flat proof tires?
 

I'm looking for tires that are impossible to puncture. That can ride over nails, glass, thorns ect. I want some bulletproof, flat-resistant tires. Here my quick story. I live in LA roads can be nice at time but its rare, i mostly ride on paris-roubaix like roads in the gehto with bombs like no others. After rough portions I enter the LA River down to griffith which has lots of debris and stuff. I really hate getting flats I know how to fix them but sometimes I pinch the tubes and them I'm stuck 20 miles away from home :(. Also with the daylights saving and school, im usually riding in the dark wich can make it hard to fix flats. What are the best and I mean the best 700 x 23cm -25cm flat proof tires and when I mean the best, I mean the best. Also I have a budget of $60 and maybe even $70. Also I really dont care for weight or speed or comfort or any other factor just protection since I will be using this for training only. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25c seem good or the Continental Ultra Gatorskins 23cm, and how about the Hutchinson Atom Comp, also im not doing tire liners or better tubes or going tubeless.

http://bontrager.com/model/09184

You're welcome.

I have always done well with Serfas Seca RS. Cheap, relatively light, and good lifespan. I went over 2k miles on 1 set without a flat. I've raced them too and they're a great all-around tire IMO.

I've always had luck with the Specialized Armadillos.

Mr tuffy tire liners.

PS I see you don't want to do liners. That's your choice, but if you want no flats that's your best bet. Or solid rubber.

I've had gatorskins and they're not great to be honest. I got two punctures on the first weekend using them after around 2000 miles I had a nasty sidewall blowout rendering the tyre useless. I'd go for the marathon pluses in 25. They're very heavy but pretty much bombproof. The 25s are exceptionally difficult to get on the rim so maybe get your LBS to change them if you're buying from them otherwise look up the youtube video and hope for the best. My LBS stopped selling them because he said they were impossible to get on! I have 28s and got them on with a bit of difficulty, but the 25s are meant to be in another league.

Unfortunately, over your budget ....I don't have personal experience with the durano plus but I do have experience with other schwalbe "plus" tires and they are seriously puncture proof.

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_ti...es/durano_plus

what he said

Do they make 700-23 versions of those solid rubber tires that are on kids tricycles?

+1. I've tried several belted tires. Armadillos, TourGuards, etc.

None were as dependable as Mr. Tuffy.

Wipe your tires often and that helps reduce flats quite a bit. A piece of glass can slowly work through a belted tire or a Mr. Tuffy but if you wipe it off before it has a chance to dig then you'll save yourself a flat.

Be careful when you replace tubes. Make sure you get the offender out of the tire. And go around the tire squeezing it before inflation, making sure you can see rim strip when you squeeze it. If you see tube, try wiggling tire back and forth to see if you can get the tube all the way in the tire. Try putting a little air in there, then wiggling a little more, deflate, wiggle, another blast of air, 'til you cant see any tube under the tire bead.

I sometimes do a 100 mile ride with about 80 miles freeway. If you've ever been on a freeway shoulder you'll know that trip is hell on tires. I bring a patch kit, two spare tubes and a spare tire on that one, just in case.

Wait - I'm a little confused. What does it mean when you say, "the best"?

Air Free tires

http://www.airfreetires.com/shopping...trial-622.aspx

Wal-mart used to sell some hard foam bicycle tubes but I can't find them anymore. I guess Slime and Stan's sealants have replaced that.

Some company was working on some semi-solid tires to be used in Africa. I remember a picture of one with thorns stuck through it in several spots but the bike was still rideable.

the OG fred had the right idea for flatproof tires...

http://lexib.net/wp-content/uploads/...s-fall-off.gif

I think the OP needs to clarify whether he wants Flat Resistant tires that still ride nicely (eg. Gatorskins, Armadillos, etc), or if he really wants to eliminate flats, which would require the Mr Tufffy Liners, the no-air tires, or solid rubber.

If he wants "the best" in performance and "the best" in flat resistance, the answer is nothing.

Sorry kid, that's life....it's all a tradeoff.

Nice tire tip, ive been having that problem, but ive heard mr tuffys cause flats and make the ride feel dead.

It was back in 1994 when I tried Armadillos but unless they changed a lot since then, a nice tire with Mr. Tuffy rides just as nicely as Armadillo.

I'm rollin' cheap 28s with Mr Tuffy Lites on one of my bikes and I have to really concentrate to tell the differnce between with/without liner.

Check out the new "Plus" series tires from Continental. I doubt anything else mentioned in this thread (aside from airless tires) will have the flat resistance of them.

http://www.conti-online.com/generato...t_plus_en.html

http://www.conti-online.com/generato...y=original.png

I cannot speak for the road bike Plus tires, but I can unfortunately say that the Conti Cyclocross Plus, despite being very heavy, is nowhere near puncture proof. Goathead thorns go right through the casing.

Installed Mr Tuffy liners, no problems since. The ultra-light road liner is 30g (per, 60g total front & rear) which is not that bad. They're also under $20 a set, which leaves a lot of budget to use any mid-grade tire or the OP might keep using the tires he already has.

The ultra-tough tires I know of also happen to be premium models and I doubt you can get a set for $70 or less, even on ebay or buying from the UK. (Schwalbe Durano Plus or Ultremo DD.)


Nails and large pieces of glass will puncture any road tire with air in it. So in the conditions the OP described, nothing is going to be 100% effective.

Have you though about switching to a tubeless setup?

Something like Schwalbe Marathon Plus seems like a good halfway house. They've got a good plastic liner and seem all but indestructible (I've ridden mine over general road debris, gravel etc on a tricross and the MTB version over all sorts of pointy things without anything going through). But on the downside they are heavy, they make a ride more jarring if you hit anything, and they've got a bit of tread on them that an all-out roadie might prefer not to have.

I'm pretty sure you can get them as narrow as 700x25 and maybe 700x23 although they'll test your tyre fitting skills. I had enough trouble fitting my 700x32 to the tricross.

I noticed those on their website recently, but have yet to see posts from anyone trying them.
I found it amusing that they mimic'd Schwalbe's "Plus" idea, and even used the same name for it.:D

The Conti plus series has been around since 2009 if not earlier. That particular tire, the Super Sport Plus, is new for 2012.

I think the Schwalbe Marathon Plus in 700x25 and 28 is new for 2012. I am pretty sure that tire used to go no smaller than 32mm. But whatever--

You have the Marathon Plus 25mm if you really want a tank of a tire-- 580g. Then there's the Durano Plus 25mm available in wire bead (530g) or folding (380g). And finally the Ultremo DD which is 245g but then you're into the protection of a tire like the Conti GP 4000S.

I can't figure why someone would refuse Mr Tuffy Ultra-Light liners at 30g each, but would consider a >500g wire bead tire.

580g road tire, rofl that's insane

dude, where are the city tires? pretty sure those will out do these (HD) road tires but then you have to step up to 28c or 32c or whatever.

Totally insane! I have 2.1" knobbies that weigh less.