bikefor2

We'd like to put other tires on our spare rims so we can ride the 110 mile Mickelson rail trail in the black hills. It's said to be crushed limestone and no grade greater than 4%, so very doable on a tandem. We have never looked at anything other than "road" tires for riding on smooth pavement. Any suggestions?

PeFSQ

Schwalbe Marathon in 700x28 or 700x32. These tires are bombproof, have some tread for better traction on loose surface, and are very durable. We have put some 2000 miles on them (bad Quebec roads and some rail trails) with only 2 flats. Alternatively, if you want even more tread, consider Marathon Mondial in 700x35. If you want less tread and something closer to road tire handling, consider Marathon Racers in 700x30.

CaptainHaddock

I love the vittoria randonneur series, I commute on the randonneur cross pro w/ reflective strip. If that's not enough tread, I ride XC on my tandem with the Continental Cyclocross Speed series. I'd suggest staying away from true nobbie xc tires for such a long ride.

DCwom

We've been using 700/32 Gatorskins for crushed limestone/stone-dust rail-trail riding. I've never had a need for tread on an improved trail and since a lot of trails have connecting road segments, and/or paved sections it's nice to have a reasonable road tire. We don't ride on unimproved trails, i.e. dirt, ballast, etc.

mchell

+1 for Schwalbe Marathon, Marathon Plus, Marathon Racer and even the Kojak. We run Marathon Plus on the tandem (Rans Screamer) 20x 1.35 up front and a 26x1.5 in the back. My trike has Kojaks, 20x 1.35 on the front and a Marathon Racer on the rear 26x 1.5 and we ride on limestone crush without any issues. Mike

DubT

I rode part of that trail on my single road bike with 700x23 tubular tires with no problem. Your regular road tires would do just fine. The climb from hill City up to Crazy Horse was a pretty decent climb. I actually rode on the road back, it was a blast.

JasonF

+1 on the Schwalbe Marathons. I'm running 38's on my tandem and they're great all-purpose tires for street and packed trails.

justcrankn

For our team, I would put 32mm Gatorskins on at 95 psi, and carry some cross tires as a backup. If you bring cross tires make sure they will fit in your fork and rear triangle. The 32's work great for our 270 lb team in packed dirt and gravel. We've used 25mm slicks on gravel, including the Mickelson, but we usually end up with pinch flats, puncture, or a sliced tire. We've also done the Mickelson on 1.95 mtb tires and were glad we did because of sections of soft gravel, but I don't think that's the norm. The tandem builds up some speed on the long downhills that will test the durability of a skinny high-pressure tire.