PNW Noobish

I've been riding Continental CityContact 26x1.5 tires (stock on my LHT) for 4,000+ miles. They have been great tires. Just two flats, both on the rear tire, for most of those miles .... but in the past two months, I've gone through 5 tubes on the rear tire. My questions:

1) How do I know when I need to replace my tires? I assume that the rear tire needs to be replaced due to the recent frequency of flats. However, although there are small tears in the tire due to prior flats and small cracks in the sidewall, the tread is still good and I cannot see the tire fabric through the rubber, hence, according to Sheldon, the tire "looks" ok.

2) What is a good replacement tire? It appears that Continental has abandoned the CityContact 26x1.5. I'm considering the Continental TravelContact 26x1.75 as a replacement, since I've had a good experience with Continental tires and the TravelContact has good reviews. Would this tire have noticeably higher rolling resistance due to its slightly larger size (1.75 vs 1.5)?

3) If I decide to replace the rear tire with a TravelContact, is it okay to replace the rear tire only, or should I replace both tires as a set since the TravelContact is slightly larger?

Thanks much!

dynaryder

What happened to the tubes? Regular flats or pinch flats? Before doing anything else,I would remove the tire from the rim and check both the rim tape and bead area to make sure everything was good. Then I would do a close inspection of the inside of the tire(fold the tread inside-out one section at a time) to make sure nothing was stuck in there.

The tire is worn out when the tread has worn smooth. Tires can also require replacement if something is wrong with the bead or sidewalls. If you have cracks in your sidewalls,then no matter what the tread looks like,it's time for a new tire.

The design/tread,compound,and weight of the tire is going to have as much of an impact as the width. For 1.5" tires,I'd recommend Vittoria Randonneurs. I've used them on several bikes,and have always liked their handling,grip,puncture protection,and durability. If your just commuting(not loaded touring),and are willing to spend the dosh and go up to 2",Schwalbe Marathon Supremes are the sportbike radials of the cycling world. If you'd like to cushion your ride,Schwalbe Big Apples in 2" provide a very compliant ride while still handling good.

You can just replace the rear. If you're running a skinny slick on one end and a fat knobby on the other,it might cause some handling issues,but for the tires you're looking at it shouldn't be an issue. Note,if your front has cracking on the sidewalls like your rear,then it'd be a good idea to replace that one too.

Whiteknight

In mid May I purchased a set of Continental City Contact 26" by 1.5" at the local LBS who is a Conti dealer. Mine came with the reflective sidewall strip (Reflex). These went on a 2004 Trek Navigator I use on gravel trails and streets.

Dudelsack

If you want bullet-proof tires, consider Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Have someone else install them.

rekmeyata

Conti has several great tires to replace the one you had, like the Sport Contact, or the Travel Contact for more flat protection. There is no such thing as a "bullet", or flat proof bicycle tire.

Velo Dog

Good tires, but why have someone else install them? I'd be embarrassed to do that...
For the OP, if you explain what you mean by "gone through" the tubes, it would be easier to solve that problem. Are they puncturing, and if so, where? If the holes are all in the same place on the tire side, you may have something stuck in the tire. Run your fingers around inside to see if you can feel it. If they're on the rim side, check for a protruding spoke or bad rim strip. A tiny, almost imperceptible sharp thing can work its way through a tube in a few miles. And there's NO reason to throw away a tube just because it got a hole in it. In 40 years of riding, probably at least 200 flats, I've had only two patch failures, and one of those was my fault--I didn't sand the tube properly.

Oh--when you mount a tire, always do it so the label is at the valve hole in the rim. That way when you find a hole in the tube, you'll know where to look in the tire for whatever caused it.

rekmeyata

You would be surprise at the number of people riding bikes, and some riding very expensive bikes, that can't install or even uninstall a tire, don't carry anything to fix a flat with not even a pump simply because it's too complicated. I help these people all the time with flats, I see them roll their bikes into the bike shop to get a flat fixed, and these are adult men! Personally I wouldn't be riding a bike if I couldn't fix a flat, walking 20 miles or so back home is a little much, of course I could always call my mommy to come get me.

PNW Noobish

Thanks for the input!

This is for loaded touring, btw. I think I will switch to the TravelContacts due to the frequency of flats in the rear tire.

I've been unable to find and debris or abnormalities on the rim or the inside of the tire. I also did not notice a pattern that would suggest a pinch flat. On some of the flats, the leak was slow enough that I could not find the hole, so I could not do a repair. I suspect the flats were caused by debris working through existing homes in the tire from prior flats.

rekmeyata

If you want you can flat "proof" (no tire will ever be flat proof) the rear in particular further by installing a Panaracer Flat Away liner. The Flat Away liner is way tougher than a Mr Tuffy and far lighter as well.

Here is video demo of just how tough this liner is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ostb6ysNce4 I've actually tried that stunt with a tack then a finishing nail and no penetration was possible, but I was able to penetrate an old Mr Tuffy with both the tack and the nail. Also you do have to cut the liner, just as you would with any liner to make it fit, I had a heck of a time cutting the Flat Away, whereas with the poly liner Mt Tuffy it cut like butter. The biggest advantage of the Flat Away which ironically is a disadvantage, the liner has tape on it that sticks to inside of the tire so it remains in place so you can install the tube and tire without wondering if the liner is perfectly centered from moving around like the Mr Tuffy. However, it does mean you can only use the liner once...supposedly, I did know of one person who peeled his off and put it in another new tire and it stuck well enough to get the tire back on. I haven't tried that yet, but when time comes for a new tire on that particular bike I will certainly try to reuse it.

tbird

Continental Top Contact used them on my GT Zaskar for over 5000kms of commuting with only 1 puncture over that time.

Have just replaced them with Schwalbe Kojaks which are lighter so I don't expect the same protection but have been perfect over 4 months of use even in wet weather.

As has been said Marathon Plus are also excellent as many of my friends use them and have great reliability also.

ChrisO

Just my experience, but I recently switched from the City Contacts that were stock on my LHT to the Schwalbe Marathons and it feels like I'm riding through cement. Their reputation indicates that they are in fact good tires, but the difference in rolling resistance was noticeable for me.

As far as just replacing one tire, I've always adhered to the rule of putting the new tire on front and move the front to the back. The reasoning being that it is more dangerous to have a tire blow out (loss of control) in the front than in the rear. There is some assumption of bombing down hills at Mach three roadie style in that line of reasoning, but it seems to make sense regardless.