Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I bought a set of michelins ( lithion 2 ) at Ribble for $18 each.
In 2 months mainly dry weather ( 900k approx ) I have had 3 rear punctures. Last one in rain on Thurs.
I am so p**ssed off. These are the worst set of tyres I have ever had. The rubber cuts like nothing.
Have gone back to conti gatorskins for winter.

Had to get that out. Feel better now

my std detonators popped after 300km with glass and 2 prior near pops...
It funny you spend $$$ on a bike an bang your bike is reduced to !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !!...
Marathon plus should come std

martinjs wrote:My Marathon Plus tire on the front is still going strong, I've passed 17,000k's on it. No puntures with at least 5 of those pesky cats heads pulled out and nicks showing and it still has tread.

Martin

Hi I haven't posted in a while. As I ran a different wheel in winter (same brand tire but it was new) it too k a while to make the next target. My front Marathon passed 20,000k's and still going strong! Not to mention in that distance only 1 puncture. It still has tread as well!
I usually get 15 to 16 thousands out of the rear tire.

Posted from my Windows 8 Slate.

martinjs wrote:

martinjs wrote:My Marathon Plus tire on the front is still going strong, I've passed 17,000k's on it. No puntures with at least 5 of those pesky cats heads pulled out and nicks showing and it still has tread.

Martin

Hi I haven't posted in a while. As I ran a different wheel in winter (same brand tire but it was new) it too k a while to make the next target. My front Marathon passed 20,000k's and still going strong! Not to mention in that distance only 1 puncture. It still has tread as well!
I usually get 15 to 16 thousands out of the rear tire.

Posted from my Windows 8 Slate.

At what point do you consider the tyre "done"? My MPs are just over the 12,000km mark. The rear tyre is now showing a solid line of blue and has squared off. The front tyre has a couple of tiny specks of blue visible.
I have had zero punctures on the front and two unlucky ones on the rear (building tack and large piece of broken glass). if I let the rear run down to the canvas I am sure it will last another 5,000km, but I usually replace before it gets to the state it is in now. I have just been too busy.

Here's my current front Marathon at 21,500 odd k's

I do tend to push my tire's, the last rear tire I took off at 15,000k's because it was starting to square off and the center tread had well and truly gone, but it wasn't yet down the the belt. It was still a lot thicker in the center than a lot of new racing tires.

Martin

martinjs wrote:

Here's my current front Marathon at 21,500 odd k's

I do tend to push my tire's, the last rear tire I took off at 15,000k's because it was starting to square off and the center tread had well and truly gone, but it wasn't yet down the the belt. It was still a lot thicker in the center than a lot of new racing tires.

Martin

That is extremely good wear and tear. My front tyre is approaching the "smooth" phase with the tread from half of your distance. Mine are currently the 700x28 version, which look about the same as yours. I ride only on road or bike path (i.e. sealed surfaces) and I have consistently got about the same wear from the MPs every time (even from the 700x32 version), regardless of which bike I have been using.
The only other variables I can think of are the tyre pressure (I keep mine at 100psi for 28s and 95psi for the 32s), and for my rear tyre the fact I use a rack & panniers obviously increases the weight over the rear wheel. Also the weight of the rider (I am now hovering around 78kg).

That is extremely good wear and tear. My front tyre is approaching the "smooth" phase with the tread from half of your distance. Mine are currently the 700x28 version, which look about the same as yours. I ride only on road or bike path (i.e. sealed surfaces) and I have consistently got about the same wear from the MPs every time (even from the 700x32 version), regardless of which bike I have been using.
The only other variables I can think of are the tyre pressure (I keep mine at 100psi for 28s and 95psi for the 32s), and for my rear tyre the fact I use a rack & panniers obviously increases the weight over the rear wheel. Also the weight of the rider (I am now hovering around 78kg).

Who knows maybe I'm just lucky, good tire. I currently weight in at about 105kilos (slipped a bit there) ride mainly on rough tar roads and a small amount of dirt, tire pressure around 100psi both front and back and Ride with rear panniers.


Older picture but my setup hasn't changed except the tires.

Rears up to 11,550 and still has tread on and still looks good.
Maybe it's speed, I only average around the 25 to 26kph mark.

Martin

I weigh about 100Kg and have a basket and bag on the back. Similar speeds around 23-28KM/h. If I pump the tyres to 100psi I tend to break spokes so I pump the back to 85psi and the front to 90psi.

While the Marathon Plus on the back lasted about 7,000KM, which is very impressive, it certainly did not last over 10,000KM for me.

I now run Marathon Supreme and they look to be wearing quicker but I still think they will last well. After 2,000KM the rear still has plenty of tread and has not squared off. The front still looks pretty new. Certainly much better than the Randoneurs which lasted only 3,000KM on the back when I bought one of those.

Wish I knew how you got 11,000KM from your rear tyre.

DS

wow, very interesting reading all peoples imput

I'm 117 kg, and i have my tyres around the 120psi mark

I ride around 200 km's a week, 150 commuting and 70 on the a saturday morning ride,

Weather condition are bit of both (wet session in darwin at the moment so water is always around)
since wearing out my tyres that came on the trek, i've been using Schwalbe durano Plus and very happy with them as i havn't got one puncture with them, only issue is i'm getting down to the blue rubber around the 1500 - 1800km mark,
I also do about 20km's a week on a bitchamen velodrome doing training. Road conditions are a bit mix, use the road with can be rough and smooth and bike paths!

Love the tyres after look up there web site they say they are usable between 2000 - 5000 km's Id love to know how to get 2000 out of them

Weighing in at about 86kg I found the 23's that came on my Giant Defy 1 always felt a bit squishy on the back even at max pressure (120psi).
Recently put on some Continental 4 seasons (700c x 28) much more comfortable and more importantly I've lost that squishy feeling on the back end (running 90psi up front and 105 on the back).

After discovering how dangerous Kenda 700 x 23c slicks are in the wet, and countless punctures, I've switched to Vittoria Randonneurs, 700 x 25.

So far no punctures. Higher rolling resistance that is noticeable, but if I don't get punctures, I'll be happy with that.

This thread just got relevant to me. I have had my trusty Kenda Kwick Trax 700 x 32c since I bought my bike three years ago and haven't really thought about replacing them until I got my first ever commuting flat yesterday arvo. The Kenda's have been trusty but do not roll well.

I would like to replact them with something narrower that will hopefully roll a bit better. Requirements are general reliability over weight or rolling. Something in the 25c to 30c range would be fine for width.

Options are:
Continental Touring Plus Tyre in 28c http://www.this link is broken/Mode ... elID=30218
Continental TourRide City in 28c http://www.this link is broken.au/continental-to ... road-tyre/
Continental CityRide Reflex City in 32c http://www.this link is broken.au/continental-ci ... road-tyre/
Continental TourRide Reflex City in 28c http://www.this link is broken.au/continental-to ... road-tyre/
Continental Contact Reflex City in 28c http://www.this link is broken.au/continental-co ... road-tyre/
Continental Touring Plus Reflex City in 32c http://www.this link is broken.au/continental-to ... road-tyre/
Continental SuperSport Plus City in 28c http://www.this link is broken.au/continental-su ... road-tyre/


Just from looks, I like the Continental Contact Reflex City but I do not know anything about them, so...

Anyway, any thoughts? Recommendations?

How about the schwalbe marathon plus, people who like heavy durable tyres here seem to rave about them. My commuter is on the other end of the spectrum with Continental GP 4 seasons in 28c, some puncture protection but light, fast and excellent grip in wet and dry.

+1 to the above

I use 700x35 Schwalbe marathon plus on my bike.. awesome for all conditions including wet or sandy paths.

AndrewBurns wrote:How about the schwalbe marathon plus, people who like heavy durable tyres here seem to rave about them. My commuter is on the other end of the spectrum with Continental GP 4 seasons in 28c, some puncture protection but light, fast and excellent grip in wet and dry.

elStado wrote:+1 to the above

I use 700x35 Schwalbe marathon plus on my bike.. awesome for all conditions including wet or sandy paths.

Cheers. I will check them out.

As much as I love my fatter tyres on my other bikes I usually run narrower ones on the commuter.

My hobby involves buying and splitting bikes leaving me with unseemly quantity of tyres and tubes. I only keep the tyres that are in good nick and the tubes that still hold air and have no flats. Most of these fall into the 18-25mm width range.

This supply was getting bigger and bigger so i decided to stop buying tyres for the commuter and started running the retreads.

Anyway the surprising thing I have found is that although they are rough riding (being narrower than i prefer) these tyres seem to get less flats than my newer ones (not that I get many flats on them, touch wood). I am beginning to become a believer in the old theory of aging tyres before use.

Has any body else noticed that the older their tyres get the less flats? Assuming they have not been worn to the canvas.

singlespeedscott wrote: Has any body else noticed that the older their tyres get the less flats? Assuming they have not been worn to the canvas.

Can't say I have noticed that, but I refuse to entertain the thought that somehow they become more resistant to external punctures as they age and thin -- far too mystical thinking for my liking.

Might it be that any internal tyre imperfections that cause punctures or pinching are softening or wearing away?

My Schwalbe Marathon (700c x 28) rear is just starting to wear through the black and show a few specks of yellow underneath. That's at about 11000 km at a rough calc. The front still has plenty of life in it. One puncture in that time, from a metal staple (I won't count the blown out valve stem when pumping up as a failure).

Good tyre for daily slogging (I have a smooth clean commute route), though definitely not fast or light, and not the greatest handling or grippiest

Tossing up whether to buy some Marathon Supremes, or just steal the All Condition Armadillos off my wife's bike.

pacra wrote:I bought a set of michelins ( lithion 2 ) at Ribble for $18 each.
In 2 months mainly dry weather ( 900k approx ) I have had 3 rear punctures. Last one in rain on Thurs.
I am so p**ssed off. These are the worst set of tyres I have ever had. The rubber cuts like nothing.
Have gone back to conti gatorskins for winter.

Had to get that out. Feel better now

I also bought a set of Michelin Lithion 2 again for a really low price. On my first or second outing one was rendered useless with a slash from some glass. Perhaps not the worst tyres I've ever owned but darn close to it. I've always had a good run out of Gatorskins.

Bugger I just bought some for $16 each as my first 25c tyres on the commuter. I don't fancy fixing punctures at 6:30 in the morning when it's cold and dark.

I've been commuting for just over a year now and by far the best tyre I've had is the Continental Top Contact 42 on my Zaskar 29er.

Very hard to get in Oz so you'll probably need to source it oseas but easily ran them for 5000ks with one puncture In that time tread still looks fine although a bit squared off only downside is weight as they come in in just under 1 kg each in the 42mm.

Have now started using Schwalbe Kojaks which are much lighter but very early to see just how they'll fare.

Also use the Gatorskins 23s on my SS Kona and have been very reliable also no punctures in approx 2000kms much better than the Conti Ultra Sports that came standard.

Im very pendantic about tyre pressures so always check them before I ride makes a huge difference even if they're slightly down and always clean and inspect for cuts glass etc

MattyK wrote:Tossing up whether to buy some Marathon Supremes, or just steal the All Condition Armadillos off my wife's bike.

I am hoping my new Marathon Supremes arrive soon, wiggle had deal of buy two get one new new commuter bike free

eldavo wrote:

MattyK wrote:Tossing up whether to buy some Marathon Supremes, or just steal the All Condition Armadillos off my wife's bike.

I am hoping my new Marathon Supremes arrive soon, wiggle had deal of buy two get one new new commuter bike free

Good deal, nice but expensive for a set of tyres. Would be about my fantasy commuter if it had drop bars.

Drop bars get in the way of my Friday pastries bakery belly =D

PS: this is the one I lusted for but had to separate what is nice to look at and what is functionally good for my commute.
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cro ... -alfine-11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


PS: on topic notice the choice of commuter tyres
Continental Ultra Gatorskin 28c (wire)

casual_cyclist wrote:Continental Contact Reflex City in 28c http://www.this link is broken.au/continental-co ... road-tyre/

These are very much an underrated tyre, IMNSHO.

I put 2 of them on my commuter (in the 32mm size) back in July 2011 and although there was some difficulties mounting them for the first time [dishwashing soap helps!], I've found them to be great.

The front one is still on the bike, with the original tube still in it. It has done more than 15,000km without ever having had a puncture, outlasting 3 rears. At this stage it looks like it may outlast the 4th one.

The rear one lasted 5,800km. I had worn it out to the point that the treads fell apart, and even after almost having worn through the cotton, it still did not puncture. It should be noted that I am a big guy with a BMI of 27, so I am hard on rear tyres.

I should have bought more of these instead of the Vittoria Randonneur I replaced the rear one with. The sidewalls of the Vittoria are rubbish, and they develop 'blips' because the cotton is very thin and they tend to cut/tear well before the tread wears out. I've had two of them do this now, while the Conti on the front just keeps on truckin'... Oh, and don't let anyone tell you that the Vittoria Randonneurs are puncture proof because they aren't...