I do enjoy trying different tires out to see what works best for me in terms of road feel, flat protection and speed. I have several bikes and most of them are running different types and sizes so I can get a better idea of what I like best.

Paselas are great, one of the best if not THE best tire for the money.

How about 60 mi RT? My commutes will be racing the clock, and setting some personal bests next season, else I might as well just take the car. I did some half/commutes this year (30 mi RT) and loved it. A smooth, secure, fast-feeling tire is really high priority for me, but frequent flatting, especially at midnight, isn't something I relish. Tire weight probably only matters on acceleration, and in some cases hills, right?

Unless you're chasing seconds, yeah, weight doesn't really matter. All else being equal. (Which it generally isn't.)

I use Conti "Touring Plus" on one bike and Conti "Gatorskins" on the other. The Gatorskins give an excellent ride and are the folding type (25 & 28mm, front-rear).

The everyday-bike has 37 & 42mm Touring Plus with reflex sidewalls. I installed them after having a run-in with a patch of goatheads with the OEM tires (Kendas, I think). The OEM tires were thinner, lighter and gave a somewhat smoother ride, but --- the Touring Plus is not likely to let any goatheads get through. I believe the touring Contis are roughly equivalent to the Schwalbe Marathon Plus in purpose, design, life and reliability. I favor Continental tires because I've used them for over fifty years as tubulars, on motorcycles and now again as clinchers. I never had a problem with Contis and don't expect any either.

I have a somewhat special affection for the company because of the quality of their tires together with their testing, dedication and engineering capabilities. I spent some time, years ago, at the Continental factory in Hannover, the Contidrom test track and in the company of their motorcycle test engineers and lead tire designer Manfred Kunz. If they are now as they were then, I can believe that no tire company tries harder to make excellent tires --- those guys really liked and believed in what they were doing. However, this is mostly a personal attachment and I do not mean to discount other tire makers.

Of-Topic Story:
Conti's test engineers challenged/gently taunted me to ride one of their test bikes up onto the 200 km/h line around the Contidrom. I figured that if they could do it all day then I should be able to for a few laps. I choose their BMW R90S as that's what I had at home. There were two painted lines around the bowl; the lower, if taken at 120 (150?) required no steering input due to the bank of the track. The upper line required 200 km/h (124 mph) for neutral steering.
The bank on the steepest part of the track together with the 200 km/h velocity resulted in a 2g downward load on the bike and its rider, which just bottomed the suspension of the R90S.
At 200 km/h, the bank of the track appears to be a wall that you are continually running into. The surface of the track was rather rough; it was made of concrete pieces that remained usefully smooth in spite of the German winters. So, while I was crouched over the bars under 2gs and looking at the wall-with-a-line-on-it, I was getting the crap beat out of me by the rigid bike and rough surface.

I can still relive every moment of those dozen or so laps. It was the scariest thing I ever did! Though it did put me on a first name basis with the engineering test riders ;o)

Joe

Well shoot I didn't see this thread before I posted my tire recommendation thread this morning. Has anyone gotten more than 4K miles on Grand Prix 4 Seasons tires? That's all I got before I started getting several flats on my rear tire. Great tires but I can't justify spending over $100/pair every single year.

I don't track my tires' miles, but gee, 4,000 miles sounds good to me. Maybe I'll start tracking. The result will be that I'll probably stop using Panaracers. I like the ride and the purchase price, but maybe they're not a great value. I don't mind the puncture vulnerability; I seem to have good luck with flats, and I'm an ace at roadside repairs.

Also would recommend. If you can fit a 700x28, go for it. No better commuter tire in this size.

Not good when they barely last a year. My car's tires are not cheap, but I still only buy them every 3 years (probably longer now that I'm bike commuting more).

i have a city bike , Jamis Coda Sport-with 700 x 32C tires now and am thinking of switching to 700 x 35C tires for a little softer ride? am not worried about speed! mostky ride on city streets and paved paths? Does switching to a larger tire make sense?

Thanks for the input, since I live in the wet part of the PNW, Panaracers are the better bet, however my go to bike shop only had one T-Serv on hand so I got a set of 700x32 Pasela PTs with folding beads since they appear to be almost the same tire except for the sidewall treatment. So far so good since they gripped well on the wet pavement and random mud this morning although the ride is not as smooth as the Vittoria XM Pro knobbies I was using. Then again they ride a lot better than the cheap 700x25 tires they replaced.

Great tires IMO, hopefully they will give you many miles of service.

Second flat on the rearGatorskin. I found a puncture on the tube, but no corresponding object in the tire. Don't think it was a snakebite flat since the tire was well inflated when I started riding to work this am. But when I started my ride home, the tire was thoroughly deflated. Fortunately there is a bike shop two blocks from my office, where I can fix a flat in comfort. I bought 2 oz of Bontrager tubeless tire sealant and put a little of it into the patched tube, then installed the valve core and went on my way. How much should I put in when I get home - 1 oz per tire?

I'm not sure why I'm having this bad luck with flatting. Two punctures in a month for a brand new puncture resistant tire seems odd. Maybe I just have bad karma this month.

EDIT: after further investigation in the garage, I'm not going to count this second puncture against the tire, because I can find no penetration of the tire, and the hole was right on the tube seam. It is possible I have a bad tube. Anyway, I put 1 oz sealant in the tube and we'll see what happens.

True, but they go bald at 1500 miles (at least the rear did.

Mine has 150 miles and no real sign of wear, they look all most new. I also only ride on pavement, which might make a difference?

- Andy

Asphalt, concrete, and wood-plank overpasses here. Schwalbe Marathon Plus currently in-transit. :-)