Hello everybody,

I am looking for a good tire for riding around the city. Something puncture resistant would be nice, but most importantly I would like something that will grip when I squeeze my brakes instead of just sliding into a skid. I am currently riding a pretty slick 700x23 tire and I am looking for something more appropriate for riding around NYC. I probably have room to go a little bit wider on my bike, but not much. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Schwalbe Marathon and Michelin City are two tires I have had good luck with. The City has a bit more traction, but less puncture resistance, IMO. Both were in 700cx32.

Sorry to hijack your thread but I was going to post something along these lines...

My bike is this one Kona Fire Mountain 2009 with 26x1.95 tires and Rigida ZAC-19SL rims

Do you guys suggest any good touring/commuting tires?

With a 23mm or even a 25mm you'll always have limited traction: the contact patch size is too small. To make the best of what you've got go to Schwalbe's site - they have grip and puncture resistance ratings for most of their tyres.

Marathon Supremes or Duremes would be ideal. Google them.

Continental makes the Gatorskin in a 25. It's what I use on my commuter, never had a flat in a year and a half of commuting in New Haven, CT. And they're still on my bike, on my second set because they started to wear.

Thanks mean

What about the size? (is that the correct term?)
Should I get the 26x2.0 or the 26x1.6? I need the tire to be able to withstand constant potholes, climbing curbs...

If in doubt, go with the 2.0s. Also, if you want to behave like a lunatic - or ride roads that look like they are maintained by one - and your bike has the clearance:

https://www.mtbr.com/cat/tires-and-wh...1_1564crx.aspx

The reviews above are for the 29er tyre, but it comes in 26 as well. You can take drops of several feet with these things and only minimal technique, and they're pretty fast. They also look cool!

+1 on Schwalbe Marathons

Have you tried the Conti GP 4 Season? I think that's supposed to be their best racer-trainer tyre for grip:

https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...n-tyres-33555/

If the OP could squeeze a 28 on, he'd probably be very happy. I'd also add Kool Stop Pink brake pads.

I've used and liked pasela tourguard and vittoria randonneur. In fact, my wife's touring bike has the vittoria and she hasn't flatted sine she bought the bike. That includes a 1200 mile tour a couple summers ago, countless shorter tours, and recreational rides. Convinced me to put a pair on my touring bike as well. And they're cheap too!

I've been using the Pasela TG for about a year and I really like them. 32mm on my rando bike, 28mm on my singlespeed roadie. Probably getting a pair of 37mm for street cruising / urban assault on my monstercrosser that I'm finishing up.

I've got 35mm ones on my fixed gear/UAV/commuter and they provide a nice ride for seattle's horrible roads, great flat protection, and relatively cheap too.

I run Michelin City 28C/32C with reflectorized sidewalls. Very durable (easy 6K miles rear). Current set has 2.8K miles on odometer and one puncture from a tiny steel wire (de-laminated auto tire). Rear tire was slashed by some crazy whacko while parked outside of Frys. The gash is 1" long by 0.05" deep, but stopped at the yellow puncture resistant liner. I re-glued with rubber cement and tire plug. So far so good. No sign of bulging at the tire.

The grip is a function of the total weight of bike + rider, rubber compound, and the contact patch on the road. You can lock the tire, so your brake is probably OK. A wider tire should provide more grip. I don't like to run with anything smaller than 28C in the city. Many racing frames will work with 28C.

+1. I had a set of these on my old Bianchi Premio, a Panasonic road bike I had, and about the put them on a 73 Schwinn Varsity. I have always had good luck with these tires. Riding in Chicago will definitely put them to the test and I have always been happy.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can measure my frame so I can see what size tire I can probably squeeze there?

I use the rimbo's on my city bike!

Would heartily suggest the Schwalbe Hurricane over the Marathon for a mtb that needs a slicker faster tyre... have been riding these longer than Marathons and to date, and after 5 years and more than 12,000 km they have never flatted and still have lots of life left in them.

The guys at Schwalbe were pretty interested in my experience and review as I don't think they expected this tyre to run out this well and it is heading into Marathon territory for mileage capability.

It is a 26 by 2.0 that can be run at 75-80 psi and rolls very fast on a slick centre but does have some aggressive side lugs that come into play at lower psi and really excel on trails and hard pack... the ride and handling are quite wonderful and I have used them in every season and find they are a pretty decent tyre in the winter.

We have fitted these to countless mtb's here and they are an immensely popular tyre.

I now run these on my drop bar mtb as they provide a fast rolling urban tyre.

You hold a stiff ruler horizontally between the seat stays, and across the fork. Where the tyre will go. Not very impressive, I know.

Or measure the gap between the widest part of the current 23mm tyre and these points. Eg if you have a 4mm gap on each side then you should easily be able to fit 28s. You should also check the chart here to make sure your rims will take a 28, if that's what you decide to buy:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

If the bridge between the stays is VERY low then measure the gap to that assume the tyres will bulge up towards it by the same amount that they are wider than the current ones.

(Hint: if in doubt buy a SINGLE dirt cheap 28 and use it to test...)

28C Michelin City mounted on 19mm wide 700 rim:

height = 28.5mm (top of rim to top of tire)
width = 28.3mm (widest area)

Leave a minimum of 1mm gap for clearance on your frame

I'm currently using these on my bikes
23mm - Rubino Pro
32mm - 1 Panaracer Urban Max and 1 Panaracer Pasela TG. The Urban Max rolls like a square rock but it has 3K+ miles on it with no flats and was only $15 at Performance.
37mm - Schwalbe Marathons

I use the Panaracer RiBiMo's on my commuter.

Continental Sport Contacts, Continental Grand Prix Four Seasons.

Panaracer T-Serv

+1 for Pasela tourguard. Cheap fast rolling and puncture resistant. I also like the retro look on my tricross, sets me apart from the crowd.