Must... find... indestructable tires
 

So this past weekend my girlfriend and I went down to Virginia Beach and camped at First Landing State Park. Everything about the trip was awesome, except that on our first bike ride I went over a large piece of glass and flatted out my rear tire. I didn't stop for ~200 feet, and the leaking tube got 3 more pinch flats during that time. The resulting mess wasted a couple of hours of our time over the remainder of the weekend, and the gash in the tire went to the fabric, so I'll probably have to throw it out.

So, I've resolved that I will no longer be a cheapskate and buy medium-cheap tires (currently IRC Duros w/Kevlar belt). I must find the Holy Grail, a 700x28-32 tire that will simply shrug off all that crap on the roads. The puzzling thing is that my girlfriend, on 27"x32 mm Conti Ultrasport tires (and before that some OLD gumwalls), has NEVER HAD A FLAT despite commuting 13 mi/day on the DC streets.

Any recommendations for those impervious road tires?

PS- How are the Conti Contact tires which Nashbar currently is selling? I found a good review of them on epinions. They are heavy (500g for the 28mm version) and offer a 1-year guarantee against tire failure... that would probably be 4000 miles for me.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Don't look back......

http://schwalbetires.com/node/142/ok

Specialized armadillo's and their thorn resistant tubes also.

Thanks for the tips guys! Nashbar has a good deal on 35 mm Schwalbe Marathons so I am tempted to go with those.

Do either of you use tire liners?

I heard the Conti Gatorskins were heavy, and to be honest, I have the largest size... 27"x 1 1/4". People must run on helium or something because they I can't tell a difference between them and my old 27" x 1 1/8" when holding them up by my pinky finger. I've only got about 8 miles on them, but they are freaking nice to roll on. Over the coming month, I get to test them on the construction zone riddled area of my commute.

What about air free, www.airfreetires.com, if you want indestructable?

Marathon and Marathon Plus are very different. The Plus have a ridiculously thick and heavy (i.e. slow as molasses) layer. I've seen a cross-section in a shop, those things are THICK. I happen to use the Marathons (NOT Plus) on our two folders. They're quite durable, and deal with glass quite well, but don't expect them to stop a big nail or screw or something like that.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/imag...rathonplus.gif

^^^^^^^^ Pic of Marathon Plus from this page.

Have you actually used those? The 700x28 Monaco airless tire is only 680 g. These look more practical than most other airless tires I've heard of, but I'm kinda skeptical still. :)

I'll second the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. No flats in about four years and 10,000 miles. In contrast, my Vredstein Spider tires, with Tuffies, would flat every month / 200 miles on the same route. They also have lower rolling resistance and a better ride than the Vredsteins.

I suppose one could use Tuffies with the Marthon Plus if you are still getting flats. I don't.

Paul

On the Airfree issue -- someone on Icebike tried them. The biggest problem is that they are urthane, not rubber, which means zero grip when roads are wet. The Icebike member commented that Airfree does not recommend the tires for wet roads. That would seem a complete show stopper for commuting.

Paul

I use Mr Tuffy liners in the winter with my Nokians, but the Marathon Plus tires need no liner.

I'm considering Conti Gatorskins or Schwalbe Marathon (not plus) for my next 3-season tire, but I'm running Michelin TransWorld City tires in 28mm right now. They're cheap ($30-$40 per pair), roll well, and I haven't gotten a "you know what" yet. The tread provides thick rubber with less weight. This is nice for puncture resistance, but not on fast corners as I can feel the tread rolling a bit.

They are wearing very well at about 2000 miles, so far. I have ridden over glass, various chunks of metal, and other debris with no flats. It might make a difference that I weigh about 155lbs.

Cool, good tip. I'm 160-170 lbs myself, but sometimes carry 30-40 lbs of cargo. I never thought about it, but tread could very well help to prevent flats... not only by providing extra rubber but also by providing spaces in between the knobs for sharp objects to get pushed harmlessly. Hmm.

Hey Mox: Well I have ridden all three, currently use conti contacts w/ safety system and Schwalbe Marathons. I have also used the Spec Nimbus Armadillos.
Conti: Most comfortable, 2 flats ~ 2,000 miles
Schwalbe: Comfortable, 1 flat ~ 2,000 miles
Specialized: Harsh 1 flat ~ over 5,000 miles, even rode about 25 miles w/out a chunk of tread that fell off. If you want to try out the front tire(still lots of tread) you are welcome to it. Let me know and I'll bring it down to work. I work in Beltsville, a stones throw from UMCP.

Ride improves with less flat potential. I did not ride the SM Plus. I hear they are very similar to Spec 'dillos. I've even seen Spec 'dillos in 27".
FWIW: 1 or 2 flats in 2,000 miles with a comfortable ride (though slow ride) is good enough for me. The SM(not plus) were the cheapest. 'dillos were the fastest(by far)
Charlie

I have heard that many flats are the result of the tire being inflated too much so I decided to run my tires (Kevlar something or others) at 105psi rather than 115-120psi and I have not had a flat since.

Could you b running into the same situation?

No I haven't used them. I didn't see the disclaimer about wet weather, that would be a commuter deal breaker. I've just read about them and they seem interesting.

I've heard the opposite. I wonder if both are true? :p
Low pressure = more pinch flats.
I run my 700X32 at 80. 10 above the recommended max. No flats yet *knocks on wood*
Of course, we could be talking about two completely different types of flats.

just to let you know that goo layer in the marathon plus does add a teeny bit of "vagueness" to the handling but it seems to roll just as well as any other tire i have used...

so far i got a couple hundred miles on them and i would recommend them based on the smooth ride and lack of flattage so far. but truth be told it will take a lot more miles too see if they really are flat-proof (or at least 99% flat proof).

The Marathon Pluses look to be as close to indestructable as a pneumatic bicycle can be made and still be useable. I've had very good luck with the lighter Marathons and Marathon Slicks but would not hesitate on the Pluses if I got more flats than I do currently.
Craig

Running Regular Marathons 27 x 1 1/4 (32mm) 1000+ and no "issues" so far. This is through Philadelphia and surrounding area. Translation: Cra@@y roads with even poorer repair/maintinence.:eek:

The article I read stated that many people over inflate their tires which leads to the flat. So, I think were both right.

Under-inflate = Pinch Flat
Over-inflate = Puncture Flat

Yeah, it's possible that high pressure exacerbated the problem... I keep my tires at 105 psi, which is what they are rated for. I find it gives a faster ride, and my frame can smooth out the roughness. Plus, when I'm carrying a lot of cargo I can bottom out at <= 80 psi, so I try to keep it high.

I have run Conti Top Touring 2000's for 2 years now. Giant Mtn bike, 12 mi/day over the beer bottle shard collection someone seems to have going on the side of the road. I have slime tire liners (the solid strip) and gator skins. I have tried slime tubes and they feel like running through sirup (sp?). I have had 3 flats. I went to Chin Shengs for two days, had flats both days. Went back to the Conti's for a year. The Conti's have big gashes missing (actually only the back, front looks good) and the sidewalls are cracking some.

I have read some of the forums on airless and other. I looked at the Schwalbe's but $30 a tire is too high for me to gamble with. I am pretty sure I am going back with Continental Town and Country. There are some others that may be better but the T&C had the 26x2.1 I was looking for. MY bike shopo guy says the Conti's all have the year guarantee and if you use the Conti tube with a Conti tire they will replace the tire. I crank up the pressure to 65psi or so even though they say 50psi or whatever it is.

I tried the $8 light slime tube. The only thing it did was show me where the 2 pin holes were. Curious that they were pin holes, it is usually a gash, oh well... Slime claims to seal up to 1/8" but I have yet to see it.

Goop seem to work well in sealing flats, but you have to sandpaper the tube first.

So where is the post on bike mounted EMP's? And where can I buy a huge extension to stick on my birdie finger? I am having trouble getting blokes to pull over so I can give them what for after they sideswipe me...

Don't ride over glass? I know, sometimes it's unavoidable.

I actually ran over quite a bit of glass accidentally a couple times recently (most of the pieces were pretty small). I got a couple small knicks in the tread but no punctures thankfully. I am riding on Continental Ultra Race tires 700x23 with kevlar. In fact, I've had no flats with these tires yet in the few hundred miles I've ridden them. I keep them inflated to 120psi and check the pressure before every ride.

I have Continental GP4000 on my other road bike and I have about 700-800 miles on them (including a century ride) with no flats to report. I also run those at 120psi.

Marathons are pretty tough but they are not the same as Marathon Pluses. The Pluses are probably the toughest tire this side of airfree.
Craig

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
http://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?