chris3vic

What's a good tyre for touring on my hybrid?

I have 700c/35 on at the moment, they came with the bike. Would like to go with a little bit less width. 100% of my upcoming touring holiday will be on good tarmac roads. I don't do any off road on my hybrid at all.

I've heard Schwalbe Marathon Plus are good ones, but whats the best to give me that increased efficiency and economy on the road?

Thanks

10 Wheels

Go with 28's. What brand is your choice.

badger1

It all depends, as always! Will your touring be unloaded, lightly loaded, or heavy? Is your priority for tires speed or load-carrying/puncture-resistance? More info. needed before anyone on here can give a helpful answer!

MichaelW

35mm is a perfectly good touring tyre width, there is no real need to change.

The optimum width depends on your load and terrain. My own all-purpose size is 32mm but I found myself wanting a wider tyre over long gravel tracks and softer ground. 28mm is good for unladen riding on most roads and tracks..

I have used plain Schwalbe Marathon a lot. It is very tough and puncture resistant but much easier to remove than the tougher Marathon Plus. My last tour took me several 1000km, fully laden on a pair which were not new.
High performance touring tyres usually have a similar tread to marathon but a more efficient , flexier sidewall.

chris3vic

Sorry if I was a bit vague,

I'll be touring with a moderately laden rear rack, with panniers, tent, sleeping bag, mat, small stove and pan. I've toured like this before but on a mountain bike which was, interesting to say the least. Though I was only 20 a the time i could have probably done it on a penny farthing.

I am not at all concerned about speed, only stability and efficiency under what will be a fairly moderate load.

A friend of mine who is coming with me plans to do it on 35's but the LBS said he should change em to a thinner width and go for puncture resistants.

Am I right to say as well that the Marathon Plus tyres are very hard to lever off?

badger1

Then, fwiw, I'd stay with either 32 or 35ish, and I would use:
1. Schwalbe Marathon Supreme (folding), either size -- 32 a little more 'zip,' 35 a little more stability/comfort on any slightly rough surfaces. Quick, puncture resistant, durable tire. V. expensive, but (I think) worth the investment, or
2. Similiar, but slightly less expensive, Vittoria Randonneur: Hyper (32), or Pro (32 or 35). Hyper: very light, but gives up a bit of puncture resistance to the slightly-heavier Pro version, or
3. Panaracer Pasela TG folding, again either 32 or 35.

If you anticipate some gravel or other unsurfaced roads, I'd go with either the Randonneur Pro or the Panaracers.

These are the tires I'm familiar with; any would I think serve you very well for the riding you describe.

mulveyr 

I've had the Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pro 700x35's on both my touring wheelsets, and never had a flat in thousands of miles of mixed highway and off-road touring. They're good in the rain, corner well, and are long lasting. I'll buy them again when my current ones finally wear out.