Continental Travel Contacts get my vote for touring. Around town I switch to gatorskins, but when I'm touring over a variety of road and off road conditions, the light weight, flat centerline, and knobby sidewalls of the Travel Contacts make them ideal IMO. I rode a couple of tours with Marathon Pluses, but they are very heavy (and you do notice that weight on moving parts of the bike like tires). I have had nothing but trouble with Specialized tires, including Armadillos.