KFC

I would very interested in recommendations, reviews and users experience with tires best suited for long distance touring.

Louis Le Tour

I'm planning to take off next May with my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires with extra thick tubes and puncture resistant bands inside the tires to stave off punctures.

B. Carfree

I guess it depends on things like what you consider long distance, how much you value reasonable rolling resistance, how flat-averse you are and what terrain you plan to ride on. Personally, I don't care for tires like Schwalbe Marathon Pluses because of the harsh ride, high rolling resistance and the fact that they can sometimes be slightly more of a pain to take off when they flat. And make no mistake, under the right conditions they do puncture. My local roads during the winter absolutely chew them up, so I stopped using them several years ago.

CliffordK

I agree, a lot depends on your goals.
I put a 25mm Marathon onto the rear of my bike for this winter.
And, got my first flat within the first 50 miles.
The next flat was on the front with a well used Origin8 Elimin8er.

The Schwalbe will be put into storage this spring, replaced with a Gator Hardshell, or perhaps grinding down the Elimin8ers a bit more.

Did you mention.
On roads?
Off Road/Gravel?
USA?
Loaded? Total Weight (person + cargo) Front/Rear?
Unloaded hotel hopping?

Some of my longest rides were on some pretty questionable quality sewups quite some time ago.

I'm now a big fan of puncture resistant tires, but the list is pretty long.

surfjimc

I really like Vittoria Voyager Hypers. I use 35's and they ride better than any touring tire I have tried. They are fast, supple, and handle well. The only drawback is that they don't last as long as some of the other brands. I like the way they ride so much I don't mind the trade off. I bought 4 last time I saw them at 1/2 price, which made them very affordable. The Continental tires I have ridden were also in the same ride and price range.

digibud

There is a trade off between ride quality and puncture resistance. Schwalbe Marathon Plus are mentioned more than any other tire because they arguably have the most puncture resistant tire on the market. They are indeed hard but with a loaded touring bike it isn't that big of a deal since you aren't doing 25mph on the flats. Armadillo tires might be next in line. Many consider them to be a worse ride than Marathon Plus but not quite as puncture resistant. Conti Hardshell are not quite as tough but have a much better feel. If you're looking for something for good touring but puncture resistance is not the end-all thing then Hardshell are worth trying. If I had to make one recommendation it would be Marathon Plus and you'll find them mentioned over and over. My wife was braced for a harsh ride due to my comments but when we put them on our Salsa Fargo with a loaded setup she was quite pleased, even more so than I.

walksomemore

I am doing the Florida Loop (Augustine to Lauderdale to Ft Myers and back to Augustine) in two weeks. I have Gatorskin 28c tires front and back on my Trek 520, and have been riding them for a few weeks while I dial in my bike. They seem very adequate for the job -- robust on rocks and bumps, not too hard, and good rolling. But I also have a B17 seat which is a pretty great ride.

This is a pavement ride but will go through several coastal cities and some smaller towns (and across the Everglades). So, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with these on a long ride and who can advise me as well!

irwin7638

I switched last year from Schwalbe Marathon Dureme to Schwalbe Big Ben and am much happier. The Big Ben has a nice tread for a lot of surfaces but offers much less rolling resistance on pavement. They come in three sizes, 38,50, 54. I'm using 50mm and they are much quicker than the 42mm Dureme.


Marc

staehpj1

I value the lively ride you get from flexible sidewalls and prefer to watch weight of all components and gear pretty closely. I don't obsess if I have to fix a flat once in a while. Given that, I find Continental Gatorskins to be a pretty good choice. I run lightweight tubes either a size smaller than recommended or at the small end of the recommended range. That makes tires easier to mount, yields a livelier ride, and saves a good bit of weight since we are talking about two tubes in the tires and two spares.

BTW: I tried Marathon Pluses briefly and hated the dead feeling ride and the extra weight. I disliked them enough that I took them off after just a few hundred miles. For folks who are really averse to getting a flat once in a while I guess they are the ticket, but they should realize that the Plus weighs more than twice what something like the Gatorskin does, have a very stiff sidewall, and are generally a very low performance tire. They are apparently very long wearing, but I consider that a long sentence to a dead feeling ride. I'd consider them for a short commute on very glass strew roads, otherwise no.

If in goat head thorn country I have found that the following steps minimize tire problems:

1. knowing what the goat head plants look like
2. avoiding green stuff growing in the cracks of the shoulder
3. staying on the pavement
4. checking for and removing any thorns before resuming any time I do go off of the pavement at all

walksomemore

Thanks! I've been riding the 520 2-3 times a week onclub rides, fully dressed but not loaded down, and have found that with the outstanding geometry and comfort, the 28c 'skins work just fine - I've been over rocks, Rte 17 rumble strips, and little pieces of auto glass as well as typical rough country pavement, and the 'skins have performed beautifully and plenty fast for the bike. So despite all the talk about Marathons, I think I'll hang onto the gatorskins. I may pick up a folding spare in 32c though.....


Of course, if I break down in the Everglades and get eaten by a T-Rex, I'm blaming you....

mev

I've had good experience with Marathon series and haven't minded the extra weight. Cycled across Russia, starting with a pair of Marathon Plus. Front tire went entire distance (~8000 miles from Amsterdam to Vladivostok), rear tire was replaced half way across with a Marathon XR I had with me. One flat in that distance, which happened just before I replaced the tire (had a slow leak, couldn't easily find it with road noise so replaced tube and tire since tire was also fairly worn).

Also cycled across Africa with Marathon Dureme/Marathon Plus combination. Had ~3 flats in that distance with a fair amount of thorns in parts of the route. Among other riders also on that TDA ride, there were some with up to 50 flats. Sometimes due to special situations with rims but also sometimes having not quite puncture resistant tires in some of the off-pavement sections. There were some other tires that seemed to do ok, but Marathon series definitely above average.

LuckySailor

I like my Schwalbe Marathons. I have them on the Tandem (26 X 35), my mountain bike which is set up for pavement riding usually (26 X 35), and my 520 (700 x x35). I cannot remember the last flat that I had! This past Christmas, I took the 520 to Florida with me, but was having a hard time getting the tires into the box, so I left them at home and picked up a pair of Bontager AW1's. They were fine but I don't have long term experience with them. The ride was nice, and they supposingly have some puncture resistance. The Marathons OTOH, are quite heavy- 1.5 pounds each!

On a touring bike, are you really trying to get super low rolling resistance, quick, agile, nimble, high performance? I prefer reliable, good ride, flat resistant personally.

KFC

You make the point well.....the right tire depends on the condition under which it will be used.
I am hoping to do a ride across the U.S. of about 3600 miles. I have not settled the route yet, but I would like to incorporate the Katy Trail, and others like it, so the perfect tire needs to be able to handle some off road conditions. I will riding my Trek 520 with 40 lbs of gear in four panniers. Total weight ( bike, rider , water and old man doing all the work) will be about 275 lbs. I plan to use motels about half the time and camp the rest. I really don't know what the weight distribution, but I would quess 25:75. Is that reasonable?

I have done a lot of week long ultra light tours and have had pretty good luck with 700x32 Panaracer T-Serv folding tires which I routinely inflate at 100 psi. I a considering going up to 35-40 mm due to the extra load I will be carrying.

I hear a lot of good things out there about Gatorskins, but I don' t know they make a folding Gatorskins in the width I am considering.

digibud

They are very popular tires for good reason. They are a great balance between a good ride and puncture protection. They aren't even close to Marathon Plus in terms of their protection or life. You WILL get punctures with them here and there but they will give you a much nicer roll. Many people use them unloaded for road riding on a daily basis. For touring they are on the light side and I'd only use them on decent roads where one would not expect too much horrible trash in the road. If that's the case they will be a nice rolling tire but punctures may still occur more frequently than with HardShell, Armadillo or Marathon Plus tires.

LeeG

Like others said there are too many parameters for "best" as one person could be touring the equivalent of a Porsche and another the equivalent of an off road dump truck. That's why there are so many different types.

I see no need for same tire front and rear if their loads are substantially different.

Rivendell's Jack Brown Blue is a nice tire

For 20" Bike Friday I had 2.0 Big Apple tires that rolled nicer than the 1.75 stock tires on pavement and loose gravel.

fietsbob

Used a 622-40 Nokian A 10 on my last tour , with thorn resistant inner tubes . 10 months, zero punctures. Noted: when I returned the wear was still near Zero.

Use a Schwalbe Marathon Plus on several other bikes, Now.

622-32, 559-47*, 406-47, 349-32.


What ever Tire you Choose , bring a 3rd one , so things like Casing blow outs are fixed by Just putting another tire on. a kevlar Bead Folding one is convenient ..

* I got the bike with Conti Travel Contacts, they were great, just people kept wanting to point out my Knobby tires were worn smooth
they were designed like that so as to have gravel road traction available on a smooth Rolling on the road Tire.
Continental designed it as their ride past the end of the Paved World Touring Tires..

CliffordK

I have ridden parts of the Katy Trail with my regular road bike and 23/25mm tires. It has pea gravel and fines, well packed (except after snow). Rolling resistance increases somewhat, but I wouldn't call it off-road. It is also mostly flat. A 10' climb over a dike is considered a mountain.
I assume other unpaved rails projects would be similar.

I have a 700x32 Panaracer on my cargo bike. It is a nice tire, and so far seems to be holding without problems. It certainly is much heavier than the 25mm Panaracers. I think the 32 has a reflective whitewall that the 25's also lack, but it seems like a nice feature. My 25mm Marathon also has the reflective whitewall.

My only Marathon is a 25, and it is heavy. Are the 32's and 35's heavier?

Personally I like the narrower tires, but with your total weight, maybe a 28, but the 32's sound like a good choice.

Anyway, a 32mm Panaracer would be a good choice.

Lou Skannon

I need something that I have confidence in; other wise I am just looking where the front tire is about to roll. Schwalbe Marathon Plus give me piece of mind and I have been using them for so long that I cannot remember what it is like with any other tire. They do occasionally get punctures and for me it is always the same thing: the tiny wire pieces from blown-out truck tires. Always on the same type of road: a busy state highway with a paved shoulder. I blame surly long-haul truckers; overloaded, going too fast on hot summer days with under-inflated tires.

Doug64

My wife and I rode across the U.S. on 28 mm Continental Gatorskins. A few years later we rode across British Columbia and part of Alberta on 32 mm Gatorskins. Both worked well; however, I think the 32 mm are a good compromise for weight and comfort.

We did use Schwalbe 32mm Marathons for a 3 month tour, and were happy with them. However, they are heavier. I tried the Schwalbe Marathon Racer 35 mm on a tour this summer, and was a lot happier with them than the 32 mm Marathon. I just had shoulder surgery, and wanted something with a little more cushion. Besides, I had a brand new pair in the shop that I took off a bike when I replaced them with Gatorskins! The 35 mm Racer is right between the 32 mm Marathon and 32 mm Gatorskin in weight . All our tours have been fully loaded.

Changing a tube is not a big thing; and I'll trade the weight and better ride for an occasional flat tire.

My wife is getting ready to tackle the 5 mile downhill as part of a long constriction zone. This is very course gravel, and she is running 28 mm Gatorskins.


You don't need wide tires for unsurfaced areas. A portion of this tour included over 400 miles on unsurfaced roads and trails, ridden on 32 mm tires.



Bottom line of all this BS is the 28 mm Gatorskins will work just fine. Enjoy the ride.

KFC

I did a Florida ride this past October. We (a group of five) rode from Sebring to Fort Meyers Beach where we took the ferry to Key West. We then rode north through the Keys to Key Largo where we turned west and rode across the Everglades to San Marcos Island. We then turned north and rode back to Sebring. It was seven days and about 540 miles. All but about 20 miles were on pavement.

The Florida roades were brutal on our tires. We had 19 flats between us, virtually all caused by road debris-mostly small glass shards and very small section of wire that come from vehicle tires. Three of the flats happened on dirt roads. The rode across the Everglades was especially hard on our tires.

I strongly suggest you carry PLENTY spare tubes, CO2 cartridges and extra patches. We each carried two spare tubes and three cartridges but we still had to buy tubes and cartridges along the way.

Enjoy Florida! We had a great time

veganbikes

I am looking at a new 700c touring bike and I would without question or second thought go with Continental Gatorskins (or Gator Hardshells) I use them on my commuting bike and they are great. The one time I got a flat was about 200 feet from my house due to a pinch flat because I had an early morning appointment and didn't have the time or energy to pump my tires and thought it would be fine and then boom I am almost home and I hit Lé hole du pot. I have a lot of miles on those tires and aside from a little dirt they look fairly new and roll great even though they have been through some pretty rough and nasty streets. I would probably go with 28s or 32s rather than the 23s I normally run for commuting.

I have Conti's on all of my bikes and the only reason I might go with something else is if I was doing tubular tires and had the cash money to go with a A. Dugast handmade tire. The tires on my current touring bike are just fine Comfort Contacts and my vintage machine has Grand Prix Classics. However I haven't heard a lot of bad stuff about Schwalbe and they are also German so you probably won't go wrong with either but I like my Conti's just a wee bit more.

That all being said depending on your rims certain tires might be wider or narrower than advertised (or sometimes because of some number fudging by tire companies). Also don't waste time with disposables go with a nice pump and build up a little arm strength. CO2 is fine for racing when speed is important and you don't need air in your tires for much longer but for the long haul a pump and normal air works better and escapes less quickly. You can carry some CO2 as a super emergency thing but I would still rather have the pump.

nun

I ride with a light load and not much tire clearance so I use 25mm Continental Gatorskins

Slowhead

+1 on the Vittoria Voyager Hypers they are quick and plush. One good season riding and no flats. For a while on Amazon these tires were well discounted.

3speed

I, too, love my Vittoria Hypers. Of course it's all about what you want out of the tire, but if you're going for a nice riding tire vs. an ultra puncture resistant - practically feels like riding solid rubber tires( ), Hypers are awesome. I recently completed an 1,100mi tour on them and would highly recommend them. They probably aren't the best for areas known for flat issues, but I only got 2 flats going down the west coast. I've done plenty of local miles on them, including rails-to-trails, with no problems at all. The only other "touring" tires I've ridden were gatorskins. They weren't right for me due to the dead feel of the tires. They'd probably be fine depending on your application and desires, but I wouldn't recommend them or anything stiffer/deader feeling if you want a nice, fun, confident feeling from your bike.

Louis Le Tour

Uhhhhhhhhhhh..........................maybe I'll have to consider a route change!