brons2

I saw the thread on 28mm tires and while I appreciate the information, I think I really want run with 32mm tires. Team weight will be around 450lbs give or take a few (my wife will not tell me what she weighs). I don't really need or want to go superfast, I'm thinking 15-17 average with very slow uphills and probably try to keep the downhills at 40 or under.

What I really want is all-day comfort with a reasonably durable tire that's not sluggish. I love the Grand Bois Cypress on my Rivendell but the rears generally last less than 1000 miles so I don't think it's a particularly good choice for a heavily loaded tandem. I use the Michelin Pro 2/3/4 Race series on my fast bike but again not a good choice for this tandem I don't think.

So, any suggestions? The only thing that is really coming to mind that's available in a 32 is the Conti Gatorskin. What other road slick or nearly slick type tires are out there in 32? Maybe the Rivendell Roly Poly?

waynesulak

I agree Cypress not recommended for heavy load.

32mm Gatorskins probably your best choice if you like Gatorskins. We used 28mm for a while but I wanted someting that felt a little more plush. 32mm was not available at the time.

Wider than your requested and not the most plush tire but I have used Schwalbe Kojacks 35mm and they seem to have a strong casing. They were 35mm wide on Dyads for me so make sure you have clearance.

https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_ti...ad_tires/kojak

We settled on the venerable Pasela. Even though it is not a slick it rides well. We are about a 300 lb team weight and had good smooth feeling with non-tourgaurd 32mm wide version. You might want the stronger tourgaurd version.

https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...s-folding.html

Lack of good wide 700c tires is the reason I went to 650b.

Paul J

Last year we rode the Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase in 700x32c they held up well for us with pretty good life. I don't see them mentioned on the forum here so not sure what other have found. Some of the Continental tires are available in 32c. A lot of the discussion here is toward some of the more high performance tires but it would be interesting to see what some of the mindset is. We are a heavier team too and rode on 32's last year, this year we are riding 28c Gatorskins. So far these have been better with, "Knock on Wood", no flats yet this year.

brons2

Gatorskins are, um...okay.

They came with my very first road bike (was a MTB'er for many years before that) and I kept running them since I didn't know any better. I will give them this, they are tough, long lasting and flat resistant. I am confident that I would probably never have a sidewall blowout on a Gatorskin that was in good condition, which is one reason I am thinking they would be good on the tandem, for starters at least until I gain more confidence.

I was converted to the Jan Heine way of thinking about tires when I was riding brevets a few years back, that being, run a light thin tire with optimal deflection for your size. It's basically conserving effort, and if you get a flat, then that's just more rest.

That being said I have had sidewall blowouts with the Michelins and bulges with the Grand Bois that rubbed the brakes so much I eventually had to stop and put on a spare. I'd rather avoid with another person on the back and the higher speeds obtained on downhills with the tandem.

So I guess my goal is: tough enough so that I won't suffer any undesirable tire conditions, but light enough so I won't bemoan my heavy tires all day

Easy enough, eh?

brons2

Forgot to mention: I had a tread separation with a Pasela TG on my 80s Nishiki townie bike, i.e., my bike that I will ride into town and lock up places. Size 27x1 1/4. It was a new tire and I was pretty disgusted with the tread seaparation, especially considering the reputation. But maybe it was just a one time flaw and I need to give them another shot. Now that I think about it, the other Pasela TG that didn't have the problem is still on the bike and it's been 5 or 6 years The price is right also at $40

brons2

Interesting. Well maybe I'm not giving the Gatorskins a fair shake

Barrettscv 

Vittoria Randonneur Hyper, AKA Voyager Hyper in 700x32: A lighter-weight tire that is tough enough for long distance touring, fast enough for group rides and it has a satin smooth ride quality.

mkane77g

32's on a 19mm rim. Some say the handling's not the greatest but were not putting out 50 hp @ the rear wheel and we haven't had a problem with these tires, yet. Approx 1500 miles and not a scratch.

brons2

Looks interesting but I searched for it on Google and many places are out of stock. Is Vittoria still making it?

Barrettscv 

Yes, It's now called the Voyager Hyper. Try these folks: https://www.benscycle.net/index.php?m...5288cbdf063503 or this seller on eBay: https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...torefresh=true

Or this UK seller: https://www.wiggle.com/vittoria-voyag...-touring-tire/

This tire is both lighter and more durable than the Gatorskin. I've put thousands of miles on both. The Hyper has never flatted, the Gatorskin would flat about once every 1200 miles.

This tire measures 32mm wide on a Velocity A23 rim.

DCwom

We've been running 32mm Gatorskins since last year with no complaints. We run on roads & rail-trails and just took them over the GAP a few weeks ago. We did have one flat after about 1000 miles, it was a well embedded sliver of glass, thankfully I was able to repair the tire at home because it took a huge effort to dig the glass sliver out with tweezers, and a magnifying glass.

bikeinxs

I've had great luck with Pasela 32's. I run them on my cross bike all spring and summer and do quite a few dirt road races/tours with them. Unfortunately they don't fit on our tandem or I'd be using them there too. Great bang for the buck and a durable, light tire.

Tom Spohn

We are running Schwalbe Duranos in a smaller wheel size on our Bike Friday with good results. I notice this tire is available as a 700 X 32C with wire bead.

brons2

I found the Vittoria Randonneur Hypers at Every Bicycle Tire, if you put two of them in your cart it rings up to $76.23

https://www.everybicycletire.com/shop...er-folding-622

However, their SSL certificate on their secure ordering site is expired, so I have not ordered yet. Examining the certificate tells me it expired on 5/11/13. They need to fix that before I would order from them.

waynesulak

We only ride our 700c tandem occasionally but when it comes time to buy more tires then I will give the 32mm Gatorskins a try.

ahultin

Bringing this thread back from the dead to say we picked up the 700x32 Vittoria Voyager Hyper last week and did our first ride with it this weekend. My 13 yr old was stoker so team weight was at its lightest at 397. Initial impression is that I was so amazed at how much smoother they road than the Gatorskins they replaced that I wonder if i am imagining it. To be fair, we went from the stock 700x28 Gatorskins at 120psi to the Hyper 700x32 at 95psi so much of the feeling may be related to pressure. It will be interesting to see how it rides this weekend with my blind stoker when team weight will be @530.
Depending on how these fare, we may have to give the 32 Gatorskins a try. I was a little surprised to find that based on specs the Hypers are actually heavier than the comparable size Gatorskins.

Mugre

I put the Randonneurs in a 28 on my Townie bike. I like it enough that I'm going to upgrade the tandem to the Voyagers (32s) soon.