Another Marathon Plus user, if your looking for flat free and durability get these tires. At a Schwalbe booth this summer, I had a chance to see a cross section of the Marathon Plus tire, it is solidly built and I decided to give them a try. I've got just over 1,300 commuting miles on Marathon Plus and I really like these tires. They do not show any sign of wear and seem like they will last forever.

My commute is a mix of gravel, mup and city streets. The street portion is only a couple of miles but it is in an industrial area and there is debris (glass, wire, wood, railroad tracks) every day and the tires are holding up extremely well compared to others I have used. When the time comes to replace them (likely at least another 2-3k miles) I'm going to be getting the same tires.

I have Conti Contacts on my winter tourer (when the Nokians aren't on it). They have been bullet proof so far, roll OK. They aren't nearly as nice as the GP4seasons I have for winter tires on my fast bike, but I haven't had a flat with those either yet.

I ride nothing but Marathon Plus on my commuter because I have yet to try anything that comes even close (Armadillo is nowhere near the MP in terms of flat resistance IMO).

However, there is no such thing as a flat free tire. I've had 2 flats with my MP's, one last night. My first flat was a nail that would have gone through a car tire. The one last night was different. I went into some blackberry thorns, and one of the vines got me through the side (so the tire liner wouldn't have helped).

The MP has a good ride and it lasts longer than anything else. They're spendy, but they're a good deal for what you get.

Over 10 years of commuting, so far the most durable everyday 700cc tire I've found are the Panaracer "T-serv's" They're tough as nails and they roll pretty well for what they are, although certainly not on the level of a race tire, but that's not what they are for.

They're purpose built for messengers and that's what a lot of them use. I'm running 25mm at 110psi, I weigh 220 lbs. But they're really comfy at 80psi. The only flat I've ever had was when the tube stem let go while I was pumping them up, not the tires fault. Tread wear has been really good, and they do well in the rain too.

IMHO Forget the rest. These are bullet proof, and the ones to go with, various widths 25mm - 35mm, and according to their website they come in colors. Mine are black, and that's all I've seen stocked, though they seem pretty available. Got mine at the LBS.

link
https://www.panaracer.com/eng/products/index_ur.html

Yet, I flat every week with my tserv. I have a tserv for messenger in a 28mm width on my front tire. Why in gods name do I get flats on the front? ugh
Tires are strange. What works for one rider may not work for another. I've tried lowering the psi, keeping it the same, raising it, and a few other attempts to no avail. My tserv tends to flat mainly through the sidewall. Perhaps mine is defective. I wonder if folding tires are less puncture resistant?

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.

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.