65er, I'm impressed with Schwalbe's line, too. I have a pair of Stelvios on my "racing bike" and they're great. Marathons have a great reputation for durability, and they're available in nearly every size. I installed one on a 16" wheel bike.

I happen to love Panaracer tires, too. They're my favorite tire company.

Cheng Shins are surprisingly good and probably the best value.

Kendas have been disappointing.

I've never liked tires like the Schwalbe Hurricanes or Conti Travel Contacts with a smooth center and knobs on the side. The knobs give less traction when you need it the most in cornering on pavement, and don't really provide much additional traction on dirt. A round profile slick like the Schwalbe Big Apple or Conti Sport Contact is a much better all-around tire for commuting on dirt and pavement.

I'll let you guys know how the CST Cyclops run. I'm about to finish up my build of my '02 Raleigh M50 with a Cannondale Pepperoni fork and the tires clear with a good bit to spare on both ends. They look like stout tires, and I think at 45 psi they'll roll very well. We'll see how it goes.

I agree with you on the traction issue of the "combination" tires. They really don't corner like a full slick, so you have to adjust your technique a bit. I've been tempted to try a set of the Hurricanes solely on 65'er's recommendation though...

Good to know that they fit the Raleigh, I am genuinely looking for a frame that will fit these beasties. Eager to hear how you like them.

I've seen a couple of builds done with the Cyclops. I think my favorite was this one based on the Surly 1x1 frame, in case you were looking for another option. He was even able to fit cruiser fenders in there. That would be a great platform for an IGH build that I might try in the future.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2726/...e00493f041.jpg

Flickr album here.

I'm putting together a build thread for my bike that should be up shortly with mockup images on the Raleigh

^ that is ill

Like... as in you have never tried them ?

The Hurricane and Silento corner very well at speed and they get you to the corner just that much faster ... :)

My spring - fall commutes take me through our river valley trails where a pure slick works but not as well as a hybrid type tyre.

Resurrection!
​​​​​What's the actual width of the Cyclops?

Wet pavement mostly seems to be a matter of tread compound.

Some manufacturers put shallow thin patterns, like herringbone or tiny speckle dots, on their road tires with the idea that the tire will interlock with road irregularities better. Whether this actually matters and to what degree is difficult to quantify, although on the flip side, it doesn't really hurt the tire's performance either.

Big deep tread patterns like knobbies are detrimental to paved riding in terms of both handling and efficiency.