BikeToWork

I am running 26 x 1.5 Geax Roadsters on my commuter bike. They are "relatively" puncture resistant but not as good as Specialized Armadillos. The thing about the Geax tires is that they block all but the finest of slivers of glass or metal but once those fine slivers get stuck in the kevlar belt, they are very difficult to find and remove. In fact, I've had two tires that have really small, thin pieces of something (probably metal or glass) stuck in them. When I check the inside and outside of the tire where the leak is, nothing is visible but then when I put a new tube back in the tire and ride it, a slow flat happens in the same spot.

The Armadillo tires are pretty much bullteproof but have one fatal flaw. The tread peals off the casing once it gets worn. I don't mean treadbare kind of worn but rather the tread portion just flakes off the casing of the tire when the tire looks like it should have plenty of miles left on it. The Specialized tire is way overpriced. While both the Geax and Armadillos are 1.5", the Specialized looks way thinner and gives that impression on the bike. I'm not sure how tire width is measured but eyeballing these two tires, one would think that the Geax tires are way wider than the Armadillo.

Could anyone recommend a highly puncture resistant 26" continuous tread commuter tire that will take at least 80 psi and isn't over 1.5 inches wide?

Sci-Fi

Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 348 - 26 x 1.35 - 95 psi max - Weight=830 g

Skrapple

+1 on the Marathons, as bulletproof of a tire you will find for commuting. I also like the Continental products (Top Touring, Top Contact). Right now I am using a set of Conti Top Touring 2000s, which can be found pretty cheap ($20) since they have been discontinued. Some people have claimed problems with the sidewalls, but they have been great for me. The tires see almost daily use and the occassional week long loaded tour (including single track) and probably have 5000 miles so far with no signs of wear.

BikeToWork

The Marathons are extremely heavy. I forgot to mention that in my previous post but I definitely want to keep the tire weight under 800 grams.

Does anyone else have similar problems with extremely fine objects penetrating the kevlar belt and getting trapped in it?

hairytoes

I've just given my bike a thorough clean, and inspected the tyres. Front is a Marathon 1.5", rear a Pasela TG 1.5". Neither are showing any signs of wear and have both done over 3000 miles. This is on country roads and inner city roads (with glass etc).

Very good performance, I'd recommend either. The Marathon gives a harsher ride but has more durable sidewalls. The Pasela is probably easier rolling, due to the flexible (but weaker) sidewalls. The Pasela rolls very well at 70psi, the Marathon will go higher, up to 85psi, but doesn't handle so well at that pressure.