Armadillos. But, these are the only ones I've ridden so I have nothing to compare them too. I've run flat free for probably 2 months ish? I was getting flats every week. I work at a glass shop.

I just use kevlar lined tires with the thicker Innova inner tubes. Haven't had a single problem since that contest for the superstitious thread.

I've been commuting with the Specialized Armadillos for the last 4000 miles. No flats. I guess I haven't had the opportunity to try other tires. I guess I'll give the Marathon + tires a try when the Armadillos are done... whenever that is??

armadillos

The best puncture resistance I've found so far has been Luck. I'm not sure where I got em from, but so far they've been GREAT and didn't cost too much! No flats in a millennium, maybe you could get yourself some?

Vittoria Pit Stop Inflating Sealant
Inflates a road tire to up to 95 PSI and seals small punctures. Presta or Schrader compatible.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/rev...m/pitstop1.jpg

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/rev...m/pitstop1.jpg

http://www.bicycletires.com/pvipit/v...sealant/pp.htm

The hardcases are half the price of the other tires too :)

+1 for the hardcases.
-1 for the Contis. I have had a few of them and they gave me frequent problems.
+1 for armadillos if you don't care about rolling resistance and weight.

I have a friend that had his contis fail too frequently and is trying a Vittoria tire. I can't remember which one but it has a green strip. Looks to have potential.

Wow! Does that actually work?? You have a flat and you just inflate your tire with that stuff?

If you can get them on the rim.

My panaracer pasela tourguards are very flat resistant ( not one flat yet), but the sidewalls are starting to show some hairline cracks.

I got less than 200km on my T-Servs before both the sidewalls cracked. Must be a Panaracer thing.

It may depend on the rim (or maybe on the manufacturing tolerances of the rim, the tire, etc). I almost went insane trying to wrangle a set of Vittoria Randonneurs on my Mavic Speedcity rims. I ended up giving them to CliftonGK1; they seem to fit his rims much better.

Sorry to hear that Ziemas. Velo Dog recommended the Panaracer tires to me some months ago, and I had better luck. Were you able to return them? This should have been covered under warranty, no?

I was prepared to struggle with them, but was pleasantly surprised by how easily they went on. They could have just popped on with sheer excitement. I also had to commute home wearing them around my torso since they aren't folding, that was fun.

:) My latest theory on tires is foldable clinchers or whatever makes them easier to get on and off the rim.

I get so many punctures from thorns, tack weed, goatheads here in Eastern Washington, I'm almost ready to give up and settle for easier tire changes.

The foldable Conti gp 4000 is much easier to mount than the Gatorskin which thorns go through despite the purported toughness of the Gatorskin.

One of the LBS guys here claims he's ridden 4000 miles this summer on Vittoria somethings, green, without a single puncture. Maybe I should avoid ever riding a MUP.

The basic Marathon HS368 is a great tire... the Marathon Plus HS348 is really bombproof but is much heavier and does not roll out nearly as well as the base Marathon.

I seem to get a flat every 20,000 km... but never with the basic Marathons.

Fold them into a figure 8 (even wire bead tires can handle that) and wear them like a backpack (you'll be just like an old school TdF rider):)

If it's a 26"-wheeled electric that fits wide tires, I'd likely get Maxxis Hookworms with Mr. Tuffies.

if they think Slime is useless, they've never ridden out west...

I used to live in Albuquerque, the land where goatheads grow wild and you find a perplexingly high number of steak knives lying in the road, and I can tell you, riding there without slime is awful.

I would ride with Bontrager hardcases on one bike, Conti Gatorskins on the other, and Slime tubes in both (occasionally Nashbar sealent filled tubes). Most of the time, the goatheads wouldn't make it all the way through the tires (I found the gatorskins a bit better at this than the hardcases), but some would inevitably get through... That's where the Slime went to work. Most punctures would seal pretty much instantly, and you wouldn't even know you'd been punctured until you looked at the tube or inspected the tire (which I did daily, to remove any still embedded thorns), but occasionally, the puncture would be large enough, or high enough in number that the tire would flat on you. But then the secondary magic would kick in and seal the punctures as you inflated your tubes, allowing you to ride on.

On the downside, for large punctures, the seal would only hold up to about 65-75psi, but that's fine to limp home on, and if you ever had a cut or a blowout, there's green goo everywhere to deal with (you learn to ride with a shop towl or two crammed in the bag). Still, they're a ton better than having to patch a tube every 2-3 days, and a lot better than having to patch on the side of the road.

That what I've got on now, and they ride just fine, if you ask me.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus with Mr. Tuffies on my e-assisted Xtracycle.

Also consider how to prevent pinch flats. In my experience, the best defense against pinch flats is super-thick inner tubes (usually marketed as "thorn-resistant"). Liquid sealants aren't good for pinch flats, partly because pinch flats tend to be long slits instead of pinholes, and partly because one of the slits will be on the "belly" of the tube where liquid sealant doesn't reach it well (due to centrifugal force). With the added weight of the electric kit, pinch flats are more likely too.

So if I were going to make a suggestion, I'd say use a tire that has a good anti-puncture reputation, plus a thorn-resistant tube, and you can add a Mr. Tuffy-type liner or Slime (or both) for more protection.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus, Armadillos, and Continental Touring Plus are your most puncture resistant tires.

As far as liners, Mr Tuffy and Stop Flats 2 are the most popular/reliable. The black strip side faces the tire and many (including LBS') file/round the end edges and use Talc powder to prevent the liner from 'possibly' wearing a hole in the tube. Personally I don't use liners, but if I lived in goathead country, I would consider it.

Tube sealants do work for small punctures and some put in a few ounces in their new tubes to seal any minute/porous leaks. But there are better sealants than Slime. Ultraseal and AmerSeal are the sealant of choice for many tube and tubeless apps. Ultraseal even makes a mil spec 'bulletproof grade'...lol.

Wow, this has been a very helpful thread. Thanks, guys. :)

Just feedbacking on this. I've got Continential Travel Contacts 26x1.75" . My bike computer registers (off memory now) ~7500km on it but I have about I think 500km of that with my IRC Methos 26x2.1".

The IRC Methos did give me pinch flats but that was because of ~8yrs of basement storage. Ever since I put my Travel Contacts on I've been riding since I joined BikeForums and ~7000km no flats using Continential (I think on the measurement range) 26x1.5-2.1" presta tubes that are found at www.mec.ca . I think I used the 'light' version for less weight.

I've purposely ran over glass, broken sharp curbs, potholes, and broken beer bottles (as I rolled over the bottle jagged edge I broke the rest of the half of the bottle with no tire leak or damage).

They arn't kidding when they said it's uber puncture resistant. I think the only way I'll puncture them is it I rolled over a holllow spike strip with break off spikes. The make up of the thread is semi-slick tho and while you'll get good smooth riding and low rolling resistance it's not really something to climb a grass hill with especially with someone behind you (trust me on this, :o).

On road/asphalt/sidewalks/paved roads/hardpack it's good. BTW I don't work for Continential. Just love thier quality.