What touring tire do you use?
 

I am saving for my Surly LHT and hope to get it soon. Are the stock tires on it any good for touring? I would like to get 35mm tires to replace them. What would be a good tire to get?

I use Marathon Supreme tires but I didn't pay retail for mine... dunno if I would spring for them otherwise. I've had good experiences with kenda's puncture resistant tires as well as gatorskins. I have no idea what is on the LHT now but I'd assume they'd be alright to use rather than just buying new tires. Ride out in the lane where the car tracks are you'll be less likely to flat. I seem to have good luck regardless of the tires on my bikes.

Continental Tour Ride. Most Conti road tires I don't like, but this tire is great, it last a long time and won't puncture...at least not yet! I only put 50psi in them loaded and they will absorb road shock like crazy. And best part about these, their cheap, I get them for $22 when I find a sale. Their not made for loose sand or mud but they will handle almost anything else.

Yep, the more lane riding you can do, the fewer flats. Those shredded tire wires will go through steel plate.

I've been pleased with Maxxis Overdrive. 38c. They seem to be good for about 4000 loaded touring miles. $30.

Schwable is the industry standard. They suggest the Marathon Plus as their most puncture resistant touring tire. May try those 3000 miles from now. Hope they're easier to get on/off than my XRs were.

I run the Schwalbe marothon slicks. Not super puncture resistant, but puncture resistant = rolling resistant, and I like to roll. If I was going some place with a lot of thorns or whatever, but for normal roads I get good results from the slicks.

:D You will love the Surly LHT! I got mine and yes, it comes with the Continental touring tires. I rode about 400 miles in them and had no flats since then. I did run over some close calls such as glass and shards even with a total of 260 pounds of pressure (my body + the bike + gear). It still went strong. I am also considering Schwalbe Marathon Supremes for my trip in North Africa.

Panaracer's Crosstowns 700 X 32 has rolled over broken glass, metal shards, and burning embers.

Has rolled unscathed through road hazards without a hitch.

PS.

I've got to get better rims though...

All the tires mentioned work fine which should tell you that it is hard to pick a poor one. I use 700x35 for a size and think its the right size tire for ride, speed and handling. I use Marathon Supreme and can not find fault with them. But another bike uses Vittoria Hyper's (could not find Supremes anywhere) and I'm finding a tire that seems to work identically to the Supremes.

The Marathon Supremes took me across WI this year on a mix of road, gravel, dirt and limestone path. In 90+ deg temps, torrential rain (one day) and the ever present humidity. I carried 46 lbs of "stuff" since I camped often. I'm a big guy too so the bike wasn't lightly loaded and the tires worked very very well. I couldn't have asked for a better tire. I do admit that I'd use any tire mentioned and would expect the same results.

my marathon supreams laster 300 miles before the sidewall split .
the best tire i found so far is panaracer ribmo .if i was pulling a trailer (im not) i would use a good set of slicks .

I would recommend Schwalbe Marathon based on my experience of thousands of miles touring using them but I dont think you can go far wrong with any off the big company's touring tyres.

stock tires are good for touring, I replaced them because I ride over a drawbridge every day and the angled tread made for a squiggly ride over the metal grate. Just ride them until the rear wears then replace it. Look around and you might find a Marathon XR in 35mm.

I put Schwalbes on my LHT when I bought it 4 years ago. I think they're Marathon Supremes, and they're 32's. I love them. They seem to ride smoother and more easily than my previous Specialized Armadillo 28's. I still haven't had a flat, and they look brand new. I'm very pleased.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I seriously doubt I will ever tour on anything else after having these for so long. Very, very few flats - even with three bikes and 17,000 miles!

Panaracer Ribmo is a great tire, but there's one small problem with that tire...it doesn't come in a 27. Next.

I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour (700x35). I've had 3 flats in about 8 months. I prob have around 3k miles on em and they still have plenty of tread. I've heard them described as "boat anchors," but I think they roll better than the stock Conti's. They are kinda pricy at 45-50 bucks each. I recently put them on my newly acquired Surly LHT, so I'll prob get a pair of Schwalbe Durano for my roady bike.

Previous posters are correct. If you ride on the shoulder (like I do) you are much more likely to get a flat. I would ride in the car lane, but most of the year there are a huge number of college students from up north (Chicago), and yeah, I don't wanna die.

Many to choose from.
I like Bontrager race lite hardcase 32C.
Good rolling surface and they take a lot of road crap with no flats.

I too, like the regular schwalbe marathon - provide a good balance of protection and tread life, plus are a reasonable value.
Standard conti contacts are a decent choice also, they seem easier to fine at LBs . At least in the US.

I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres too. I've also used Marathon Plus ATBs. Very few punctures (none with the ATB tyres). I had the 42mm versions I think (they were among the largest 700c ones available). They fit fine under mudguards on my LHT (56cm 700c).

Could you post some pics please? Im getting the same frame and I just wanted to see what's the clearance between the tyre and the seat tube. Thanks!

Hi,

here are two photos of the rear wheel / seat post, with the Marathon Plus tyres. I checked the tyre size and they are actually 700x38, not 42mm as I had previously stated. (I think the ATBs that I had were 42mm, and they actually fit similarly, there was just less clearance with the mudguards). 56cm long haul trucker.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=218557

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=218556

Cheers,
Aurel.

I have seen LHTs come with the Conti TourRide tires and with Conti Contact tires. My friend's LHT came with Conti Contact tires, which I like better than the TourRide tires. I have one bike in my stable with TourRide tires and one with Contact tires. If you plan to spend a fair amount of time on gravel, the TourRide tires feel a little more sure footed. Otherwise, I don't like how the tread handles in turns, especially when wet. The newer Conti Contact tires have a better suited tread for street riding.

My personal choice for a touring tire is the Vittoria Randonneur Pro. The ride and grip in corners are better in y usage than on both Conti tires mentioned above, and they have served me well as far as puncture resistance is concerned. I have pulled out many goathead thorns from the tread, and not one has punctured the tube. (I hope the bike doesn't hear me, as I'm sure to doom myself to a flat on my next commute.)

that's great, thanks a bunch! I can see that you're using v-brakes without travel agents. Are you using drop bar levers adapted for them or did you somehow manage to fit regular levers onto the drop bar?

We've only used Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700x35C, very few flats (+/-18000kms touring) around Europe.

Schwalbe Marathons on my Surly LHT (26" wheels).

I just switched back to a drop bar after having the butterfly bars for a few years. (I think I'll go back to butterflys, they feel more stable and comfortable for me on this bike). The levers I'm using with the drop bars are Tektro RL520s, which are 'road-bar' levers designed for direct-pull brakes (e.g. the Shimano XTs, as shown in my pic'). I actually also have the RL720 in-line levers mounted, and although they say that they're for canti' brakes, they stop me just fine with the direct-pull brakes (perhaps a little soft-feeling).

With the butterfly bars I was using normal XT levers and Paul's Thumbies. I liked that setup.