What Tires Should I Get?
 

What tires would be get for commuting and and touring. I'm on pretty rough roads, and I bike about 200 miles a week. The roads I bike on will some times look like gravel, so I want some tires that hold well and resist flats. I want a 700x28 tire. I'm looking at the All Condition Armadillo, Conti Ultra GatorSkin and the Schwalbe Marathon Touring Tire.

What would you recommend? What are your guy's experiances?

I will be buying these later today.

Thank you,
-Jai

From personal experience, I really enjoy the Schwalbe tires. However, I have the Marathon Pluses and I've never gotten a single flat w/ them after riding with them for several thousand miles. I had them, the 700x28s, on my road bike and they worked like a charm. Also, if the roads seem to be like loose gravel, I'd definitely go for something w/ a bit more aggressive tread. And in that case, the Schwalbe's would be your best bet, as the other two have a more "passive" road-oriented tread.

I put on Schwalbe Marathons. I have between 2500-2800 miles on them without a flat, knock on wood. They work well on rough roads as well.

Tom

Depends on your needs....

The Marathon Plus is apparently the ultimate in puncture resistance, but is VERY heavy. I am running this tire on my touring bike and like them fine, but as I said they are very heavy.

The Ultra Gatorskin is much lighter, and probably a good bit faster. I am running these on my road bike and like them quite well. It is a tough, fairly fast tire.

Well, would the Gator Skins be good for touring?

Depends on where you are touring and how averse you are to fixing flats, but yes I would tour on them. Any tire is a compromise and they are on the performance side of that compromise with the Marathon Plus on the ruggedness side.

Well, how more prone to flats are they? (the gatorskins)

I've used 4 different types of tires on my road bike now. My rides are everything from commuting every day to double centuries. In my opinion the Gator Skins are where it's at. In about 1000 miles, the only flat that i've had was because a shard of metal punctured one of the tires which would have punctured a sheet of steel. The roads I ride are pretty rough and I'm very happy with them.

I think I will go with the Gators, I like that side of the comprimise more.

Thank you all for helping me.
-Jai

Continental Travel Contacts work well on gravel roads and paths. They have knobby sides and a smooth strip on the center for lower friction on tarmac. They are a bit heavy, though. Haven't tried the Schwalbe's.

anyone have any idea if the marathon supremes are worth it? I kind of think they'll be my next touring tire.

My new surly complete just came w/ 700x37 continental contacts, despite being spec'd on the web w/ slickosaurus's.

OK, says I, and pumped them up to the 85 max PSI listed on the sidewalls. 50 miles later (my second ride) I had a *catastrophic* blowout when starting up and crossing an intersection. Sounded either like a backfire, or a rifle shot, as the tube came up between the rim and the tire bead.

Online, it says 70 PSI max. :-(
Also, the tires are pretty loose on the rim. For my century on Saturday, I'm going to put on a 700x28 armadillo.

Not a tire problem, an installation problem. the tube was pinched between the tire and the rim.

I wish I could believe that. I didn't check that closely when I picked the bike up as I assumed the LBS was competent, and it's true that I could have missed something.

On the other hand, the online quote of a max of 70 psi is more in line w/ charts of Sheldon Brown, the tire *does* seem a bit loose on the rim, and I *am* a heavy guy.

On the third hand, Sheldon's pages also state that blowout limits are usually a factor of two low, so I would think that putting 85 in a tire rated at 70 should be ok.

It's hard to go wrong with the Gatorskins, but the Panaracer Pasela Tourguard (or the Tourguard T-serv) is also a good tire. I use both... Gatorskins on my tandem, tourguards on my LHT. The Gatorskins seem slightly more flat resistant, while the tourguards have a nicer ride and better wet traction. Plus, they are cheaper.

Yes. This commonly occurs due to improper installation. Not a tire problem though.

Just checked...My Conti Travel Contacts are rated to 80 psi.

I have about 800 miles on my Marathon XR's and about 400 of that was on gravel rail trails. I haven't had a flat. Mine are 700x35 and they are skinny enough for pavement and wide enough for dirt and mud. I am very satisfied with them.

http://schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/...hon_xr_details

I put 3,500 miles on an all condition armadillo before it wore out. No flats and fully loaded. I only rode on paved surfaces though.

So I actually went the safe route and and bought the Armadillos. I figure they are the most "hardcore", and will last the longest. Thank you all for your help.

-Jai