Originally Posted by
linus
So which do you prefer? Light and supple tires that last 3k or heavy and hard tires for 10k?
I'm on the former side because I like riding part of bike touring just as much more than where I'm going.
That's a good question actually.
For me it depends on what the purpose of the tour is.
If it has a time/distance component to it like going somewhere fast I would choose light and supple; but I would also probably want them to be newer. I'm researching some 700c tires atm for this choice. But, at the same time, I would also be making other gear choices to reduce overall weight so tire choice is part of that.
If it's a tour to sight see or more remote or more heavily loaded etc... I would choose a robust tire like the Marathon. I don't mind changing one flat but having multiple flats on a recurrent basis because of thin tires would pizz me off after a while. I don't mind paying a weight penalty in some cases if it translates into dependability. My mtb tourer isn't a fast ride anyway.