Originally Posted by
Aubergine
I also live in Seattle, and I agree that a wider tire helps. I typically use 32mm tires on my road bikes and those work fine for me, but I want to try 35s once I wear out a set.
I use different tires depending on their use. For riding pleasure I love Compass tires, but Panaracer Paselas are a good (less expensive) choice. I use Gatorskins for durability. They are not as pleasant to ride but tend to shrug off debris better than the Compass and Pasela tires do.
Good to know that I'm not being overly paranoid with widths, thanks.
I actually have a pair of 32mm folding bead Gatorskins that I bought on a coworker's recommendation, but haven't put on anything. Looked up the weight difference between them and Contact, wow bigger than I expected. I ride through some gravel littered with assorted fallen tree matter, would the Gatorskins be able to handle that, or should I stick with the treaded Contact?