Ultimate NO MORE FLATS setup...
 

I'm looking for recommendations for an ultimate no more flats setup. I don't want airless tires as I've heard they punish your wheels. I'm not really concerned with weight. My current tires are 700c x 23. It doesn't look like theres much clearance for something bigger. I'm thinking I'll replace tires, tubes, probably add some kind of tire strip like Mr Tuffy's, but have never used them before.

Thoughts?

Marathon Supremes and Specialized Armadillos I believe most people recommend. Try doing a search. I've been riding Panaracer RiBMo's since around August and so far no flats (knock on wood). However road conditions as well as geographic location come into play as far as what hazards you might incur.

Walk?

Seriously, other than airless tires, which have huge drawbacks, flats happen. Even if you never got a flat, you can bust a spoke, or a chain, or any number of other things.

Use quality tires, keep them properly inflated and you'll have fewer flats.

If you really want no flats - Specialized Armadillos. They're heavy and slow riding. Have good traction, and almost flat proof. I've ridden through fields of goat heads.

Only flat I've ever had on them was an extremely slow flat due to a tiny wire that had wiggled its way into my tire. I think they're the wires that come off of car tread?

Marathon Plus is the tire to get. Super heavy, but also thick enough to take a thumbnail without reaching the tubes. One and a half years in Chicago with mine, no punctures.

Tire liners made the difference for me. Flat-free for 7K miles in goatheady Tucson. They used to call them Mr. Tuffys. In my experience, "properly inflated" means 10-15 psi higher than what's recommended.

I don't get flats on my commuter, but it's a heavy setup and probably overkill.

Others have recommeded Schwalbe Marathons, some have suggested tire liners. I use both, as well as the extra thick thorn resistant tube. I suppose I could add slime to it, but this set up has served me well for thousands of miles with no flats.

Marathon Plus seems to be one of the best options (especially if wheel weight is not an issue). Just examining the tire inside and out (off the rim) inspires confidence, and using it should do away with having to deal with liners and "goo". Initially getting the tire mounted might be a challenge, but after you get the technique down and the tire is on the rim for a couple of weeks it gets easier to mount/dismount. I've used one on back wheels (where I get most of my flats) off and on (on different bikes and different rims), never had a flat with it and don't expect to, but can't say I've put more than a few hundred miles on it; I've been a little turned off by the weight, but a lot of that might just be "in my head" because I've also ridden it without thinking about the weight and had a nice ride.

My MP tire is 700x25 (I had trouble fitting a 700x28 on my bike, the "top" of the tire rubbed against a little "knob" coming off the frame where the brake attaches), I would think that most frames that allow a 700x23 would also allow a 700x25, but that's just my opinion.

I'm pretty slow changing tubes, especially when it comes to the back wheel. Like 12 minutes. And then the boss gets mad. I'm all about Hopperja's belt-and-suspenders approach.

Maxxis Re-Fuse, they beat the Armadillos hands down. Schwalbes are probably the best though.

Adam

Armadillos worked for me. I was getting flats often enough that I had to leave for work a half hour sooner than necessary in anticipation of the next flat. I put the armadillos on about a year ago, not a flat since. I have read many complaints about armadillo rolling resistance on BF, but I have to wonder, can the other tires roll so much better that they can make up for all that time lost to flat repair? My speed drops pretty dramatically when I flat, and I didn't notice any drop when I switched to armadillos.

On my commuter I run 700x28 Marathons (HS 368, not Plus, which are designated HS 348). I've had them since early September of last year and no flats; in fact, they show barely any discernible wear at all. (I love these tires; they scream "SENSIBLE!!" To wit: the dynamo strips on the sidewalls, which are a standing temptation to buy a set of generator lights.)

Concerning tire clearance, I think it's worth investigating the Marathons in 700x25. Perhaps someone can say whether they run big for 25s; but I've mounted 700x26s (Panaracer Stradius Sport) without a problem on my racing bike, the clearances of which (particularly at the rear brake bridge) are probably as tight as most anything out there.

Thanks for all the quick feedback. Based on recommendations and some research, I think I'm gonna go with the Armadillos w/Mr Tuffys strips. The Armadillos come in a thinner size than I can find for the marathons, and my LBS says they have them. I think I'll stay away from the goo...

I wouldn't bother with the Mr Tuffy strips if you get a tire like the Armadillo.

+1 Bombproof, but heavy

I think it's very dependent on your situation. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some tires are more resistant to glass, others to wire, others to slashes from large glass or jagged metal.

If you really want no flats, you can move to where I am. It's been about 4 or 5 years since I last had a flat that was caused by a puncture. I did get a pinch flat due to hitting a really big rock in the road at night last year, and I had the side of an old tire blow out on me a while back too. There just isn't much in the way of pointy stuff on the road around here.

Slime is, in MY experience, less than worthless. It came installed in the tires on my bike, and all it ever did for me, even on the smallest puncture from a thumbtack or something similar, was to spray green crap all over and make it messy to change the tube and hard to patch. After it utterly failed to do anything good at all after about the 3rd time, I just threw the slime-filled tubes away.

Specialized Armadillos, Continental Ultra Gatorskins or Contact series, or Schwalbe Marathon Plus. All with thorn-resistant inner tubes. Performance bike has skinny thorn-resistant tubes with long presta valve.

Something like 1 out of 100 goathead thorns that you hit will go straight through an Armadillo and puncture any standard thickness tube.

I use Marathon Pluses. But I still take my tire levers and a tube with me. Every once in a while it does happen.

For a budget alternative to Schwalbe, try Michelin City or City Pilot. They differ by having either 1 mm or 5 mm thick hard rubber strip like the Marathon Pluses. Much cheaper and I find they ride well and no flats for me in 2 y with the City.

I can recommend Continental Gatorskins. If you're running 700x23 right now, the Conti 700x25c are the same width. They are a pretty fast rolling tire, although a bit heavy. I've run over glass, sharp rocks, and metal shards with no problems yet. From the reviews online, I think that is the norm. I've got almost 1,000 miles on them so far and no flats. Many people are running these tires for 2,000 miles before they need a replacement. That's a good thing, because they are a bit spendy at $45 a pop.

http://www.rei.com/product/671870?pr...:referralID=NA

we can say this for most "flatproof" set ups.

That's got to be environment-specific. Michelin Transworld Cities proved worthless to me (though I gave my final pair to somebody else in another state who was pretty happy with them last I heard). I stick w/ the Schwalbes. I don't know about their skinny tires though (dureme?). The 30-32mm marathon supremes are indeed bombproof in my experience. Also the 50mm Big Apples even though they're not advertised as such. Actually I took the Big Apples' immortality as evidence of just how truly very bad the michelins were for my streets/trails.

Anyway, for me, on routes that michelins are unsuitable for, the marathon supremes and big apples, though pricy (but perhaps not too different from 'regular' tire + mr tuffy) are great rides.

That echoes my experience. I had good luck with marathon supremes, marathon racers, and even Kojaks, but got an unacceptable number of flats with my Michelin Transworld Cities. Sometimes it worth it to pay a bit extra.

I bought some Re-fuse based on Adam's recommendation. Haven't tried them yet, but a lot of urban riders seem to think they're better than the Armadillos and they're a lot cheaper too.

I can also definitely believe that Schwalbe's flat resistant tires are better, but they don't come in anything close to 23c which makes them doubly heavy (once for being flatproof and once for being wide).

Not sure if you're looking for a 26" or a 700c tire, but the Marathon Plus is available in a 700x25 or a 26x1.35.

If you're looking for Marathon Plus type protection, but in a sportier tire (700c size), you may want to look at the Durano Plus. Same Smartguard protection belt (not quite as thick). A very long lasting tire, should get 4-6k miles on the tire unless you run over something really ugly.

http://www.schwalbetires.com/durano_plus

The Smartguard protection belt can be thought of as a tire liner embedded in the carcass. This has two benefits.

1) It's not unusual to get pinch or abrasion flats from tire liners unless they are installed properly. It's very frustrating to have a puncture protection system that is causing your flats.

2) Tire liners increase rolling resistance as it is another source of friction in your wheel/tube/tire system.