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It's finally time to replace the original tyres on my Specialized Crossroads hybrid as the sidewall is stating to perish and crack. They're a 700x38 but I'm keen on something a little faster so would go slightly narrower. I mainly cycle on cycle paths, some unpaved and the poor Edinburgh roads and go out all year so grip, puncture resistance and comfort are also a priority.
What are your favourite tyres for this type of application?
Schwalbe Marathon Plus in summer. No punctures ever. Several widths available.
Schwalbe Marathon Winter/Schwalbe Winter in winter. No punctures until the studs start shredding the inner tube. No falling off on ice.
I expect others will follow with criticism of this recommendation because Marathon Plus are 'heavy' and 'slow' and 'hard to fit' and stuff. That's as may be, but you don't get punctures...
Narrower doesn't always mean faster, especially when it comes to less than stellar surfaces. It becomes a bit of a headache but basically, wider tyres roll slightly faster on smooth surfaces, much faster on rough surfaces, but they also weigh more (can feel sluggish) and create more air drag (though very insignificant at the speeds a hybrid can go). You also have to consider tread design, the rubber compound, tyre carcass construction, inflation pressure etc.
If you drop to say 32s, the bike will feel livelier and accelerate a bit better, but it won't roll any easier and you will feel the difference in comfort. That said 32 is already quite wide compared to anything you'd find on a road bike so don't stress too much about it.
I've had extremely good experiences with Continental tyres, even their cheaper puncture protected models grip well and last an age. It sounds like you might want something with a bit of tread to help you out on the unpaved paths, but not so much to be a complete drag on road. One option is to have a semi-slick with a bit of tread up front where you need the most grip, then a complete slick or minimal tread up back where there's more weight and less grip needed.
I'm more familiar with 26" tyres so I'll do my best to find some recommendations for 700c:
Continental comfort contact I've used tyres very similar to this (Conti CityRide) with great results on mixed surfaces, the center smooth tread rolls great and there's enough side tread to dig in a bit and help out on the loose/soft stuff. Puncture protection is excellent as well.
Continental Travel contact I've just picked up the 26" version of this, not used it yet, though it gets excellent reviews. Same idea with a smooth center tread and some more aggressive knobs at the side. Maybe this up front at the comfort contact at the back would make a nice combination (I'm considering it myself for mixed surface riding).
A very popular option is the range of Schwalbe Marathon tyres. I don't have any experience of them though I know plenty here do - I see as I've been typing this the discussion has already kicked off!
I have 35mm Specialized Armadilloes/Nimbi on the sparebike. No punctures over cobbles/gravel/NEPN-in-winter. No noticeable absence of grip. No noticeable slowdown over standard commutes compared to the roadier 23/25mm on normalbike.
The lightweight Panaracer Pasela TG comes in 25, 28, 32, 35 and 37-622. There's a wire bead version in 23 as well. I always found the Pasela plenty fast and the TourGuard lives up to its name 100%. The tread is a little less happy than the Marathon Plus in the wet.
Narrower doesn't always mean faster, especially when it comes to less than stellar surfaces.
The torpedo is running a 50mm Schwalbe Kojak at 50psi. Seems good enough to ride at 30mph on the level.
I'm a huge fan of Marathon Pluses but they're not infallible. I've had two punctures with them on - one was possibly due to the inner tube bursting in the heat last summer (ah, those were the days) while the other was a thorn that penetrated right through the tread and the puncture protection and was then a right pain to get out. Even Marathon Plus is no match for blackthorn. That said, that's 2 punctures in 3 years compared to 2 or 3 punctures every hedgecutting season. And they do seem to be impervious to broken glass (touch wood) which might be the greater hazard in Edinburgh
Went for the Marathon Plus in the end - the quality looks so much better than the Specialized Infinity that was on the bike. Looking forward to a test ride tomorrow. If anyone else wants some cheap, Evans will price match Winstanley Bikes who have them at about £23 a tyre
I am very pro SMP (unlike my view on SNP). What width did you go for in the end? Think mine are 30 on my normal commuting bike and 32 on my hack.
I have had a puncture from hawthorn and the glass can be squeezed out from time to time (becomes little pebbles)
They are slow and they are a faff to change but that guy inthe video loves changing them. He pops up in various threads on here and also several discussions about best levers.
Was going to also add in a word of support for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus, but looks like you've had enough persuasion already.
I had them on my bike for the 3 years I was in Glasgow, and never got a puncture despite riding over the copious amounts of broken glass that can be found around the city.
I have a SM on the front of my Dawes and received a puncture Weds after riding over some unseen glass. Might get SMP next time.
No tyre is invulnerable to punctures, even Marathon de plus. They're just less likely to do so.
For the record I've punctured one and blown up another. The former was in Berlin on a hire bike and the proprietor refused to believe such a thing was possible and that I must have been diddling him and we should pay for it. Ended up giving him his bikes back a day early and letting him keep the rest (which was cheaper than what he wanted to fix the puncture)
Actually went for the 38 and kept it the same as before. Was partly as that was in stock locally and partly after reading some of the Sheldon Brown articles on rolling resistance.
Discovered another problem when refitting the rear wheel though - the axle seems slightly bent and makes a crunchy sound on each wheel rotation. Think the pothole I hit on the way home the other night with heavy panniers might have got it. Need to pick up a cassette removed tomorrow and take a proper look.
Sorry, I'm not sure if you've worked on a hub before, so you might already know this or have read up on it, but you first need to identify if it's a freehub or freewheel and then get the appropriate tool. Freewheels are a notorious pain to remove, I actually mangled a decent adjustable wrench the other day due to putting too much torque through it trying to get one off. Freehubs are much easier though you also need a chain whip.
Once the cogs are off you'll need a cone spanner and an adjustable wrench to remove the axle and take a look at the bearings. I'm betting on a dented cone from the sounds of it, which is easily replaced if you can find a new compatible cone, though that can be a big if with some cheaper and unbranded hubs.
I've serviced front hubs but not rear ones before. This ones a Shimano freewheel on an I branded hub - it a Specialized Crossroads which whilst a decent enough bike has a few cut corners in places and the hubs are definitely one of them. I managed to remove one cone and clean and repack it but the problem seems to be on the other side and the cone can't be removed without taking the freewheel off the hub first
"without taking the freewheel off the hub first"
Keep both cones on axle, fix removal tool with wheelnut or q/r and use BIG spanner or (much better) a decent vice on a solid bench.
Might be worth going to Bike Station for one of its DIY sessions.
You can take the non-driveside cone and locknut off completely and pull the axle through the hub to reveal the driveside cone all without touching the freewheel. Problem with this is you'll likely get half the driveside bearings coming out as well which will spill everywhere and make a mess with the remaining grease. Also a right nightmare to try and repack/reassemble with the freewheel still in place.
As far as replacement cones go, I've been looking for some myself for a cheap hub, and the best I've found is this - pretty much all rear hubs use 9 1/4" bearings per side so they should in theory be compatible.
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