http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Best Commuter tyre? en Sun, 28 Jun 2026 13:18:21 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192384 Thu, 02 Jul 2015 21:21:36 +0000 kaputnik 192384@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://road.cc/content/review/142614-clement-strada-llg-tyres">these</a>, in gumwall, are now on the bike.</p> <p>If they're any good, I'll go up to 28mm when it's replacement time as currently have 25s. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192359 Thu, 02 Jul 2015 14:02:19 +0000 panyagua 192359@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Gatorskins vs Marathon Plus - I've done a fair few miles on both (25 mm Gators, 32 mm M+). Chalk and cheese as far as I'm concerned. </p> <p>Gatorskins: fast-ish road tyre, fairly light especially in the folding version, good for long distances at a reasonable lick (I've done Audax events up to 600km on them), probably at least 1000 miles (for me) between p*******s and even then only pinch flats. Have ridden over broken glass without issue, and picked out the shards later.</p> <p>Marathon Plus: never* puncture, last forever, but are heavy, sluggish and not particularly grippy. I used them for the last couple of years on my commute, but having recently succumbed to N+1, the new bike has much lighter (but still wide) tyres and is a *lot* quicker and more fun to ride as a result. </p> <p>Basically, it's a choice between fit and forget or speed and snappiness, but personally I'd accept the (very) occasional flat in exchange for a more entertaining ride.</p> <p>*YMMV </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192353 Thu, 02 Jul 2015 13:02:26 +0000 acsimpson 192353@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've not noticed it being much of an issue. Is it not a factor of hard rubber and high pressure? ie everything which we are lead to believe reduces rolling resistance. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192348 Thu, 02 Jul 2015 12:19:11 +0000 earthowned 192348@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@wingpig - Perhaps tiddlywinking is a Conti tyre thing? It's happening a lot to me, but I'm currently rolling with some GP4000S on the summer wheelset. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192347 Thu, 02 Jul 2015 12:09:36 +0000 wingpig 192347@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Does anyone else find Gatorskins prone to Tiddlywinking stray stones out sideways at high speeds? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192346 Thu, 02 Jul 2015 11:53:26 +0000 acsimpson 192346@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Gatorskins for me too. I was running 23/25 but after the 23 wore out I've moved up to 25/28 and it's certainly more comfortable with no noticeable change in rolling resistance.</p> <p>I've had an occasional puncture (perhaps one every 500 miles or so). The last one was caused by a rouge packaging staple picked up somewhere in the New Forth Bridge works. Now that I've mentioned the word the next one will be tonight. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192309 Thu, 02 Jul 2015 09:08:01 +0000 steveo 192309@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Another big fan of the Gatorskins only puncture has come from a stray roofing nail which also chipped the frame. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192297 Thu, 02 Jul 2015 07:23:45 +0000 gembo 192297@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@snowy, there has been discussion on here and on Dave Mc's blog website about 25mm tyres somehow rolling more quickly than 23mm</p> <p>Now I like gators kins and I like marathon plus, how to decide? Fight? (Harry hill?) oh wait in my mind - gators kin winter training tyre, marathon plus longer lasting but slower commuting tyre? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192293 Thu, 02 Jul 2015 00:56:03 +0000 Snowy 192293@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm a fan of the Gatorskins. Commuted and sportived on a pair of 23mm's until I completely squared them off, with no p*******s in several thousand miles.</p> <p>I replaced them with a 28mm pair to see if they made any difference to rolling resistance, but I can't tell. They are certainly a lot more comfortable. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192241 Wed, 01 Jul 2015 12:42:23 +0000 Stickman 192241@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@kapuntik:</p> <p>One of my bikes came with those CST tyres. One outing convinced me that they weren't up to the job. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=3#post-192231 Wed, 01 Jul 2015 11:57:13 +0000 wingpig 192231@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>How come I have not yet said "Armadillo" on this thread?<br /> Armadillo, or Gatorskin for 25mm or thinner. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-192229 Wed, 01 Jul 2015 11:54:19 +0000 Roibeard 192229@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Kojaks on wet tarmac seem to be fine. Kojaks on wet grass are entertaining!</p> <p>Kojaks on wet "safety" surfaces such as employed by Edinburgh Council will result in small skids as the offended wheel slides into the groove.</p> <p>I don't think bicycles aquaplane due to their small contact surface - it can be cleared of water efficiently without tread, so the tread only matters on mud and surfaces trending to mud.</p> <p>Kojaks on mud or ice are a complete non-starter. Literally.</p> <p>Robert </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-192218 Wed, 01 Jul 2015 11:16:41 +0000 steveo 192218@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Well since its been bumped. How do folk find Kojaks in the rain? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-192200 Wed, 01 Jul 2015 10:28:13 +0000 kaputnik 192200@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Well the rear "Chen Shin Tube Super HP" blew out this morning going up Regent Road... Carcass was ripped and the tube got out through the hole. Here endeth the experiment with budget tyres.</p> <p>You should be able to expect more than 4 months non-winter commuting, ~15 miles a day, out of even a cheapy tyre. They haven't punctured yet but to suddenly fail? No thanks. They'll be going in the bin this evening and I'll get round to putting on the Clement Strava brown-walls that I ordered a while back and have been sitting in the box of bike bits ever since. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-181573 Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:48:43 +0000 Schemieradge 181573@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I really like my Continental Travel Contacts. Seem quite light, and pretty much slick except for the tread on the edge which will kick in if you start sinking into any mud. Seem like a good compromise - have had a couple of punctures each year (always hawthorns) but not enough that has made me start looking for alternatives.</p> <p>Always a relief getting them on after a month or two of Marathon Winters. Counting the days... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-181570 Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:05:28 +0000 mfcity 181570@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Recently put on 38mm Vittoria Voyager Hypers, despite stilted name, and so far they feel and seem good quality, shrugging off a big piece of glass that I noticed, and good price for two sizes on Planet X at the moment. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-181250 Thu, 19 Feb 2015 00:59:19 +0000 kaputnik 181250@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Found a horrible "Chen Shin Tube Super HP" tyre that I think was £9 out of Bicycleworks as a spare tyre until the new ones arrive. Interestingly it's a 700x28, and I was convinced I could only fit 25s under the mudguards on this bike, but it went home comfortably. If I can do the same on the front I just found 3mm of extra comfort. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-181247 Wed, 18 Feb 2015 23:10:55 +0000 wee folding bike 181247@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Still using Marathon Plus. </p> <p>I've got Schwalbe Winters on one Brompton but they'll be coming off in a few weeks and the Kojaks will be back on that one.</p> <p>The Pashley has Marathon Plus tyres and I don't bother carrying kit to take the wheels off it but I do carry a pump… which I've never needed to use. </p> <p>There are a couple of other reasons for not carrying kit.<br /> That bike doesn't go far, Airdrie - Glasgow is the most it does. The route on the A89 follows the North Clyde line fairly closely so if I did get a flat I could fling it on the train.<br /> Getting the back wheel off is a lengthy procedure because it has an enclosed chain and hub brake.</p> <p>Not carrying kit was part of the reason I missed seeing Bad Manners in October. I had cycled into town to see a bike movie in the GFT before the gig. The support band were good but played for quite a long time before announcing that Buster had broken down on the M6. I did a quick calculation and worked out that he was at least 90 mins away and there was no way I could make the last train if I stayed to see them. If I did have a technical issue I was going to be phoning the memsahib after midnight which would not have been well received.</p> <p>Buster will be back and I saw Madness in December. My bike spent a couple of days locked outside the Armadillo after that one because the key broke off. Annoyed at Madness for not having a Scottish date on the Grandslam event. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-181199 Wed, 18 Feb 2015 13:53:00 +0000 Cyclingmollie 181199@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I can answer my own question from four years ago. The better mud control tyres I bought were Specialized "The Captain" 26 x 2.0. I'm still using them though the long muddy stretch of path that required them has been tarmaced. They have never punctured (flips PF the bird). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-181198 Wed, 18 Feb 2015 13:50:25 +0000 Dave 181198@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>When we rode in Cuba this time last year I had a Marathon Supreme. Very nice tyre, good grip, low RR and plenty of volume. Not so vulnerable to unwanted intrusions. Alas, not an option to save anyone money! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-181192 Wed, 18 Feb 2015 13:14:20 +0000 gembo 181192@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Re-resurrecting?</p> <p>Good though as it is different from Schwalbe marathon plus </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-181189 Wed, 18 Feb 2015 13:03:47 +0000 kaputnik 181189@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Giving myself an award for resurrecting an ancient thread.</em></p> <p>And again... </p> <p>Given up on the Pasela TGs after wearing through a couple of pairs on commuting. They just don't seem to be up to the task since I had an inner tube blow-out on me this morning and suffered a rash of punctures throughout the winter.</p> <p>Given my vanity desiring still to have gumwall tyre I've taken a recommendation to go with Clement Sradas, which have a nice brown sidewall. Recommended by Lovelybicycle blog as a good compromise between retro appearance and puncture protection (reported to cope well on the potholed and thorn-strewn backroads of Norniron anyway). </p> <p>Realistically you can see the lighter sidewall for a few weeks before it is lost to the grime of our roads... I should just go back to Gatorskins. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-128347 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:17:27 +0000 kaputnik 128347@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Indeed they do Ross, it's the tyre producing bit of the Panasonic Keiretsu. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-128345 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 04:25:36 +0000 rosscbrown 128345@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Panaracer - don't they make televisions and VHS 'camcorders'? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-128339 Mon, 14 Oct 2013 23:26:34 +0000 kaputnik 128339@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Giving myself an award for resurrecting an ancient thread.</p> <p>I've used Gatorskins for years but may have now jinxed myself by jumping ship and brand loyalty to Panaracer Pasela Tourguards.</p> <p>The decision was led entirely by wanting a tyre with an amber sidewall to match the general olde-fangled Brooks Saddle / Steel frame / French mudguard look of my bike.</p> <p>If I regret this rash change of leaving behind what I know to be a good tyre for my commute, I shall report back and run scuttling for the safety of the German rubber gods as soon as I can. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-8673 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:57:53 +0000 Dave 8673@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Another funny thing is that at a given pressure, wider tyres have lower RR than narrow ones. Mainly this is cancelled out by the fact that you run your road tyres at 100psi and your MTB ones at 25psi, but in fact if you do choose wide slicks, you can inflate them quite hard (I've had my 35mm Kojaks at 100psi on the Raptobike) and it doesn't seem any slower than a race tyre, but a lot more comfortable.</p> <p>For my own interest I did a pair of 10 mile TTs, one with a 26x1.5" wheel and one with a (much lighter) 700x23c from my fixed wheel, there was basically nothing in it. What I had for breakfast could have separated the two runs (which I did a couple of weeks apart).</p> <p>The problem is more that once you figure you've settled on big slicks for your go-fast bikes, hardly any have clearance for anything more than 25c anyway! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-8668 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 23:16:47 +0000 wee folding bike 8668@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Well... I asked a guy from Holland called Simon Koorn about this a few years ago. He does research on cycling... and skating.</p> <p>Apparently as you increase the pressure you loose one of the advantages of a pneumatic tyre. They even out the small ripples in the road and mean you don't have to use energy raising your mass. If the tyre approaches being solid this doesn't happen anymore. </p> <p>I think Simon's method was to pump up a tyre so that it just deformed and no more when the rider was on the bike.</p> <p>I used to ride on tubs at 175 psi and sometimes a rough road would slow you down a lot. I don't know that this was all to do with rolling resistance or just being shaken about so much.</p> <p>The Marathon Plus really is tough. I'm fairly sure I rode from Airdrie to the other side of Coatbridge on one with no air in it before I noticed. I've got the firm suspension block on two of my Bromptons but not the one with the Marathon Plus tyre on the back. People who have tried it found the combination quite harsh.</p> <p>Jobst Brandt on the other hand says that pressure should have a better effect for the heavier tyre:</p> <p><a href="http://yarchive.net/bike/tire_pressure.html" rel="nofollow">http://yarchive.net/bike/tire_pressure.html</a></p> <p>I usually have the Marathons at 100 psi, Stelvios at 125. I haven't done any rigorous testing on this but I can feel when the pressure is getting too low.</p> <p>My CSYS physics project was on measuring the speed of sound. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-8662 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:09:37 +0000 chdot 8662@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Even more data...</p> <p><a href="http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2007/08/06-tire-rolling-resistance-test-results.html" rel="nofollow">http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2007/08/06-tire-rolling-resistance-test-results.html</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-8653 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:45:22 +0000 gembo 8653@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Folds - how does a higher pressure tyre manage to have a greater rolling resistance? Does that not change the laws of physics? I thought some of the numbers were very small diffs between each other. I did enjoy the whole sixth year studies physics project feel about the table and the imagined wheel on a stick device used, must have taken some time to change the tyres etc. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=892&page=2#post-8652 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:37:28 +0000 wee folding bike 8652@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>No because you still have to accelerate your mass, work against gravity sort out the angular momentum of your wheels and there are frictional losses in the transmission.</p> <p>However, you are correct, rolling resistance is most important al low speeds, above about 12 mph drag takes over. </p>