Redhed 

Any suggestions on tires that resist sidewall punctures? Or just tires that you have had good luck with? I mainly ride on a 2 lane highway with a large shoulder with some debris (rocks and some glass). The place I ride is unavoidable so that is not going to be a solution. I have been buying Continental Gator Skins at $40 bucks a pop. (That is almost the cost of a car tire!!!!!!!!!!) This season between myself and my husband, we have gone through SEVEN of these tires. SEVEN!!!!! ARRRRGGGHH!!!! I need suggestions.

nomo4me

I spent a while in Supergo/Phoenix last week and took a long look at the Specialized All Condition Armadillo tires. They looked like you couldn't punch a knife through them. If I were having flats I'd go for them, but they are heavy at 425g each. They are also kind of ugly with a big, reddish brown sidewall.

My Trek 2100c came with Bontrager Select Hardcase tires and I haven't had a flat in 700 miles. The steel bead makes them a bit heavy at 325g, but they have a Kevlar belt and some type of sidewall construction that they say makes pinch flatting nearly impossible. I'm 240lbs so maybe they have something there.
I may very well purchase them again when these wear out.

HTH,

Mike

'nother

Heh, a buddy of mine swears by his Conti Ultra+K Gatorskins, maybe you got a bad batch.

I ride Michelin City currently, and have had good luck flat-wise, though I don't like them because they get a lot of gravel bits in between the tread. I had Conti Pro Touring 2000s before that and Avocet Cross IIs before that. Really liked the Avocets but I cannot find them anymore (and they're expensive).


What kind of fiddlin' around do you do?

delay

Just out of curiosity, what are you riding over that the gatorskins can't hold up to? The only things I have ever seen them give up to would flatten any tire. You might just have to accept that on your route you are going to burn through tires and just buy cheaper ones.

Redhed 

As far as the fiddlin', depends on what type of music I am making. I am still taking lessons...

Mainly my Gators are getting punched with rocks. I am pretty good at avoiding the hazards, but if you get to going really fast, it can be unavoidable. If this is a bad batch, I want a refund!!!! They should give them a warranty like they do car/truck tires. I think I am going to buy stock in Continental.

Boogs

My Gators have been great - no punctures and a great ride.

2manybikes

There are some other good strong sidewall tires out there, but they will not put up with hitting rocks much either. How long have you been riding this route? How long have you been riding these bikes with these tires? The only effective solution is to not hit rocks. Wider tires may deflect the rocks at a different angle and help a little.
If you are new at cycling, more experience will make it easier to see the ground and up in front of you at the same time, by scanning back and forth all the time.

What size tires are you using?
When you say the place you ride is unavoidable, do you mean this road has to be part of your route, or do you mean you can't move over in the lane because of heavy traffic? Or both?
With proper knowledge and a good mirror you may be able to spend more time in the travel lane and less time in the breakdown lane if you are not already doing that. That's the most common solution to this problem.

-=(8)=-

www.airfreetires.com

Gooch71

I had similar problems with the gator skins. My LBS recommended the bontrager race lite hardcase so I decided to give them a try. I had put about 1500 miles on the same roads without a flat so far. They are a bit heavier (320 vs. 280g). Also they are a bit hard to installed.

RC2

Specialized armadillos.

Redhed 

I am an experienced rider and I can forsee most items, but that is not foolproof, BUT, this is my first RB, so I was used to MTB tires. I have been riding the RB for almost a year now.
I cannot ride in the travel lane because 18 wheelers will run me over. There are only highways around my house, so it is unavoidable. I think I may try the Bontragers. I just need to find a good price.

Stickney

I ride ultra gator skins and highly recommend them. I have ridden them for years on the Colonial Parkway in VA, and more recently on chip sealed rodes in Nebraska. If you aren't familiar with "chip seal" basically the DOT throws some tar/oil down on asphalt and then dumps "gravel" on top. Currently, I am riding on a fresh batch of this "road improvement" and have ridden on it for years prior as well. My point, I don't think a "rock" ever flatted me (and these are sharp rocks) on Gatorskins. So, I agree, I think you got some bad tires, or perhaps your rim is causing it?

My only flats on Gatorskins happen at the end of the tires life, generally in the 2000 mile range.

Also, what PSI do you run? I sacrifice comfort and run at 115 psi. I am a big guy as well. Seems to work for me.

But that is just my experience, take it for what little its worth ;-)

samp02

specialized armadillos. US tanks should have them on. They are as near bullet proof a tire you can buy.

2manybikes

What size tires are you using? A wider tire changes the angle of the sidewall a little and makes it tip in towards the wheel a little bit. Not much but it does. It may bounce the rocks off differently too. I think the Specialized Armadillos are the strongest. There are many types of Armadillos. Some have the sidewall protection and some do not, some only have a Kevlar belt under the tread leaving the sidewall like a regular tire. The website explains this well, I was using it yesterday.

In fact there are exploded views showing the construction of all of these tires, the Bontragers, the Gator Skins, etc. on line. They show the belt type, the sidewall construction etc. The Gator Skins looks a little tougher than the Hardcase.

Did you get many flats with the MTB tires? What were they?

Redhed 

No flats with the MTB tires, I cannot remember what kind they are without looking, as I haven't looked at it lately. The tires on the RB are 700x25. Which is another question I have.....What does that mean? My guess is that the 2nd number is the width of the tire???? What width is best for all around training and puncture resistance??

Oh and what website were you on that had all the tires? Or did you have to go to each separate site?

cycleprincess

ditto...not a single flat! *knock on wood*

2manybikes

Each manufacturer has their own site. You're right about the size, 25mm is the width.It also affects the height sometimes. The best size for you depends. Some road bikes don't take bigger tires because there is no room to fit them. You have to see for yourself or go to a bike shop and look. If you had said 700x23 I would have said try 25's. You may not have room to go up from 25's. What kind of bike do you have?

Redhed 

Giant OCR 2