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best bang for buck in 32 tires

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Old 01-12-15 | 02:24 PM
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best bang for buck in 32 tires

I have an old Trek 750 I am refitting into a commuter, looking for a fairly light and fast 32 tire, or close to that size (28 or 35 would work ok)

I can get Panaracer Pasela PT for $27 each, which have a good reputation, and I've heard Vittoria Voyager Hyper are good too, I've seen those around $35

Anything else in this price range that works well?

thanks!
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Old 01-12-15 | 04:05 PM
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I run Nashbar Streetwise kevlar on my bad weather bike. They're relatively slick and decently rolling. They're only available in 35s. $18. The non-kevlar version is $13. Probably hard to beat if bang for the buck is the criteria. I have about 2000 miles on my first set and they don't appear to be worn much yet.
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Old 01-12-15 | 04:27 PM
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I'm running the Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pros and they seem excellent so far. I've ridden Conti Gatorskins, Performance Strada-K's, and Conti Touring Plus Reflex before. These Vittoria's are excellent tires so far, but they were hard to mount initially. This was mostly due to my inexperience with Kevlar bead tires, though.

Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pro City Tire

For $24.95/tire they are great.
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Old 01-12-15 | 05:14 PM
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Originally Posted by LokiWolflord
I'm running the Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pros and they seem excellent so far. I've ridden Conti Gatorskins, Performance Strada-K's, and Conti Touring Plus Reflex before. These Vittoria's are excellent tires so far, but they were hard to mount initially. This was mostly due to my inexperience with Kevlar bead tires, though.

Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pro City Tire

For $24.95/tire they are great.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus are the best commuting tires IMO, but these Vittoria's are pretty good value. They will have better flat resistance and wear a little better than the paselas or hypers, but won't roll nearly as well. The link is to the 37s, which seems more appropriate for your multi-track anyway.
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Old 01-12-15 | 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by LokiWolflord
I'm running the Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pros and they seem excellent so far. I've ridden Conti Gatorskins, Performance Strada-K's, and Conti Touring Plus Reflex before. These Vittoria's are excellent tires so far, but they were hard to mount initially. This was mostly due to my inexperience with Kevlar bead tires, though.

Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pro City Tire

For $24.95/tire they are great.
+1 they would be my suggestion as well... numbers are misleading. Nashbar lists them as 37mm but the tire actually says 35mm. Measured by caliper, they average about 33mm (I think my rims are 22mm). They roll well for commuting and/or touring duty. They bite into gravel really well on rail-trails. They also have reflective sidewalls. For the price, I'd definitely buy again.
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Old 01-12-15 | 07:12 PM
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The Paselas have an excellent ride quality, probably the best of those mentioned in the thread. The trade off is the sidewalls (not the treads, mind you) are a little fragile compared to the others. IMO these will look and ride the best on your Trek, but they might not last quite as long as some of the others.
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Old 01-12-15 | 07:58 PM
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Best bang for the dollar tire,
regular Schwalbe marathons.
not the cheapest, lightest weight,
offer the best value.
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Old 01-12-15 | 08:21 PM
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I do not know the "PT" of that Panasonic. (I have paid little attention to the letters.) I have had a couple of sidewall failures, none catastrophic in 8 years of using those tires in 28c. No problems the past 3. Never had a problem in the past three years using 25cs. I have only used one pair of 32s which have been on a little used bike for about the past 3-4 years and just swapped to the bike I just set up and they are riding great now!

I am a huge fan of Paselas. Probably the best tire for the money of any type or price I have used over 40+ years. The tread is a little slippery if you ride high pressures but they run so nicely at lower pressures there is no need to. I find (at 150 lbs) that the 32s are a sweet ride at 60 psi. I rode very rural roads I have never seen before yesterday in the wet and the those 32s were confidence inspiring on very steep and sharp corners. (I didn't push it. My New Year's resolution is another year of rubber down in deference to my 61 body that has see way too much pavement.)

The tires don't get many flats. No magic. Just a good tire; tread that doesn't pick up stuff and that glass, etc. doesn't glam onto.

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Old 01-12-15 | 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by moochems
Marathon plus is very high quality, compared with it's price it is very much bang for the buck.

Are you looking for acceptable tires for the next year (or even less time?) or for the next multiple years? Depending on your mileage, you may get several years out of a set of marathon plus tires. You may also get little or no flats when you use them.

I have a set of panaracer pasela gt and while they are more comfortable, and cheaper I have not out many miles on them so I can't speak more about them. Some reviewers suggest the Paselas rot in the sun, and won't make it multiple years regardless of use. If you keep your bike inside and in a low ozone environment (some electrical devices produce ozone which will "age" the rubber) then perhaps the aging process is more forgiving, I don't know.

For me, the marathon plus are a real no-brainer. Personally I like marathon plus tour version.
Never heard that before and I have done nothing for my tires except hang the bike in my garage. Never did an ozone count. Bikes get locked up outside, usually with fenders but less so in the summer. Never noticed any degradation. And that sweet ride I did yesterday (post above) was on 3 year old tires.

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Old 01-12-15 | 08:46 PM
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Originally Posted by bikebreak

Anything else in this price range that works well?

thanks!
I have not ridden the Marathon Plus tires. I was considering them, and I might still get a pair if the Vittorias don't last.

The price on the Marathon Plus runs around $50.00/tire. They also weigh 900 grams a piece. 1.8 Kilos for the pair or around 4 lbs. Marathon Supremes are much lighter, but run at $60.00+/tire.

I felt the Randonneurs were a good compromise of weight, puncture protection, and price. Of course, my opinion may change after I get a puncture at 5:00 AM on my way to work...
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Old 01-13-15 | 04:56 AM
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thanks, I found the Vittoria Randonneur Pro for $25 so I may try that, anyone used those before?

the original tires on the multitrack were semi studded and weighed 470g
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Old 01-13-15 | 07:27 AM
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Originally Posted by moochems
I want to say that electric motors create ozone, which I've read is especially damaging to the skin walls on Paselas. If you have a refrigerator, for example, running in your garage you may be suffering some tires damage from the ozone produced. I'm definitely on the edge of my knowledge here.
Refrigerator compressors are completely airtight sealed, you can't get ozone from them. Besides, they are AC synchronous motors, there is no spark and therefore no ozone anyway. Brushed motors are extremely rare. I think the primary source of ozone in a household would be a laser printer if you have one.
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Old 01-13-15 | 08:22 AM
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I've used 32 mm Panaracer Pasela PTs and Vittoria Voyageur Hypers extensively for commuting and touring and can recommend both of these tires heartily. The Hypers roll nicer and have reflective sidewalls, but generally cost more than the Paselas. The Hypers have no tread at all, which could be an issue if you ride at all on unpaved trails, dirt roads, etc. Paselas have enough tread that they are much grippier on unpaved surface, but also creates more rolling resistance, so they aren't quite as fast as the Hypers. Paselas are available with tan or black sidewalls, which is nice if you are trying to achieve a certain appearance with your bike. I would recommend the folding versions of both tires to save weight, but they are more expensive than the wire-bead versions.

If shopping around, you might also want to consider Continental Gatorskins and GP 4 Seasons, both of which are available now in 32s but might be harder to find and probably at high prices than Paselas or Hypers. Contis tend to run narrow, so I doubt if they run a true 32 mm unless you are using wider rims. Gatorskins ride a little rougher than the other tires mentioned, but GP 4 Seasons roll very nicely.

I've also heard that Vittoria Rubinos are now available in 32s and, if so, that would be a viable option. I've run Rubinos exensively in 25s and 28s, and they roll very nicely and are relatively light weight in folders. However, they also tend to run narrow, like the Contis. Rubino 25s and 28s are often available for excellent prices from on-line dealers.
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Old 01-13-15 | 09:30 AM
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I love my Pasalas, I use them on my road and commuter bike here in Colorado, 2Kmiles, no flats even during goathead season. Life is too precious to waste time on the side of the road fixing a flat....
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Old 01-13-15 | 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by tarwheel
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If shopping around, you might also want to consider Continental Gatorskins and GP 4 Seasons, both of which are available now in 32s but might be harder to find...
I've also heard that Vittoria Rubinos are now available in 32s...
Thanks, I ran Conti GP4S on my road bike all last winter, and the 28s were really about 26.5mm. I have looked and never found the new 32mm version for sale, and I suspect they will be over $50 when available

Also cannot find the Rubino in 32, but if the 28 is actually 28mm that would work for me, as I would trade the 4mm in width for the 100 grams in weight reduction over a 32. Are the Rubinos true weight and size (they advertise the 28 at 280g) ?

Ideally I'd like a 32 that weighs 300g, but you can't have it all. Did you find the vittoria hypers true to spec weight (350g)?
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Old 01-13-15 | 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted by bikebreak
Thanks, I ran Conti GP4S on my road bike all last winter, and the 28s were really about 26.5mm. I have looked and never found the new 32mm version for sale, and I suspect they will be over $50 when available

Also cannot find the Rubino in 32, but if the 28 is actually 28mm that would work for me, as I would trade the 4mm in width for the 100 grams in weight reduction over a 32. Are the Rubinos true weight and size (they advertise the 28 at 280g) ?

Ideally I'd like a 32 that weighs 300g, but you can't have it all. Did you find the vittoria hypers true to spec weight (350g)?
Unfortunately, the Rubino 28s run narrow, just like the Conti GP 4 Seasons, about the same width for both of them on my rims (26.5 mm). The Rubinos are fairly light weight, however, about 250 grams.

To find the Rubinos or Contis in 32s, I think you would have to buy them from overseas vendors, which are generally less expensive anyway.
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Old 01-13-15 | 12:35 PM
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Originally Posted by lostarchitect
The Paselas have an excellent ride quality, probably the best of those mentioned in the thread. The trade off is the sidewalls (not the treads, mind you) are a little fragile compared to the others. IMO these will look and ride the best on your Trek, but they might not last quite as long as some of the others.
+1 on Paselas. Amazingly good ride quality for a $20 / 32mm tire.
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Old 01-13-15 | 12:55 PM
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I'm riding Paselas (not PT, which is the new name for TG) in 35mm on my Volpe. I recently got some Hypers in 37, and I'm eager to try them soon.

Edit: For the archives: I'm wrong about the name change, as noted below.
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Old 01-13-15 | 12:59 PM
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According to the folks at Panaracer, PT is not the same as TG.
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Old 01-13-15 | 02:13 PM
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I have Paselas. They ride nice. I have the no-prophylactic version, and they do get flats from thorns. Buying again, I might sacrifice comfort for armor.
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Old 01-13-15 | 02:40 PM
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This thread is almost an ode to the Paselas. I have the regular Paselas (not TG or PT) and have been lucky so far - just one flat in more than a year, thorn in the side wall. I'm sure I've jinxed myself now - but really, it depends on where you ride.
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Old 01-13-15 | 03:31 PM
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Originally Posted by MileHighMark
According to the folks at Panaracer, PT is not the same as TG.
I stand corrected! Where's the web page, so we can read it?
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Old 01-13-15 | 03:35 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
I stand corrected? Where's the web page, so we can read it?
Here: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...versus-pt.html

And I've confirmed the difference with Panaracer's global go-to-guy (via email).
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Old 01-13-15 | 05:06 PM
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Panaracer: Professional Bike Tires from Panasonic | Technologies

[h=2]Tourguard[/h]Tourguard is an Aramid fiber belt placed under the tread to improve puncture resistance without increasing tire weight or sacrificing performance.



[h=2]PT Shield[/h]The PT Shield fabric layer is over 3 times more puncture resistance for a tire of comparable weight than other currently available casing reinforcement systems.


[h=2]PT Belted[/h]PT Belt offers the same great puncture protection that PT Shield offers. The difference is that whereas PT Shield is bead to bead protection, PT Belted is placed only under the tread. Offering puncture protection while shaving off grams.
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Old 01-15-15 | 02:33 PM
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