Choosing Good Commuter Tires
 

I just bought a Surly Cross check and I am really enjoying the bike. My one complaint is that the tires are a bit knobby for what I need and are only adding rolling resistance. I have Alex, #AL-DA16. 32 hole x 700c rims but I'm still confused on tire sizing (the sheldon brown page makes my eyes cross).

What is the slimmest tire I can use on this rim? Would going with a slicker, touring tire of the same width, like the Freedom Ryder tire, accomplish the same thing? The touring tire can be pumped to 85psi, so low rolling resistance, but (I think) is much heavier than a slimmer tire. Any suggestions?

Thanks, I'm still a newbie at this.

I used everything from 25mm Continental Gatorskins to 35mm Innova studded winter tires on those rims.

If you're not doing any off-road riding, consider a slicker tire than those ones you linked to. I've become a big fan of the Pasela TG. I ride 32mm tires (on a wider rim, now, but I did use them on DT RR1.1 rims which are the same size as the DA16) and I've even taken them on a 14 mile unpaved mountain pass road here in the Cascades.

If you're interested in reducing rolling resistance then you should consider getting a slick tire with no tread - maybe just some channels to sipe away water. To me, a "commuter" tire provides stickiness on both wet and dry pavement and also provides puncture resistance. The latter often comes at the expense of weight, but there are some lighter tires that also provide puncture protection like the Panaracer RibMo which is available for 700c rims in widths ranging from 23 - 35mm. I use the Michelin Pilot City on my commuter and, while not light or narrow by any stretch of the imagination, it is tough, sticky, and durable, and makes a great commuter tire, IMHO. Good luck with your search!

+1 on the Panaracer Pasela TG

I agree with everything except the necessity for siping tread. For "road" tires (under 32mm) you'd have to be doing around Mach-4 to hydroplane. :lol: The contact patch is so small, and the leading edge of the patch is rounded instead of flat (like a car tire), so siping isn't necessary.
The RibMo is a great tire along with the T-Serv, as is the Soma Everwear, Schwalbe Marathonm and Marathon Plus for a super flat-resistance.

My choice of the Pasela TG was a balance between flat resistance, supple tire feel, and weight since it's on my long distance bike. My utility bike has some super heavy 2.2" street tires, and my old commuter had Marathon Plus tires. When the weight isn't a concern, only flat resistance is, then I choose the heavier more durable tire every time.

Thanks guys, I (or rather you) have it narrowed down between the Pasela TG or the RibMO. My one concern with the RibMO is that I also go on the towpath trail a good bit. I see people on road bikes on the trail all the time (easy, mostly flat, paved or what was once paved), but I'm not sure the RibMO is up to that task... even though it does look like a killer commuter tire.

Also, Cleveland streets are far from the best, lots of potholes and rough pavement. So I'm not sure.

I'm currently using a Continental Ultra-Gatorskin on the rear, and a Continental Ultrasport on the front.

I am going to replace those with Schwalbe Marathon Plus
The idea of being able to ride on a mile of roofing nails sounds like a winner to me.

Sure the rolling resistance is higher than some other tires out there, but not patching flats sounds like a net advantage.

Narrower tyres aren't lower rolling resistance. All things equal, they're higher - racers pump them to very high pressures to overcome this while getting the aerodynamic advantages of a narrow profile. The determining factors are the quality of the rubber used and the thickness of the tyre walls.

If you want a fast tyre for rough roads, then you need to buy a tyre made of high quality rubber and which uses an an advanced anti puncture technology so that the walls can be thin. A narrow tyre will ride appalling on the roads you described. Probably the ideal tyre for you would be a 35 or 40mm Marathon Supreme. Expensive, but fast, cushiony, good drip, good anti puncture, with a long life. Do a forum search on them.

Check Schwalbe's tyre ratings on their site: the Plus is very, very tough, but it's slow. The Supreme is almost as tough but it's a fast tyre. It also has better grip for braking and turning.

I use the ribmo and all I can say is that it really is bulletproof, but the trade off is lots of rolling resistance and not so sticky

Looks like my only choice from Schwalbe is the Marathon. I need a 27" x 1 1/4" or maybe 1 1/8"
Any other tires similar to the Marathon Supreme from other manufacturers? The Specialized Armadillo, and most continental tires come in those sizes.

So it seems that the schwalbe marathon supreme would be a good tire for me, although I can only go with the 32mm due to fender clearance. Didn't ever think I would buy fenders but they have been great, so I would like to keep them. The tires I have now just barely have clearance at 32mm. Thanks guys, you really helped me out a lot.

Schwalbe's ratings bug me. If you're going to rate speed, durability, etc on a scale you shouldn't keep changing the scale from tire class to tire class.

Like the Supreme. It is NOT a fast tire. In fact, it's slower than nearly every other tire I've ridden. In that Schwalbe world, that makes it a 5/5 speed.

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Anyway, this question is pointless. All you're going to get from most here is what they are currently riding. You'll have no way of knowing if they've ridden tens of thousands of miles on many different tires, or if this is the only tire they've ever tried.

I use the Schwalbe Marathon Plus's on my commute bike and my utility bike. The tires don't ever get flats, and wear like iron. The rear tire on my utility bike has 9000 miles of getting groceries and other misc tasks - no flats. It is a 700c28. I have the 700C25s on my commuter.

It's always funny the amusing things people come up with. Latest trend is "fatter tires are faster". I can assure you, if you ride a fat tire above about 28c, you'll notice that it's slower, particularly if you get into the 40mm range. How much slower? That's a matter of some debate, and frankly on an upright bike a slight decrease in speed is often more than worth the tradeoff of the additional comfort of a fatter tire.

But if I had a Surly Crosscheck, I wouldn't do anything larger than 28c.

IMO, the Conti Top Contact is even better than the Marathon Supreme. Lighter (especially the 28s or 32s with the folding bead), less rolling resistance, the same or better puncture resistance.

At my size, 32c seems to be my sweet spot, especially when riding rougher roads, gravel, crushed limestone, etc.

+1 Conti Top Contact is even better than the Marathon Supreme.

I have not used the Top Contact tire, so I am not saying I know anything about it.

But I was recently helping my brother shop for tires for his cheap hybrid bike, and although it got good reviews I just had trouble imagining any tire with this much extraneous tread could be a good ride. Haven't ridden it though, so it would be true -
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...-contact-33554

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/...700-399-75.jpg

I won't argue the rolling resistance and speed merits of a wider tire, but I will point out the following benefits:
- Wider tires absorb more road vibration
- Wider tires "float" better on loose terrain
What this translates to in terms of riding is that any terrain will be more comfortable. Less road chatter gets transferred to the rider, making things like uneven pavement seams and chip-seal less fatiguing on the wrists and less jarring to the backside. If you have the option of varied terrain like a crushed stone path or dirt/gravel roads, a 23mm high pressure tire is not your best option; this is an added benefit of using a 32mm or wider tire. Granted, it's not the best choice for everyone, but if you have/want the ability to mix things up, a wider tire lets you.

For shorter commutes, or riding where speed is key over comfort, then I'll agree that a narrow tire is a good choice. For long hauling comfort, I'm a big advocate of the bigger tire. My 25mm Gatorskins are fine on my singlespeed for my 30mi r/t commute or 50 milers on the weekend, but for my distance bike I won't go smaller than 32mm any more.

Well, I think you pretty much summed it up. :-)

Wider tires definitely have benefits regarding a smoother ride.

I would slightly disagree about you "crushed stone path" description - I have a high end carbon fiber bike that I ride regularly on a crushed stone MUP where I am, and through the wonders of carbon fiber my wrists never hurt at the end of the ride despite 23c tires. But it is an expensive bike.

And it I would certainly agree about gravel roads - I've tried riding my 23c bike on an actual gravel road, lol - it's really uncomfortable. No way I would do that without a bigger tire.

But the OP complained about rolling resistance and finding the fastest tire - from those criteria, I wouldn't personally go above 28c. Most non-race rims will accept down to 25c, though it's highly debated whether it would make any difference in speed between the 2 sizes.

Try them, you'll like them, if you can afford them. ;)

Hi. What kind of trails/roads/paths are you actually using the bike on?

If you want better rolling resistance, you're likely best off going with a purely slick tire rather than a tire with much or any real tread. Counterintuitively and contrary to popular belief, tread provides *less* grip on pavement than a slick tire. Tread provides traction on gravel, dirt, and rocks because the tread digs into the loose ground. On solid pavement, there's nothing for it to dig into so it doesn't have any beneficial effect. In fact, the fact that there's spaces between the treads means that there's probably less tire in contact with the pavement that with non-tread tires.

If you're looking for a cheaper set of tires, the Panaracer Pasela Tourguard's (make sure it had Tourguard or TG in the name) have a good reputation at around $30/tire:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...asela-tg-10684

Though for 50% more money (hey, I'd do it), bikeradar does claim the Continental Top Contact is a slighty faster rolling tire.

Where can one find tech specs on the Top Contacts - not on their website, that I can find.