f86sabjf

HI Everyone

I'm going to have to replace my rear tire soon.I'm running continental grand prix 3000's. Its lasted about 1,000miles with my 207lb frame sittng on it .Any ideas as far as going to a wider touring tire or a longer lasting tire. $50 every few months will not make the wife happy.
I've heard that the specialized armadillo's are fairly indestructible.Any thought on these for a touring tire.

Thanks again
Jeff

catfish

Ive had good luck with continental top tour 2000 tires my touring bike weighs in at close to 30 lbs with the racks then i load it up with gear and myself these tires are arround 30 dollars each and normally i get arround 2500 to 3000 miles loaded touring befor i need to replace them normally the frount goes to the back and a new one on the frount they are a nice ride
catfish

chewa

Top tourings are good tyres. If you want something lighter maybe a Panaracer pasela

Richard D

Might be worth looking at Vredestein Spider's - I run them in 26" form but I'm sure they're available in 700c as well. - One tyres done 2600 miles without a puncture or real wear (much of that loaded, and with my weight being the top side of 200 lbs...). The other I replaced after almost 2000 because of a glass gash in the tread, but it hadn't punctured or worn.

Richard

f86sabjf

Has anybody used the conti ultra 2000 or the ultra gatorskin .I will also have to use these for my reguiar riding. i was thinking of going to 25mm and trying them.
thanks for the info on the top tourer 2000's . I'll check them out.

thanks again
jeff

1oldRoadie

what pressure are you running the tires at?

I'm bigger than you and get 3000-4000 miles out of my Gran prix's

But I run them hard 120- 150 psi.

blwyn

I've had one Armadillo that has held up well for over 1500 miles. I had another Armadillo on the tandem but after I pumped it up to 110 psi it would never stay on the rim (less than 500 miles). I have a Gatorskin that is also at the 1500 mile mark and seems to have plenty more left in it. Gatorskins are not as puncture proof as they advertise though.

Buddha Knuckle

I remember hearing about a bad run of Specialized armadillos. The center of the tread would detach from the tire after only months of use. New armadillos should work fine, though, as this problem became common knowledge back in '99.

I used Paselas on a 1000 mile loaded tour and my friend used red&black hutchinsons. The Hutchinsons self destructed after maybe 500 miles - the rubber compound was too soft and the sidewall simply disintegrated. The paselas worked well for the full 1000mi (not bad for a $15 tire). Had I rotated the front and rear tires, I might have really stretched their lifespan. As it turned out, a poorly adjusted brake pad ended the experiment prematurely. My girlfriend runs paselas on her commuter, and once again - great wear characteristics.

Loaded touring is murder on any rear tire. It's not just the tread that takes a beating, but also the sidewall.

Any thoughts on Kevlar bead tires? Do they withstand the rigors of loaded touring as well as a comparable wire beaded tire?

Peace
BK

f86sabjf

Hi 1oldroadie

I run my tires around 120psi.I have around a 1,ooo miles on them and the front looks new but the rear is almost free of tread in the center my flat spot is about 1/4 inch wide and in the process of measuring I just found a nice slice going down to the thread.So i need to figure something out by this weeknd.

Thanks to everyone
Jeff

Rich Clark

I weigh about the same. I got about 4000 miles from my rear 700x32c Conti TopTouring 2000 before I changed it. It wasn't really worn down but I was disturbed by the way the rubber seemed to be starting to dry out and crack. Besides, I had a set of Panaracer Pasela TG's sitting on a shelf that I wanted to try.

(The Paselas are much lighter and narrower than the same size TT2k's and seem faster, but it's too soon to say anything about durability.)

On my other bike a pair of Avocet CrossK tires, also 700x32c, is up to 4400 miles and look like they're good for thousands more. They're not as quiet and smooth as either of the touring tires, but they seem to be completely bombproof.

I also had good luck with the Specialized Nimbus EX, size 700x35c, on my old hybrid.

RichCC

p38karl

I had conti top touring on thru the winter and changed to Pasalas for the summer because I think they are a little faster. I had the foldables with the kevlar. I was pleased with the speed and handling but gave up on them for the flats. The center tread is ok but got a lot of thorns beside the tread and the sidewalls split where I hit some gravel. I went back to tires with a wider tread. (actually no tread but thick thouugh the whole width that is in contact with the road, Conti ultra 2000s). For winter or on loaded tour I go back to the Conti top touring 2000s. Hope this all makes sense. Karl

mrfix

I ride the continental ultra 2000 700-28C on my touring and road bike, I tried a lot of different tires before I started riding these 3 years ago. They are more efficient then the top touring but still carry a load well, more of a sport tire, they roll nice and I run them at 95 psi so the ride is good, they last around 4000 to 5000 miles a set, the top touring would be a better choice for loaded touring. I also use the panaracer pasela on my commuter, I'm not so impressed with those, they ride well and stick to the road well, they don't seem to flat easy but they wear really quick, I only get about 1000 miles out of them. I'm looking for a new commuter tire, the trouble I'm having is finding a good road worthy tire in a 26". If anyone has a suggestion, send it this way, thanks.

Buddha Knuckle

Hello MrFix,

I tried pasela 26"x1", but they are way to fragile for the Commuto-Cross that I'm into. I went back to my slick 26"x1.25" Cyclepro tires. At $15 each they are cheap and bombproof (same set for over 2 years riding ~5-10mi/day). Not only that, I rarely get a flat on the Cyclepros (I would flat the paselas multiple times in a week...that'll get your goat).

BK

Richard D

I ride Vredestein Spider semi-slicks (see above in thread), they're basically semi-slicks but slicker than most semi-slicks. The Vredestein S-Licks always get excellent reviews over here if you're looking for a puncture resistant fully slick.

bentrider

I use a set of foldable-slicks by Vredestein for my recumbent. They are 26" x 1.3" and I understand they use them on their racing bents in Holland. They can only be pumped up to 70lb but it suits me at 180lb and on a loaded touring bent, they however do not stop worth a crap on a wet road, but what do you expect from a slick.

Buddha Knuckle

I've actually read that slicks have better traction than any treaded tire in the rain. Slicks have the largest contact patch with the road for a given tire width.

Jobst Brandt explains this much better than I ever could and you can find his diatribes online if you Google search his name.

BK

Rich Clark

Indeed, grooves and knobs and such are useful only on surfaces that are softer than the rubber, such as mud. Rubber does vary in composition, of course, and the amount of carbon black in a tire will affect its wet traction, but for a given width and pressure a slick will be gripper on wet pavement than any other kind of tire.

Obviously a 2" 50/50 knobby at 45psi will still put more rubber in contact with the pavement than a 23mm slick at 120psi.

RichC

Bikinguy

Hi all,

I have to go along with the conti 2000 recomendations. I am riding conti 700X28 road tires. I used to ride the mich pro but got too tired of changing flats. With around 100 psi they ride great and I really ride as fast on the avg as with the lighter more expensive tires but sure like the added stability of the wider tire when riding through the rough or hitting gravel on the shoulder of the road.

Ride Safe...Dudley