I have mixed feelings about the T-Servs. I had my second flat yesterday that made me late to work on a set of 26" by 1.25" I put on at the beggining of the season. Probably have 1000-1200 miles on them now, although the first flat was within the first 100-200 miles in May. I have had a flat on the back and now the front. Both times it was a small piece of glass that worked its way through the Kevlar. I do like the way they roll and they are not hard to get off and on the rim if you need to do a roadside repair. I don't know if having a flat every 500-700 miles or 6 months is anything to complain about. Although the folks who run Armadillos or Marathon plus seem to go thousands of miles between flats. I am thinking about switching but I am also concerned that the Armadillos or Marathons will be difficult to fix if you do get a flat.

I've had no flats with Conti Gators and Specialized Armadillo. They're a bit heavier than a normal tire, but going flag-free - who cares?

I have been running Conti TT2000s on my touring bike for years and can count on one hand the number of flats I've had with them. Early this year I begain running Conti Contacts on my xcross/commuter bike...I've had one flat and it was a pinch flat in like a couple of thousand miles.

My S.O. has been running Marathon Plus (700x38) tires on her hybrid for the last year, with no flats so far.

The ride is a little odd. It has a slightly "cushioned" road feel, but she got used to it quickly. The only drawback I can see is that it's a HEAVY tire, especially in the larger sizes like 38mm. That probably doesn't matter on the type of bike it's likely to be used on -- commuters, town bikes, touring bikes, etc.

I was down at the LBS today picking up a couple of spokes, and I bought a set of 700x25 Armadillos. They seem hardcore but wow they ride rough at 100psi. They didn't have 28s, or I would have gotten them.

I've had really good luck with no flats (knock on wood) using Tservs, Armadillos, and Conti Gatorskins. I have 700x35 Tservs on my Steamroller, but that bike never sees wet weather. They seem to roll pretty fast, while still holding good traction, and I haven't had a flat yet riding through some really nasty construction zones with torn up road surfaces and all kinds of debris. Same is true for the other tires. The Armadillos appear to me to be the toughest, but they are certainly not as supple as the others. I don't have a lot of time on the Gatorskins, but they certainly appear to be nice, tough tires.

i have conti's too. they're great, if a bit of a ***** to squeeze onto the rim. also come with a years GUARANTEE against flats

+1 for Schwalbe tires. Marathon Plus or Marathon XR are tough to beat.

I can't count on one hand how many puncture flats I've had running Armadillos on my two bikes that see the most road action. That's because I've had none in over 10,000 miles now. The 25mm ones are going to need to be replaced soon but it's understandable after 5000 miles. The 1.5" Nimbus Armadillos are nearing 6000 miles and show no signs of needing replacing. Incredible I think. In my experience, they aren't the fastest or most comfortable tire, but they DO NOT flat. I love them :)

Nothing is "industructible". You can only toughen up a bit more of the best product you can afford to make it less prone to pinch/damage and carry some spare patches (or tire) and hope for the best.

I am using Continental Travel Contacts right now. I would peg around 800 km milage on them since I changed my knobs to semi-slicks for smoother riding. I ride on the road and my area has piss poor roads with bad potholes, jagged potholes, glass, and sharp pointed pebbles. I avoid the potholes as much as I can but often I am forced to attack the glass head-on as ******* cagers always crash up around the place and thus why my part of the city has (according to the TV news report) the highest insurance rate of all of Toronto. Anyways a quick status on my tires. My front tube is original and never repaired/pinched and now has around 1900 km's on it. The rear tube is original but has been patched once (as the bike was in storage for 10yrs so yah pinchy goodness) but still holding out strong at around 1900 kms as well. I changed my knobs around 1200kms I think and since I've got those Conti's with kevlar I've been riding daily head on over said hazards. I avoid as much as I can but apparently the tires hold up and I don't notice and cuts into the tires.

As someone else said a tire liner is a good idea for extra peace of mine and durability. Might do that myself later when I can afford it. If you're taking your bike 4 seasons and you're in a region that gets snow/low temps you might not want to go cheap and spare no expense to line, beef up, and get the best tire/tube you can because tire repair/tube repair in the dead of winter (worst at night, colder) is the royal suck on the hands. If you're in a warmer region then well you can go a little cheaper as your hands won't be frozen up and you can do some repairs (knockon wood that you don't have to *knock knock*) if/when needed.

*edit*
I use a MTB with 26" x 1.75" Conti's.

Zero_Enigma

The Continental Travel Contact Semi-Slicks were my previous tires before the T-Servs that I am running now. I had about the same luck with flats due to a glass fragment penetrating the Kevlar every 500-700 miles. I think this happened three times or so.

I bit the bullet and ordered some Marathon Plus tires. I am not fond of the idea changing a flat at 20 deg F in the dark. If nothing else I might run the T-Servs in the middle of summer when flat fixing is less challenging.

If you have consistant puncture flats, get tire liners such as the Slime or Mr tuffy. No tire is bulletproof.

With liners you can ride tires with open gashes in the casing and still not get flats.

Also, get heavier tubes. Don't waste time on thinner lightweight tubes.

:D

You should ask your girlfriend! (I know, asking directions is hard, too, when you're around them--hey, don't I know it!)

;)

Wow, I've ran TravelContacts over 3,000 miles of whatever's in my way, most of the time with a 115 pound (not counting the rider) touring load (laptop, pro camera gear, etc.) and have never ever had a single flat with them. They still look new in fact. I'd think I was lucky if I didn't know a bunch of others that have the same experience with them. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Schwalbe, but at this point I'll keep a pair of TravelContacts on my Thorn Nomad for loaded touring. If Conti made the TCs in 700x32 they would be on my commuter too.

YMMV

There's is another guy who basically said the same thing about the Tservs. I don't know why I don't have as good as luck with these tires as other people do. Although as I said before, maybee a flat every 500 to 700 miles is not anything to complain about.

How could it possibly cost you 2 hours? Don't you carry spare tubes, something to use as a boot if there is a bad sidewall cut, and CO2 or a pump? A normal flat takes maybe 5 minutes to repair, and that is not rushing.

Personally, I find that it is best for me to forget any of the "flat proof tires". A high quality high thread count regular tire (without all kinds of extra plys etc.) seldom flats if properly inflated and ridden carefully. Granted, the likelyhood of flats depends a lot on where you ride.

The real key is being able to quickly fix a flat. That means knowing how and carrying the appropriate stuff to do the job. It makes things a lot quicker if you don't bother patching tubes until you get home, just check the tire to find what caused the puncture, remove the offending object, and pop in a new tube.

I just ordered a pair of Marathon Pluses yesterday to replace the aging Conti Goliaths that I have right now. There's no local shops that keep the 26 x 1.7 size in stock, but my LBS was able to order them in for me.

When I used to commute on crappy roads, I've had great luck with Conti TT 2000 - frequent flats stopped right away. I later user Conti Gatorskins, which I prefered because of less thread. I've also ran Conti Ultra Sport in front and Gatorskin in the rear. All these tires performed great for me, I didn't have to fear riding over glass and other debris.
Now I'm using Vittoria Rubino Pros on my road bike and Panaracer T-Serv on my commuter; both have been great, but I ride on very clean roads.

How are the Michelin Krylion Carbons and Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase as far as flats go?

Yeah, I used the Specialized Nimbus tires for awhile, and while they are pretty tough, they were also VERY slow, and very rough riding.

I recently switched to the Michelin TransCity as has been mentioned above, and I actually paid $20 per tire, not the $30-$40 someone else had quoted. Very reasonable. Have been happy with the performance so far. 1 flat, and I ride on some very nasty industrial roads (lots of small, nasty debrie), and I have had 1 flat since I've had them. Even that was a micro puncture from a steel belt from a truck tire, which if you hit them right, are VERY hard to protect against. It's kind of like a hypodermic needle if you hit it right.

Other than that, I have been very happy. They are really, really fast for 700x32's, work fantastic in the rain (best wet weather tire I have as yet used), grip like slicks in the dry (massive lean angles round corners to impress the ladies), and have reflective sidewalls which work. And they are half the money of the Schwalbe. I can't justify $45 per tire on my commuter, sorry.

500 miles on 27x1-1/4 Conti Gatorskins: 5 flats (1 foreign object puncture, 2 from my cheap rim tape and 2 pinch flats)
200 miles on 700x28 Bontrager Race Lite Hardcases: 1 flat: roofing nail. this should've been riddled with pinch flats based the distance between hitting the tire and stopping (probably at least a mile because the only place any construction occured was at least a mile from my apt complex and I didn't notice the flat till I got home.)

I keep both sets at near as i can figure it the perfect pressure, so my conclusion is that cheap rims and bad rim tape are probably more grief than midrange tires (my pinch flats occured on the exact 2 days I was too lazy to check mytire pressure)

If you want absolutely indestructible tires - get Specialized Infinity Armadillo. You will be able to run over Rambo`s knife:)
BUT, it is like riding on the brick.

She tells me I'm too cheap and should buy more expensive tires... but of course her own tires are cheapies, and now I'm using name-brand ones, so go figure...

i got a flat last night on my armadillo. apparently i ran over a rock shaped like a claw that got into one of the tread grooves, and then punctured through and pricked the innertube. strangest thing is, i wasn't even riding hard, or on strange terrain.

I have found that most of my punctures occur at about 60-65 psi on my Marathons (55-95 psi) and if I go over 85 psi so I try to keep it in the middle now at about 75-80 and they seem a lot better. I would say if your tyres are rated 115 psi like my Gators then run them at 20-25% off or 85-90 psi.

+ 1 Been using them 3 years in all conditions, never flatted.

Bontrager race lite hardcases gave me 2000 with no flats. They last a long time. They ride a bit harsh, especially the 25mm version. But they are availabe in a 32mm. They are very hard to get on the rim.

Conti gatorskins gave me about 1500 miles until the first flat. The gatorskins ride and handle a little bit better. Also lighter and easier to get on the rim. The wear out faster than the Bontragers.

I've since switched to the Serfas Seca. 3500 miles and 4 flats. They ride very nice. Also they are very easy to get on the rim. They're a lot cheaper than either the Bontrager or the Gatorskin tire. They wear about as fast as the Gatorskin.

Have recently mounted Nuteck airless on my main ride. Over 200 miles this week. I like them though they're slower than pneumatics, no doubt. 2 hr rides are 2.25 hr rides, etc. They feel different, but not so much as to make a huge deal out of it. I'm sure the MP is a great tire and very flat resistant. But, if you want to be completely free of the possibility of a flat the airless option is the only way to go. I'm anxious to try them in wet weather. It's been unusually dry here in mid-Tn this spring, so there's been no opportunity. Tons of discourse about the merits or lack thereof re the airless option w/bike guru Sheldon Brown being firmly in the anti-airless camp. If you decide to try them make sure you get ones rated 20 psi above where you normally run your pneumatics and oversized a little. Put 'Nuteck tires' into the commuter search option for more info.

Must... think... in Russian!

+ 1