Light touring tire recomendation
 

I am trying to find low to mid end touring tires, for light touring. 700/35 or 37. Preferbally foldable, so I can carry a spare. I have seen plenty of recommendations for the best tires out there, but Im not looking to spend a ton of money on what essentially will be just a few short tours/over nighters so I can see if its something I really want to do. if I do, I will then spend the money (I already have narrowed down my choice of dedicated touring bikes if I decide its for me).

[h=1]Vittoria Voyager Hyper[/h]
These are great tyres, can handle loaded touring but are surprisingly fast too, a little less hard wearing than the marathon supreme but smoother and faster. can handle gravel road / light off road too.

I put a pair on for a south Asia tour, did 3000 miles loaded and then I've been doing unloaded rides locally and have a another 2000 miles on them, they are about 65 - 70% worn and I have never had a puncture on then yet!

big thumbs up from me.

I agree with damo, the Vittoria Hyper is a very nice tire but it doesn't meet your requirement of being inexpensive. It's close cousin, the Vittoria Randonneur Pro is less expensive and similar in many ways. If you're going to stay on reasonable roads, then you might consider Panaracer Pasela Tour Guards, though I've never found them to be durable, many others will rave about them and they do tend to be pretty cheap.

Another vote for the Hyper!

Gatorskin folding comes in 700 x 32c and weighs 350 grams: continental bicycle Gatorskin

If it's just a back up tire, check out Schwalbe insiders. More for home training, but a good tire to get you to the next town and maintain a lighter weight (310g). I love Paselas though, so I'd sacrifice some weight for it.

what is your version of "low to mid end" in terms of cost?
$10 or $40? If you only want to spend $15 per tire, the recommendations will be different.

and what tires do you have on your bike now, and why not use them if they are in good shape? If they are in good shape, or even if you do buy two new tires, for a light tour, few day tour, you do not need to purchase and carry a spare tire. I did numerous month long trips without a spare, riding in paved roads, but my tires were in good shape.

20 bucks per or less would ideal right now. Currently running 700-28 Gator Skins, but they are getting kinda old.

Definitely Hypers. You simply can't save money on tires. Buy the best you can afford, not the cheapest you can find.

If you can find Gatorskins on the cheap, that's not a bad way to go. I've commuted and light toured on 700x32 Gatorskins and they worked well for me. Of course, it's what you're using now, so I don't need to tell you much about them. It appears that 700x32 is as big as they come, and they'll almost certainly cost more than $20, but they'll probably last longer too.

Gatorskins here are about 45 can. in stores, so over 50 per tire with taxes (15%)

I've been liking the Paselas for all my 27" wheels whose frames can accommodate the size, it is what I put on our bikes for a CC tour for a combination of everything from footpaths to roads (albeit no real tough off roading). They're pretty much a default install for all my bikes now. I can generally find them under $20 each with a bit of patience, but Niagara has both the 700x35 and 38 for $24.99 right now.

EDIT: Not foldable, though.

I used Michelin's HiLite touring tire in 1991, but I went thru several of them during the tour.

I recommend the Vittoria Hypers if they fit your budget. If not, then I would look at Panaracer Pasela PTs or Panaracer Gravel Kings. All of these options are folders and relatively light weight.

The Voyager Hyper is a $40-50 tire. While it may be a great tire, its double what you are looking to pay, so it isnt a good recommendation.

wiggle.com Cycle | Commuter Tires + 700c (622) Wheels
Road Tyres | Chain Reaction Cycles

I dont think any are folding while also 35-37mm. Schwalbe Marathon GG probably wouldnt need a spare though. I have 32mm Vittoria Randonneur II tires on a sport-tourer(light touring) bike. I love them. Reviews are that they are slow, but I havent felt sluggish with them. They are absurdly strong based on my weight and what I have loaded on the bike.

both links should take you to narrowed down results within your parameters. Wiggle is free shipping over $50 and ChainReaction is free over $100. Both sites are overseas, most everything is cheaper there than stateside, and if you need(want) any random stuff you can quickly get to $100 on chainreaction!



For what its worth, Amazon has Panaracer RIBMO tires for $33. http://www.amazon.com/Panaracer-RiBM.../dp/B00AZWWES4 they are wire bead.



Upping the budget to $40 per tire brings a lot of options for folding tires from Panaracer, Schwalbe. Conti, Vittoria, and more. But thats double what you are looking to spend, so probably not a good solution.

There aren't many decent bicycle tires available for $20 each, and certainly not folders. You can sometimes buy Paselas with wire beads for less than $20 but the folders generally cost $35-40 each.

I commute on the Panaracer Passela tourguards, 700 x 35. Folding ones were about $45 ish.