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Any recommendations for bomb proof tyres? I'm nervously going back to college as an (relatively) old fogey and need something completely reliable for commuting the longish distance between house/college/work and back again without getting covered in bike related grime/glass.
Using a pair of 25c Bonty Racelites and they're like rice paper. I'd really appreciate any help for something better!
Two schools of thought on this forum;
Lightish, cheapish, reliable, rarely puncture, easy to put on - Continental Gatorskins (23c - 28c sized)
Heavy, expensiveish, reliable, almost never puncture, pain in the a*** to put on - Schwalbe Marathon Plus (28c + sized)
Marathon Plus have my vote. Last week I rode over some hedge clippings. A piece of hawthorn got stuck in the tyre by a thorn. I rode along for a bit wondering what the flapping noise was, noticed the twig going round and round my wheel, stopped, pulled out the twig and thorn and carried on my way. No puncture.
I read somewhere that the difficulty of getting a Marathon Plus on decreases as the width of the tyre increases. I have 35mm tyres, and don't have a problem getting them on: I do it with my bare hands and no additional lubricants.
I also have a pet theory that disc brakes leave your rims smooth and covered in a thin film of mud (which acts as a lubricant) whereas rim brakes create circumferential scratches that catch the tyre.
In the latest CTC magazine Chris Juden was advocating talcum powder or washing up liquid for installing tyres.
I've posted this before:
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I've long used talc inside a new tyre as a form of dry lubricant to help avoid inner-tube pinching /catching. I think I read it somewhere.
I'm a complete girly wuss and I could get my Marathon Plus tyres on and off my wheel. They are quite wide though and also old and also this is in the summer when they're warm and softer. It helps if you can find and fix the puncture in situ without taking the tyres all the way off.
of course it's not just the tyres, the width (and profile) of your rim has much to do with it aslo
Marathon Plus tyres have done a sterling job on my 7-mile each way commute. Can't remember the last time I had a puncture, even on the notoriously glassy cycle paths of north Edinburgh. Couldn't recommend them highly enough.
Can take four levers to get marathon plus off, or maybe two special marathon plus levers that cost a tenner.
I have gators kin on road bike
But marathon plus on commuters as cannot afford a puncture in my daily schedule. One puncture ever one New Year's Day out by Linlithgow on canal towpath, hawthorn, had to change tyre with moderate hangover. Not so good.
Think I hold world record for Marathon Pluses in that I've utterly destroyed one (and not through over-use) and punctured the other one within 2 days
Was that the time you tried to cycle over the bed of nails?
side-wall / gravel argument on one, remarkably small bit of glass on the other
When my old marathon pluses need replaced I often marvel at the number of pieces of glass embedded in the rubber of the tyre, all largely worn smooth into little pebbles.
Maybe you had defective or replica marathon pluses?
Marathon Minuses
So the current consensus is the Marathon but only if I keep my bike away from kaputnik?
Can take four levers to get marathon plus off
Though as they hardly ever puncture, it is very rare that one needs to take them off. Mine have been on the hybrid for three years, never had to remove them. For winter/snow/ice tyres I just swap the wheels out for another set with the spikey tyres...
Armadilloes might still be OK in 25s but I switched to Gatorskins at 23 as the Armadilloes started separating.
IME, Marathon + are pretty much fit-and-forget, which makes for very pedictable (if almost infintessimally slower) journey times compared with thinner tyres. Recommended for urban commuting.
Marathon standard commuting tyre good. The marathon plus has 5mm more rubber on the tread
I've got Marathon Plus tyres and forgoing the odd pinch puncture, the only thing that's managed to get through them is a half inch mussell shell from down Crammond Foreshore.
I've not had overly difficult time getting them on or off and usually manage it with just one plastic tyre lever. The odd time I have had issue getting them on, I usually just start again from a different section of the rim and get them on just fine.
I second gembo's recommendation for the standard Marathon. Got them in 32mm on the daily workhorse and 2" for the trailer-draggin' MTB, both of which have braved Cramond a few times and gone through the glass recycling point at my local Sainsbury dozens/hundreds of times.
Given that they give every impression of being puncture proof, I don't see the need to swap them for anything heavier.
Hello,
as an alternative suggestion I've been using continental touring plus for several thousand miles - maybe I've been lucky but they've served me really well. Good in the rain and (I think) fairly low rolling resistance for a tyre with a deepish tread pattern. Some bad reviews though I see now, along with some glowing ones...
This thread could be sponsored by Schwalbe :)
To redress the balance slightly, could I make the case for Gatorskins? They are great for fast long-distance commuting, long training rides, etc. I've probably done 3,000 miles on my current pair with no punctures, except for a very slow one when a vicious thorn just managed to penetrate; I've ridden over broken glass countless times and just picked the bits out later at my leisure.
I like Gatorskins too(and saw plenty of them on LEL, which is about the best recommendation I cant think of) but if they don't go up to 32mm I'll stick with the Marathons when it comes time to replace them.
I have standard Marathons in 28mm on my audax bike (I've been advised several times to go with a lighter, racier tyre but I like the puncture resistance), also used them on folding bikes (20x1.75) for commuting. Good, solid tyres, never had a puncture and roll well.
On the hybrid and my Raleigh tourer I have Marathon Plus in 35mm and 32mm respectively. The Plus tyres are simply bombproof. I understand they have a very strong sidewall which means they are excellent for a heavily loaded bike. I must say though that standard Marathons work fine with heavy loads too, though if I was cycling for an extended period with luggage eg. cycle camping, fully loaded touring, the Plus tyres would provide peace of mind.
I do have a pair of Gatorskins too on my single speed, which will be transferred to my 'training' road bike soon. Seem pretty robust and lighter than a Marathon Plus. Slicker tyre than the Marathon.
Standard Marathon comes in 700 x 23c, though I've never used that size. Marathon and Marathon Plus both in 25c. So there's one to suit just about every bike. Understandably there are riders who find the tyres too heavy or don't like the way they handle. Personally I like them and don't really notice the weight. If I was riding a bike I could pick up with my little finger I might feel differently of course...
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