hello...

ive been runnin my road tires(700x23c) on the tow paths (crushed limestone - hard pack mostly) as of late and it isnt working out. I got a flat yesterday. I'm thinking of switching to a cyclecross style tire (for tow paths only), something like a 700x32c... any recommendations**********?

Im riding a specialized sirrus.

The Specialized Infinity Armadillo or Nimbus Armadillo in 700x28c with the Specialized Air Lock tubes will be great on that surface and will virtually eliminate flats.

No. Narrow tyres need a higher pressure and this makes them drag factories on irregular surfaces. (If the tyres "bounce" isn't enough to absorb irregularities then the bike vibrates and the energy for that is lost from pedalling; this is why auto engineers worry about unsprung weight so much.) The widest tyre a Sirrus will probably take is a 32, so use that and turn the pressure down. I think the Marathon Cross comes in 2mm and it's on an ok tyre. If you can fit 35mm tyres and have more cash then Maraton Duremes would be better - faster *and* more puncture proof.

Also: the Armadillos, while puncture proof, are about the slowest tyres in existence.

My wrists hurt just thinking about this. Aren't you running an alloy fork?

Vitoria Randonneurs @75psi. Cross tires suck unless you're racing cross or riding in snow. The knobs slow you down,make the bike skittish is fast turns,and most don't have any puncture protection. You want the widest tires you can fit at a moderate pressure level.

How much difference can there be between 28s and 32s inflated to 75 psi? I occasionally ride mostly hard packed crushed limestone trails and 28s at 75 psi work fine. Obviously, Armadillos are a trade off between frequently fixing flats and a marginal reduction in speed.

Hehe for sure.. another reason for the switch. I ended up getting a set of 700x32c's for the tow path. I'll keep the 23's for the road only

Thanks to all for the help

What part of "turn the pressure down" is rocket science?

Meaning that they're good enough by your standards and that you don't know any better. And that's fine, but as long as a fellow is spending the cash he might as well buy the best ones for the money rather than copying you.

They are one trade off, yes. Arguably not a particularly good one. Specialized tyres are usually mediocre and the Armadillo trades off speed and handling big time. A $600 bike with Duremes will be faster, handle better, more comfortable and more fun than a $2000 bikes with Dillos. And will be almost as puncture resistant. Tyres are a bike's entire suspension system (umm - unless it has a suspension system) meaning that they have a critical effect on performance.

Generally good advice and the Rando is a great tyre.

However, the Marathon Cross has puncture protection (in fact ALL Marathon's cross tyres do - the upper range ones use Schwalbe's "nanotech" rubber and kevlar, which is why they're pricey) and a smooth (but vented) centre section for the road. It's also very cheap and one of the few cheap tyres that it is ok-ish to ride, so it's a good way to try going wider. The cornering knobs are the less-aggressive kind, so they'll give some help on gravel without ruining road holding (the tyres to watch out for are the ones with triangular cornering teeth - these are great off road, but bend on hard surfaces.)