I like my Schwalbe Marathon Plus 32's. They are heavy but bullet proof so far. I think they are better than the Gatorskins or Armadillos because in addition to the tough lining, they have a much thicker tread and sidewall.

Here's a thread about them.

I think that 28 or 32 tires are the best compromise between speed and comfort for commuting. Narrower than that, you have a tough ride and it's too easy to get your tires stuck in pavement cracks. Wider than that and you have to use such low psi's that it really slows you down. But it's a trade off, and there's really no one right answer.

[Edit: I added the third sentence to the first paragraph.]

Bontrager Race Lite kevlar-belted tires and Schwalbe Marathon (and Marathon Plus) tires are some of the big competitors to the Armadillo tires. There's no concensus as to what's best.

Cars can easily go tens of thousands of miles without flats and in my opinion, bicycles ought to do about the same. Overall, running heavier/slower tires and changing flats less often will save you time, and it will also definitely make your commute time more consistent.

In my opinion one of the major reasons for the success of car tires and certain bicycle tires in flat prevention is the thickness of rubber. Some tires keep the tube at least 8mm away from the road surface, while with others your tube is only 3mm from the road. Tiny 3mm pieces of glass and wire are hard to see and can fit between threads of a kevlar-belted tire and THEN through a tuffy liner. (I know this by experience). But on a tire with a lot of rubber, they'll never be able to be pushed as far as the tube. The combination of a kevlar belt and a thick tire will mean that larger objects (with enough strength and size to penetrate the rubber) will be repelled by the kevlar and smaller objects will dig in to their full length, which won't be enough to hit the tube.

Sorry to be the tight arse amongst us but i have just put a pair of maxxis detonators back on my commuter, 250km per week over glass tram tracks and bumps and there generally pretty good got 7000km out of my last ones without a single issue and only 30 bucks (australian $) each to boot.

I used to run a conti ultra gatorskin as well and this tire also served me well on my 700c machine.

On an old mountina bike i used the schwalbe marathon plus and these things are indestructable.

hope that helps

I commute on Continental Ultra Gatorskins at about 98psi. Fast and durable.

52x16 is wayyyy to high. For flat riding I would go either 42 or 44x16 or 52x19 or 20. I run 42x17 on my singlespeed commuter but it's hilly here.

I agree with the Mr. Tuffy recommendations. With 27 inch wheels your tire selection is more limited. Just get something half decent, keep them inflated to proper pressure, and run liners.

They made a mistake at the LBS and I might end up with a 700c wheel. It might be better because I will have about 100x more tires to choose from and won't have to mess with getting a BMX freewheel on there and aligned properly. The downside is that unless I pony up more cash, I'll have a 700c in the back and a 27" in the front. I'll probably end up getting another front wheel, assuming they fit on the frame. I was going to have to buy new tires anyway because the ones on there are 20 years old, so that isn't too much of a problem. This cheap conversion is getting to be a bit more expensive than I thought.

I'm now looking at a 52x18 because I found a cog in my bin that would work with a 700c wheel, and I could return the BMX freewheel. Another positive, I guess.

I'm slowly working on making my bicycle "commuter ready". So far i've collected the Mr. Tuffy liners and some Forte thorn resistant tubes from Perfomance Bike. The Continental Ultra Gatorskins are in the mail along with a second set of wheels and casette.

don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but i'd run a rear brake for one reason. what if you get a flat in the front or roll the tire off or something. you'll be screwed if you try to brake in that situation.

anyone have any experience with these?

https://www.somafab.com/tires_ev.html

they sound darn interesting! especially paired with a lighter front tire.

even the lighter tire sounds good!

https://www.somafab.com/tires.html

i hear they are made by panaracer so i have to imagine a lot ot the pasela/tserv technology is in there...

Same kind of roads in Atlanta so I use Panaracer Pasela TourGuards. Never had a flat and I'm on my second set.

SCHWALBE MARATHONS with Thorn resistant Tubes.....1600 MILES SO FAR, ZERO FLATS
CONTINENTAL GATORSKINS, with Thorn resistant Tubes.....BEST I DID WAS 600 MILES BEFORE FLATS,,,both front and rear tires totaled within a week of each other with industrial staples ripping the sidewalls out.....
REGULAR STD TIRES....AVERAGE 1 FLAT PER 100 MILES

I commute on roads with tons of construction debris...nails, glass shards, industrial staples, etc..

I prefer Flak Jackets to Armadillos. Never had a flat with them,and *way* easier to mount.

Also like Vittoria Randonneurs.

No problem running a 27" in front and a 700c in the rear. The difference between the 2 is only 8mm (4mm radius). You can use the same tubes but not the same tires.
Craig