I have been running 28mm Continental Gatorskins and I have never had a flat with the tandem ( about 3000 miles). I know that my luck will not last. I have been on rides with other tandems and 2 times the tire (sidewall) failed and a tire boot would not work and someone had to go back over 20 miles to get a vehicle. I started thinking for the long rides maybeI should carry a folding tire just in case that happens to me, or someone else.

Does anyone have any recommendations for 28mm or a 32mm folding tire?

Is the Vittoria Randonnuer Hyper a folding tire?

Thanks

After every ride I go over every square inch of both tires with a rag to check for problems. We have had great results with Gatorskins and now are running Conti GP4 in 700 x 28.
https://www.precisiontandems.com/arttiresbymark.htm

If you want pure road fast tyres GP4000s is consistently the top tyre in every Tour magazine test. For those not in German-speaking europe, Tour publishes the gold-standard tyre test every 12 months including measures of puncture resistance, longevity, rolling resistance, wet grip, ... So I don't think you would go wrong with these in your preferred width or possibly the Gatorskin version if you find casing rips an issue where you live. I've also had success with Michelin Pro Race 3 in 25mm.

How does the Schwalbe Ultremo ZX fare in the tests? We us them and are extremely happy with the handling, ride and wear.

I think your only choice for a folding 28mm road (slick) tire is the Conti Grand Prix 4 season.

Not much available for a road slick tire in the 32mm size for folding. Anyone else know of alternatives besides the 4 season (28 or 32mm size) for a folding slick road tire?

The Schwalbe Ultremo came in second. Doesn't look like the ZX was tested. https://www.conti-online.com/generato...gp4000s_en.pdf

Schwalbe Durano/Marathons, Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech, Grand bois cerf/cypres, panaracer/rivendell roly poly/ruffy tuffy/jack brown, Challenge parigi-roubaix, Panaracer pasela all come in 28 or wider. Got the Rubino pro techs to replace the GP4 seasons. Will mount them tonight.

I was looking for exactly the same thing in advance of a multiday trip last year, and found the pickin's for foldable 28s to be surprisingly thin. In addition to others mentioned here, have a look at the Panaracer RIBMO, which comes in a variety of flavors including a foldable aramid bead 28mm. It's a little clunky compared to the Gatorskins (which are great), but makes a very servicable and cost-effective backup for the just-in-case.

Thanks for all the advice. I am not looking to change from the gattorskins but for a cost effective back up tire for the Just in Case. I know I will have to order the tire since the LBS have very few 28 mm tires and I have not seen a 28mm folding tire and the LBS

You probably could go with a folding 25, since it is a spare to finish your ride. Replace it with your preferred tire when you get home.

We used to ride the Gatorskins. We carried the Conti GP 4-season 700X28 as a backup. After riding on the 4-seasons, we decided we liked them better than the Gatorskins. They are lighter, softer riding, and don't seem to be any more inclined to flats than the Gatorskins.

You do pay more for Conti tires but if you keep your eyes open you can get good deals. Tires are one area on the bike that I will never skimp. As the Michelin saying goes, "There is a lot riding on your (skinny) tires."

"Cost effective backup tire for Just in Case": we keep a Panaracer Pasela TG on hand for this exact purpose. Much cheaper than many of the others, and a surprisingly nice ride.

Thanks!

FWIW, I've had good luck finding the GP 4 Seasons in 28mm at Wiggle for $47 each including shipping. They also provide tubes, but I don't use these as they weigh a ton and fit 28-35mm tires- might be kind of hard to stuff inside the tire.

We've been running Maxxis Re-Fuse 700x25s for several years now as a regular tire on our Zona tandem and single bike.
One flat in 5,600 miles in 2011 between our tandem and single bike and that was not really a 'puncture' but a old patch that came loose.
In case you wonder we do most of our riding in the southwest of Arizona and 3 months in northern Utah. . . . lotsa cactus thorns and road debris in AZ and chipseal roads in UT.
Nice folding tire, reasonable price, 120 PSI, and mileage in the 2,000 mile range.
Easy to mount/dismount; can actually do it barehanded and am not some muscle-bound kid (but an experienced 80 year old lightweight)!
Just our input/experience.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem