Best tyres for commuting?

[Dai]

Just to deviate from the usual, I've been running 26" x 1.5" Geax Roadsters. I love these tyres, still going strong after three years and not a single puncture. Corners beautifully, long lasting, but still plenty of grip in the wet. If you're looking for some slicks for your MTB, these are highly recommended.

[martinjs]

Just to deviate from the usual, I've been running 26" x 1.5" Geax Roadsters. I love these tyres, still going strong after three years and not a single puncture. Corners beautifully, long lasting, but still plenty of grip in the wet. If you're looking for some slicks for your MTB, these are highly recommended.

How many k's? That's the key for most of the riders who manage to knock a few.

Martin

[Crawf]

I'm giving a big thumbs down to Specialized All Condition Armadillo's, within the first week this is what the front and back looked like, very odd given I ride the same route and have never had such an issue from any other tyre I've had. There hitting the bin after only 3000km.




Will be trying some Durano's, I would prefer to go back to Randonneur's but Wiggle dont seem to have them in the sizes I want anymore.

[balap]

I am a newbie. My bike has a GP4000 on the rear and Hutchinson Equinox on the front.
Equinox tyre has a smooth surface.
Can anyone tell me if it is a slippery tyre? I don't know to find that out myself.
Should I replace it with a different tyre for winter?

[il padrone]

Equinox tyre has a smooth surface.
Can anyone tell me if it is a slippery tyre?

Your fears are a common cycling myth. It will only be a hazard if you plan on riding on mud or some types of loose gravel roads.

Bicycle tyres for on-road use have no need of any sort of tread features; in fact, the best road tyres are perfectly smooth, with no tread at all!

[balap]

Your fears are a common cycling myth. It will only be a hazard if you plan on riding on mud or some types of loose gravel roads.

Bicycle tyres for on-road use have no need of any sort of tread features; in fact, the best road tyres are perfectly smooth, with no tread at all!

Very interesting reading!
Thanks for that.

[Nobody]

Equinox tyre has a smooth surface.
Can anyone tell me if it is a slippery tyre?

Your fears are a common cycling myth. It will only be a hazard if you plan on riding on mud or some types of loose gravel roads.

Bicycle tyres for on-road use have no need of any sort of tread features; in fact, the best road tyres are perfectly smooth, with no tread at all!

The opposite opinion:

Tread

The best tread on dry asphalt is smooth. That's because the road bites into the tire, not the other way around, and the smoother the tread, the more contact the road makes, so the better your traction. On wet roads, we're not sure. Although smarter folks than we have said that bike tires don't hydroplane, it certainly seems to be the case that a slight tread helps a bit on a wet road. Nothing works on painted road lines.

http://www.rivbike.com/article/components/tires

You can never really compare the different types properly because the kind of tyres that come with some kind of tread are usually wider and designed to run at lower pressures. These lower pressure tyres give their own suspension which aids grip, all else being equal (which it usually isn't).

I'm not totally convinced in either direction and ride on tyres with and without tread. But if my life depended on getting through a corner as fast a possible in the wet, personally I would prefer to be on the fat squishy tyres, which usually come with some kind of tread (although as said, probably cosmetic only). That is why I have a wet bike with Schwalbe Big Apple (treaded) slicks in 2.35" (60mm). At 31/38psi not real fast, but comfortable and confidence inspiring on the road.

[wolfrider]

Just put some Maxxis Re-Fuse, 700 x 23c tyres on.
LBS claimed them over their other tyres, so I'll give them a shot and keep you posted on wear, tear and punctures...hopefully lack of.

[Mugglechops]

Clocked up the first 200kms on my Marathon Cross tyres today. So far very impressed with them. A comfy ride and faster than my previous tyres.

Still look new too

[martinjs]

Latest update on my 700 x 28C Schwalbe Marathon Plus both front and rear have just passed 7,001 km
Still no punctures, the front still looks as good as new and even the back still has tread pattern on it.
Remembering I'm no light weight and I'm usually riding with about 10kilo's of extra junk for work and cycling repair kit, not to mention the rough roads I ride on out here in the sticks. Best tires I've used to date.

Martin

Still going strong at 8,000k's as even the rear is showing tread still. Best tires for wear and puncture resistance I used to date.

Martin

[DavidS]

Latest update on my 700 x 28C Schwalbe Marathon Plus both front and rear have just passed 7,001 km
Still no punctures, the front still looks as good as new and even the back still has tread pattern on it.
Remembering I'm no light weight and I'm usually riding with about 10kilo's of extra junk for work and cycling repair kit, not to mention the rough roads I ride on out here in the sticks. Best tires I've used to date.

Martin

Still going strong at 8,000k's as even the rear is showing tread still. Best tires for wear and puncture resistance I used to date.

Martin

Well I've only had the Marathons on for about 400KMs but they are proving good. They barely look worn, the Randeneurs looked worse after the same distance. Here's hoping I can get close to your 8,000KMs.

DS

[fishwop]

I would recommend Marathon Plus tyres for wear and puncture resistance as well, for those who commute on dodgy road surfaces.

Previous tyres were Vittoria Zaffiros that come standard on the Defy 3. Had 5 flats in as many weeks on those. I commute on the M4 motorway where there is horrendous amounts of crud (aka bogan droppings).

In 1600km on the Schwalbe's no punctures and they still look like new but they are harder to fit and seem to have a bit more drag about them.

[scooter71]

preferably not flat..lol

[martinjs]

Latest update on my 700 x 28C Schwalbe Marathon Plus both front and rear have just passed 7,001 km
Still no punctures, the front still looks as good as new and even the back still has tread pattern on it.
Remembering I'm no light weight and I'm usually riding with about 10kilo's of extra junk for work and cycling repair kit, not to mention the rough roads I ride on out here in the sticks. Best tires I've used to date.

Martin

Still going strong at 8,000k's as even the rear is showing tread still. Best tires for wear and puncture resistance I used to date.

Martin

Latest update is my Schwalbe Marathon Plus both Front and Rear a passed 10,000k's. Front still looks really good and even the rear is still showing a small amount of tread. Best I've had by far.

Martin

[Mugglechops]

Thats a lot of Kms. I don't think my Marathon Cross tyres will last that long. Coming up to 2000kms now and the rear looks about half worn.

Maybe my 120kgs is not real good for tyre wear

[MattyK]

My Marathons have ~ 6000+ km on them, front looks normal, rear probably at half depth (would have to pull out the vernier to check)

[martinjs]

Thats a lot of Kms. I don't think my Marathon Cross tyres will last that long. Coming up to 2000kms now and the rear looks about half worn.

Maybe my 120kgs is not real good for tyre wear

I'm probably close to 100k at the moment, slipped a bit in the last 6 months. and the bike usually carries about up to 10 kilos of junk. Lunch, spare clothes and repair tools.

Martin

[Hamster]

I'm using Continental Travels on the MTB I use for commuting. After 5,600 kms they are worn but not worn-out and have plenty of wear left. In that time I've had one puncture . I'm pleased with them and would recommend them.

[Chef]

Hi,

I have been running 30mm marathon racers for a while now on my Pro-Cross; two punctures in about 7,000km (both punctures were in the sidewall and happened early on), and the rear probably has another 2,000 km left to go - if only I could get a chain that lasted as long!

As well as being fairly bomb proof they roll and corner well in most conditions; they certainly seem to keep beter traction in the wet than the marathon plus that I used to have.

http://www.this link is broken/Mode ... elID=24795

Cheers
Phil.

[lethoso]

I have been running 30mm marathon racers for a while now on my Pro-Cross; two punctures in about 7,000km (both punctures were in the sidewall and happened early on), and the rear probably has another 2,000 km left to go - if only I could get a chain that lasted as long!

As well as being fairly bomb proof they roll and corner well in most conditions; they certainly seem to keep beter traction in the wet than the marathon plus that I used to have.

How do they roll compared to other marathons? My set are a long way from worn out (with 5000km on them) but when the time comes I'd like to replace them with something that rolls a little better, without giving up much puncture resistance.

With you on the chains - I've got 2000k on my most recent chain and it's running a bit sketchy already

[Chef]

How do they roll compared to other marathons? My set are a long way from worn out (with 5000km on them) but when the time comes I'd like to replace them with something that rolls a little better, without giving up much puncture resistance.

With you on the chains - I've got 2000k on my most recent chain and it's running a bit sketchy already

I run Ultremo D tyres on my road bike - These are the best rolling tyres I have had. The marathon plus I used to have would be the worst in that regard. The racer is more like the plus than the the Ultremo, but still pretty good for a heavy duty tyre. The stand out for me is the the handling - I found the plus handled awfully - especially when leaning/cornering in the wet - the racer is much more confidence inspiring.

Cheers

[notwal]

Hutchinson intensive road tubeless with Stans notubes sealant.

+1
6600 km so far and more to go. Zero punctures that I'm aware of. Riding in all conditions but there hasn't been much rain lately.
700x25C. 330 g. Nice ride. Medium grip. Expensive

[teamdanby]

Hi

What some opinions on 26" tires for commuting / weekend cycling.
I have a a MTB that I only use on the road and bike paths around western Adelaide and both are fairly smooth.
Currently running Tioga City Slickers in 1.5". Not too bad of tire except I have had a few punches from small thorns / glass and the rear started to flatten out after 2000Ks, swapped with the front at the moment, still have plenty of life left in them both.They also have a max pressure of 60 PSI (I run them about 50)
Was think of changing to Continentals. Maybe the Sports Contact (1.3"), Ultra Gatorskins (1 1/8") or even GPs (1 1/8"). Leaning towards the Sports Contact due to the puncher protection.
But am a bit worried as these are all a near full slick and aren't the best in any sort of wet condition (not that I ride in the rain)
Other option was to change wheel sets to a 29er / 700c so I have a much larger selection of tires in 28, 32 widths. Then would go for something like a Vittoria Randoneur.
Wheel set I was looking at was something like http://www.this link is broken/Shimano-WH- ... e-WheelSet. Need to do a few measurements to check that they will fit my 26" frame / forks.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

i use the city slickers also and they may not be the best out there but they are holding up well enoght for me so far

have had a bit of drama with glass and one puncture but as i work as a rubbish tip i think that is going to happin no matter what
even in the ute i managed to have two wheels have punctures
i run mine at 60psi and they do roll very well and feel great
that said i will change for the next set if i find another good semi slick that has a high psi rateing and a better puncture protection
but next thing on my list is to get another set of wheels set up for the MTB but with road gearing as some of the gaps in the MTB gears are massive

[queequeg]

Latest update on my 700 x 28C Schwalbe Marathon Plus both front and rear have just passed 7,001 km
Still no punctures, the front still looks as good as new and even the back still has tread pattern on it.
Remembering I'm no light weight and I'm usually riding with about 10kilo's of extra junk for work and cycling repair kit, not to mention the rough roads I ride on out here in the sticks. Best tires I've used to date.

Martin

Still going strong at 8,000k's as even the rear is showing tread still. Best tires for wear and puncture resistance I used to date.

Martin

Latest update is my Schwalbe Marathon Plus both Front and Rear a passed 10,000k's. Front still looks really good and even the rear is still showing a small amount of tread. Best I've had by far.

Martin

Ho wmuch has your rear tyre squared off? My Marathon Plus 700x28c rear tyre was starting to show the blue protection layer through it, and was well and truly sqaured off. The front tyre was fine (and is now my back tyre). I finally replaced it once the whole tyre was showing blue. I definitely got my $34 worth out of that tyre!

[martinjs]

Latest update is my Schwalbe Marathon Plus both Front and Rear a passed 10,000k's. Front still looks really good and even the rear is still showing a small amount of tread. Best I've had by far.

Martin

The Marathon Plus tires are still going, passed 12,000k's on both front and rear. Thinking of replacing the back one's in the next month or so but the front may even get me through to 20,000k's.
Good tires and no punctures yet!

Martin