So this topic must have been done to death - wish there was a FAQ. Can someone give me a quick summary of the answer?

I generally do 3-4 tours, on the Boroughs CX tyres that came with my Tricross. I like them ok, but the rest of the group is getting sick of waiting for me to fix punctures. (Strangely I never get them commuting) So, time for something tougher.

Obvious candidates:
- Marathon Plus (heavy)
- Marathon XR (expensive, plus most of my touring is on sealed road - though I want to change that)
- ?

I probably need "fairly good" puncture resistance rather than extreme, and I'd prefer lighter weight over durable (I've never done a tour longer than 400km). Prefer tyres that are easy to change - Marathon Plus have a bit of a reputation...

Thoughts?

I hear good things about regular Marathons. Cheaper and lighter but still nicely puncture resistant.

I've had good results from Vittoria Randonneur - been reading other good reviews as well.

Better puncture resistance means more weight. Study Schwalbe's offerings. One of them will come close to your needs:

https://schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires

There is no "answer". Every different tire out there has someone who loves it and someone who hates it. Based on your requirements, I suggest you pony up for the Marathon XRs or the Marathon Supremes. Better yet, be more careful about the debris you roll over. If you do this well, you can probably use almost anything.

I switched recently from XR's(7K miles)to Continental Touring Plus, both rated 32 mm. The Continental is lighter, has a smaller cross section, and is about $20 less. It is also easier to mount and dismout. 1500 puncture free miles so far, with no significant thread wear.

I was very surprised at how smaller in cross section it looks than the XR. Figured since they were both rated the same size they'd look the same. Not so.

john nelson hit the nail on the head with his post perfectly wright john. but having said that i really do prefair conti city contacts over the marathon plus simply because on wet roads they grip better ,dont weigh as much ,not as expensive comes with tubes basically a very good tyre.but i reckon if you can find a good pair of slicks (im still looking) jury still out on marathon supreams.

Continental Contacts (not the Tour) have good puncture resistance and are "fast", been using them for years on commuter and touring bike on goodish roads... One year puncture guarantee

why not the Armadillo version of the Boroughs tire? I had a regular folding 700x32 folding Boroughs that got flats at a normal rate then got the Armadillo version and haven't had a flat since. Pasela TG is another nice choice. Marathon Supreme is a fine touring tire.

Here we go....as usual the marathon plus gets it for being too heavy...I have just finished a tour with them through, holland, germany and all over denmark...they are still not wore out and as usual had no punctures....so what if they are a bit heavy....are we men or mice to fear a few extra grams...this kiddy aint

Oh yes to add to that I have no problems changing them....must be specially skilled perhaps

Since I switched to Schwalbe Marathon Supremes - I think my tube of "cement" has dried up. That was last Fall!

Like you, I used to fix flats every 2.5 days on those darned Burroughs ------ Never Again!

I love my Supremes!

ah soltour at the risk of getting shot i have to disagree with you.ok there pretty good a puncture proof but so are most touring tyres .the first time i rode my conti's i got a puncture just bad luck and pilot error, dident see the tree across the road,and the conti's are not the easy'ist tyre to mount but give me them any day over the marathon plus which as i said before are to heavy and the main reason i have them hanging on a nail in my shed, is useless on wet tarmac i just don't like the feel of them on wet roads. i was thinking of switching to the supreams but i think they might be just to wide for me ,but i do think they have a lot going for them pity they don't make them in smaller width's 1.5

hihi this just made me chuckle

Continental Gatorskins meet your criteria. They are very puncture resistance, light, fast, and easy to change.

imi you have to laugh every now and then.

Yeah I like them too. I had Marathon Pluses on for a short while, hated them and switched to the Gatorskins. The difference in ride and performance is night and day. I found them to be quite puncture resistant and durable. To be fair my Gatorskins are narrower than the Pluses I was running and that is part of the difference.

The bad rap the Marathon Pluses get for weight is well deserved. They literally weigh twice as much as many other touring tires in the same size and the ride is sluggish as well. I'd rather fix a flat once in a while than ride on a dead feeling tire that weighs 800 grams (1.76 pounds) each. Different strokes though. If you want to avoid flats at the cost of double the weight and a dead feeling ride the Marathon Plus may be just what you want.

Thanks guys - some good options there. What I get will probably also be influenced by where I can get it from - wiggle.co.uk is so much cheaper than a LBS, even when shipping to Australia. The Vittoria looked good but lots of complaints about difficulty of fitting. Conti City Contacts maybe. Wiggle doesn't stock the Touring Plus's.

One thing I find is that it's hard to compare weights - some brands list three weights, but don't specify exactly which sizes they correspond to.

No recommendation on a particular tire, but you can usually get the weight off the manufacturer's website.

Can't say I've seen any complaints about fitting Vittoria myself, Schwalbe Marathon's on the other hand - lots.
I put my Vittoria's (700C) on without aid i.e. just pressing with fingers?

try chainreactions cycles first ,thats where i bought mine good prices.

There now...everyone is happy, I stick to my mps and everyone to their own gaterskins l

Marathon Supremes are light, and I mount them with my fingers..... Spin up fast, very durable, excellent traction, excellent cornering, etc, etc, etc...... and, I don't fix flats any longer.....

Ditto- I just purchased my second pair of these to tour on. I got about 1700 miles on them (this time I will rotate them so I can get another 400 miles out of them), I NEVER had a flat after knowingly running through glass and rocks, and they are only $30 each.

I like them a lot.

PS
I have the randonneur pluses

WANDERER,can you tell me are the supreams very wide looking on the rim (if you get my meaning)im on conti 599x1.5 did have marathon plus 1.75 .it's a pity the supreams dont come in smaller width's ,so you reckon there the width is fine.