how about conti touring plus, or something like that. i was checking these out at my lbs today, and they looked nice. skinny, but with some tread, and they felt really thick. the only problem was, i didn't see any at 700 x 23c. the only ones the carried were 700 x 28c. sooo, i dunno.

That is the size that I use while touring (700-28).

You tour with 700-23's? Do you carry front panniers? Do you run maximum pressure? Isn't that hard on the hands?

well, maybe it was unwise, but i just had some wheels built up for my first touring bike i am building. i got 700 x 23c because i figure i'll use the bike within the city as well as touring. would 23c make that much of a difference? when i have toured in the past i have pumped up the tires to a regular pressure like every other day. i will have front panniers. i don't forsee it hurting my hands.

hmmm.......

keep the 23s for city, but definelty go fatter for loaded touring.

35s are very plush; you can find high pressure 32s if you still want a 110 PSI tire; a 28,32,35 for touring under 100 PSI really is best.

I have been through:

-- Conti T&Cs on an MTB converted for touring (a while ago, I must note because the model of tyre appears to have changed). Big, chunky, OK for occasional offroad, but generally a bear to push along all day with a load. They had a reputation for lasting a long time, especially those originally produced in Germany; the Asian-produced ones less so. The inverted tread apparently was good for snow riding at lower pressures.

-- Vittoria Randonneurs, which in 700x32 were standard fit on the Fuji Touring when new. They were an OK tyre for on the road, but a bit of a gamble on gravel. They were outstanding for longevity. I had few flats with them.

-- Conti Top Touring 2000s in 32C profile which were on the Fuji for ages (with several sets) for touring and commuting. I found them to be very good, and while I can't remember the distances I got out of them, they lasted well, handled well in most conditions and didn't hassle me too much with flats until the tread was almost worn away.

-- Conti Ultra Gator-Skins in 25C size which I converted to for randonnees and general touring. They were an OK tyre, with plenty of durability, good handling, good flat resistance. I never really ran them at the recommended pressure, either... lower to ease the vibration through to the butt and hands.

-- Vittoria Rubinos in 25c size. My favourite bike shops, for some reason, went away from Contis and to Schwalbe and Vittorias. Again, for randonneuring purposes, I went with the 25C. The Rubinos, with a "flat" cross section when deflated, certainly improved the handling (or should I say feel) of the Fuji over the Conti Gator-Skins. Their longevity also has been good. I went with them on the fixed-gear for randonnees and our European tour last year.

-- I have just returned the Fuji Touring to its dedicated duties as a touring bike, and fitted Velocity Dyad 36H rims and Schwalbe Marathon XR tyres in 32C size. At the recommended pressure, the tyres certainly give the bike a lively feel, but I did have trouble seating them on the rims initially. The first 15kim ride yesterday wasn't enough to give an accurate opinion of their longevity, of course, but we shall see.

I ended up going for the Schwalbes for convenience retail-wise. I did reconsider the Vittoria Randonneurs, but the shop had only one of the 32C size I wanted. One thing I did notice in researching the Contis, however, is the wide variation in the Threads-Per-Inch count on their tyres, and how the supposed long-distance trekking, touring and commuting tyres generally had a lower TPI than the others. Perhaps this has to do with the lower pressures the tyres run compared with their racing counterparts, but I also think the lower TPI means to a certain extent lower quality.

Contis also are renowned for overstating the size of their tyres, and certainly the Schwalbes fill a bigger space between the chainstays and forks than the Contis ever did in the same 32C sizing.

If you only have T&Cs as your touring tyre, then go for it. But I'd much rather a 26 x 1.5 or 1.75 slick. At the moment I am running Specialized Nimbus in 1.75 version on my commute bike over a mix of gravel and bitumen road, and they are doing well. My advice would be to opt for them if you are running 26" rims.

In a thin tyre I quite like Maxxis Re-fuse which is a training tyre, not a touring tyre - may well not last as long, but still pretty puncture resistant and rides nicely in a 23 or 25 (can't remember which). Never used it under load.

I definitely prefer 32s on my tourer, but then again it has a much stiffer frame and fork (and gets ridden for longer and with heavier gear) than the fixie on which I have the Maxxis tyres.

I currently have Vittoria Randonneurs in 28mm which as Rowan says seem to last forever, but the ride is a little too harsh on the tourer. They roll pretty fast.

A friend who has ridden both thinks that Gatorskins are a little faster than Maxxis re-fuse but otherwise similar in terms of punctures and feel.

I just notice the difference between my road bike (700-23) compared to my touring commuter (700-28 in summer, 700-35 in winter). Though Vancouver doesn't get much snow, the 700-35 application is for slick and frosty roads (with a reduced air pressure).

Another thing to consider is the differential in the volume of air. One has to be very dilligent with narrow tires because of less volume. The bigger tires will give you a bit of a cushion:D with respect to pressure fluctuations.

Also, the best preventative maintenance against flat tires, IMO, is having close to the maximum tire pressure. Small tires ~ higher pressures ~ traditionally more ridgid handling ~ more shock transmitted to the handlebars.

If you decide to keep to the 700-23's on, I would make sure that you have really good gloves that protect the ulnar nerve (ie: Specialized/Body Geometry or Pearl Izumi). Your hands and upper body will love you for it.

And his butt! I ran Gator-Skins at the recommended pressure on a Tasmanian randonnee and almost had to peel my butt off the seat after about 100km. It does depend, of course, on the smoothness of the roads. Chipseal that ranges from very fine to outrageously coarse means finding a happy compromise without having to be pumping up and letting out air at various points.

I am not so sure about lower pressures inducing greater numbers of punctures. For sure, at 30-40psi, when the tyre feels squishy to ride anyway, there might be much more opportunity for pinch-flatting. But I have had few problems with new tyres inflated to 80psi when the maker (Vittoria in particular) says 120psi is the threshhold.

Interestingly for me, the Schwalbes I now have are at 80psi (the recommended minimum) and definitely feel too harsh for my liking. I will likely run them at 60 to 70psi.

Just got some Conti Gatorskins in the 700-28 size. Not much (very, very little in fact) wider than my 25's, but quite a bit taller. They appear to be as big as I can comfortably fit on the bike. I tried some Conti Top Touring 2000's (Biketiresdirect.com still has them) but they just didn't fit and I wasn't over keen on that much tread. The Gatorskins roll fine at 100 lbs. (95lbs recommended/116 lbs. max), but I haven't ridden them loaded as of yet. Just trying to get as much "cush" as is reasonable without a lot of resistance and I've decided I don't want tread.

To put your comments about tire pressure into context, may I ask your weight.

85kg = 187lbs.

Thanks.

I am hotter than a 5 cent cigar to try Vectran.

Name COnfusion
 

The CONTI website now lists a Top Contact tire; anyone tried that model yet? My TT2000s need replacing this year, and I will probably buy either a Conti or Schwalbe touring tire, based on what I've read so far.

I am really digging these tires because not yet have I lost traction even on the slickest roads and tightest turns. And even with such good traction they ride just as smooth as my 27x1/4in tires on my road bike. They have preceeded my expectations and I will be purchasing another pair of these size 1.5 before I go on this trip. I have size 1.9 now but want to go with something a bit skinnier for the real ride (correct me if I am thinking wrong here unless it is personal opinion). If I do so I will put the wide tires on a monster fixie I plan to build from an old MTB frame.