits of FOD that get picked up by the tread can work their way through and cause a flat.

fietsbob

The adding the puncture resistant Band within the casing is just not going to be weightless..

The Schwalbe Marathon Kevlar tires on my Brompton, the only puncture was on the Rim Strip side,
I fixed that by making up a shortened* Rubber rim strip to put under the original fused plastic loop rim strip .

*duct tape FTW !


Take a look at Continental Travel Contact .. their ride past the end of the paved world tires only 700c made is 37 wide.

( I used the 26" .. tread design had people offering advise on them as if I wore all the tread knobbies down smooth )

wolfchild

Continental Touring Plus are great tires, very puncture resistant , nice ride.

79pmooney

I'll second the Paselas as a good compromise. Not flat proof, but they use a thread that picks up little, are decently grippy and decent rolling. Over tire quality: very good. I use them in various sizes on 3 bikes near year 'round and as winter/city tires on two more. Good enough tires that I often use them just to keep wear and expense down on teh expensive tires.

Which brings me to my other point. Get a second set of wheels. Put nice rubber on the good set, the heavy tires on the lesser set. Let your lesser set evolve to bulletproof wheels; strong rims, hubs with good seals. Now you have the best of both worlds for a 2 minute wheel swap.

Ben

Mikehs

Has anyone tried these?
tannus.co.uk

Winfried

Thanks for the infos.

The two flats were each caused by a bit of glass. Maybe I could have avoided those punctures by checking the tires after every ride but 1) it's a PITA and 2) it can also happen during a ride anyway, so I'd rather just get more resistent tires even at the expense of a slightly less enjoyable ride. I use Marathon Plus on my Brompton and they're ok although a bit on the heavy side.

Panaracer doesn't seem to be widely available in Europe, so I guess I'll go for Continental instead.

I heard of them, but I'm not sure I'd like to ride airless tires for more than short rides.

tarwheel 

Sometimes you just get unlucky, regardless of the tires, unless you want to ride with boat anchors. Some of the nicest tires I've used were Conti GP 4 Seasons, and I had a flat on one of the first rides and then never got another. Same thing happened with some Pasela TG/PTs.

I don't buy real expensive tires any more because it's not worth it shelling out $50-60 for a tire that might get trashed soon after I install it. I buy good quality folding tires when they're on sale and hope for the best.

A lot also depends on your riding style. If you hug the side of the rode and go through a lot of rocks, glass, sticks and other debris, you're gonna get more flats regardless of the tire. I've also found that I get more flats if I don't keep my tires inflated to full pressure. I pump up my tires before every ride.

As far as specific tire recommendations, I've had very good experiences with Vittoria Voyager Hypers, Conti GP 4 Seasons and Panaracer Pasela PTs. Conti Gatorskin folders are also very flat resistant and long wearing, but don't ride as nicely as the others mentioned.

noglider 

I'd say you just got unlucky. Stick with the tires you have. You may not get any more flats for a long time. The punctures you just got is not evidence that you'll get more.

Winfried

Thanks.

It's still a pain to get a puncture, and I'd rather not have to carry a tire lever + tube + pump in my bag every day.

I tried the Continental Gatorskin but also got punctures a few weeks after getting them, so I'll try either the [strike]GP 4 Seasons[/strike] [N.A. in 37-622] or the Touring Plus… and report back.

noglider 

Carrying the tools and spare is a small inconvenience compared with needing to use them! The fact is, punctures happen. You can rely on it. You just can't rely on when they will happen. Even cars, which rarely get punctures, have spares. The important point about compromise is this: If bike tires were nearly invulnerable to flats (and other breakdowns), they would be too heavy to ride. Punctures are a fact of life. Become adept at fixing them. Then, when they happen, it's no big deal. I ride about 2,000 miles (3,000 km) per year and get about six flats a year. Those are wild-ass guesses, but within an order of magnitude. When I get a flat, I fix it and then just shrug it off and forget about it. There was one time this past year when I had all the tools required but had forgotten my pump. I was about two miles from home, so I walked. No big deal. So again, the trick is not to prevent flats, it's to be prepared for them.

dynaryder

So much better than walking the bike home or calling a cab/taking the bus. Nothing is flat-proof(except solid tires,which suck).

keyven

Forget these unless you really prize looks over ride quality. I've considered it for my wife, but the rolling resistance is apparently quite bad. I heard there's a new version which is slightly improved, but I've yet to look into it.

yankeefan

Stick it under your seat. You'll never know its there until you need it. Its called a seat (or saddle) bag.

HardyWeinberg

+1 they have been great for me in really awful conditions.

Winfried

Thanks for the idea.

I ordered some Michelin Protek Urban, and will report back in a few weeks about they do.

MICHELIN Protek Urban - Tyres city | MICHELIN - Motorcycle - United Kingdom - Bike-website

PaulH

Tires embody compromises. If the Marathon Supremes flat too often, get a pair of Marathon Plus and put Tuffies in them. I put equal miles on my bike and car and that combination gives me the same frequency of flats on both vehicles. If they are too heavy for you, stick with the Supremes and buy a patch kit. Personally, I don't find the Plus slippery and I don't notice the weight or lack of ride quality. Have you ridden on the Plus?

jrickards

Recognize that it is not the tire that deflates/punctures but the tube so even the most bulletproof tires aren't going to protect you from a defective tube. As other have said, carry a spare tube, levers and pump and maybe a patch kit so you can patch the tube while at work so that you have a spare for going home.

Wanderer

Marathon Supremes are the most puncture resistant tires I have ever used. Yes; I have picked a lot of hitchikers out of them, but it only takes a quick spin every morning to find them.

Wilfred Laurier

I doubt defective tubes cause 1% of flat tires. In my 16 years of working in shops I think I saw one or two 'defective' tubes - all of the tens of thousands of other flats were caused by one of the following:

• Debris such as glass or metal wires or tacks/nails
• Improper installation
• Insufficient inflation
• Damaged rimstrip or sharp feature on inside of rim
• hitting a curb or pothole or rock

I have been out of the business for a little less than a decade now, so maybe there have been a few of the mythical 'bad batches' of tubes, but even then, tube manufacturing is a mature technology and the vast vast VAST majority of tubes are perfectly good and flats are caused by something else.

Hangtownmatt

What tire pressures are you running? I had five flats in the first 2,000 miles on my Schwalbe Marathon Supreme's. I too was disappointed. During these first 2,000 miles I ran max tire pressure; 80 psi front and rear. For ride quality reasons I decided to experiment with lower pressures and ran 50psi front and 50-60 rear; sometimes lower. It did not slow me down and did not have another flat until just under 10,000 miles when I went through a nasty patch of goat heads. I flatted front and rear and pick out a combined 16 goat heads (approx.). I was trying to get these tires to 10,000 miles but figured it was a pretty good time to replace them.

Try lower tires pressures. Contrary to popular belief you will not be disappointed,

Matt

Winfried

About 6 bars. The maximum recommended is 6.5 bars (min is 3.5).

Thanks for the tip. It's funny that softer tires would be more puncture-resistant. How could it be?

noglider 

Agreed! I've worked in shops, too. Defective tubes are extremely rare, and they don't cause a significant number of flats.

gregjones

That seems to be quite a bit for 700X35 (6bar= 87psi +or-). The calculator that I use, and never have had a problem with doesn't have 35mm but a bike and rider would have to be 250lbs with a 32mm tire to recommend 88psi. 35mm would be a bit less, for 250lbs.

Hangtownmatt

The theory is that a softer tire can deflect and harmlessly roll over the object, whereas, a hard tire has no forgiveness so either the tire wins or the object wins.

Matt