Flat-Proof Road Tires for All Your City Jaunts 8
Yesterday I got my first flat on the 3 month old Surly bike. The pinch flat was my fault as purposefully hit two curbs in a row. C’est la vie. I’ve been riding around on stock Ritchey SpeedMax Cross tires mainly because I’m too cheap to shell out money for new tires. I also rather like that they spit out gravel when I hit a rough patch of road and given their knobbiness, the tires are pretty fast.
I figure I will cave in after a few flats and invest in city proof tires. NYC is full of glass, potholes and the like so I turned to my Twitter friends for recommendations.
In order of most recommendations we have the following city proof bicycle tires.
1. Schwalbe Marathon
feedmeshow “Tough, high-mileage tires, with a reflective strip for better nighttime visibility.”
BicycleFixation “tough, comfy enough, not too slow.”
Price per tire $25-32
2. Specialized Armadillo
marcmayer “I use armadillo tires. One set of tubes for the entire season. Worth 80 ish for a pair.”
misterarthur “Armadillos are bulletproof but are like riding on train wheels. (YMMD)”
Price per tire $45-60
3. Continental Gatorskins or Top Contacts
mlascarides “Riding Continental Top Contacts. Con: A bit squirrely when riding parallel to painted lines. Pro: Good feel, indestructible.”
Price per tire $28-45
Other mentions include Bontrager Hardcase, Hutch Fusion 2 and Vittoria Rubino or Randonneur Pro.
What do you recommend?
Why won’t Michelin develop the Tweel for bicycles?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweel
I recently had a set of Continental Grand Prix 4000s that were ironhided, but took a long time to break in and had a scary tendency to slip out of the wheel during hard turning.
BUT, my favorite tires for riding in the city have been Michelin Krylion Carbons. I’ve had a set for two summer seasons with maybe 3 flats… I was also considering the Hutchinsons, but the reviews I’ve read keep leading me to the Michelins.
I also would suggest investing in a set of wheels with stronger spokage with a better ability to stay true! I ride Mavic Aksiums, and my flat rate since upgrading from the stock wheels (Alex Rims) decreased to maybe 1 every 6-9 months.
anyone have experience with Kenda Konstrictors? They are kevlar reinforced. Just put them on my bike about a month ago and so far they seem great… wondering about other’s experiences.
Nice write up Anita. I’ve used the following 700 x 28s:
- Specialized Armadillo
- Bontrager Race Lite
- and currently Vittoria Randonneur.
Of all of these I’ve never had a flat. I’m ever mindful about checking my tire inflation which I think is the main source of luck I’ve had.
The ride I liked best were the Race Lites which felt like they had better grip, mostly likely due to the higher thread count, 60tpi, which is why my next tires will be Vittoria Randonneur Pros (w/reflective) which have 120tpi.
For in depth tire info there’s none other than Sheldon Brown’s site to spell it all out. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html
Continental tires are the best you can buy. Auto, bicycle, tractor, etc… I currrently have a set of Gatorskins on my road bike and they are hiolding up very well to lots of use. They are a pain to get on, but patience is a virtue.
I also have the Contact tires on my tourer. Not as nice as the Gatorskins, since the Contacts are not handmade, but great nonetheless.
No flats from either.
I’m such a slacker replier but thanks for the tips Dan! Interesting to see you aren’t sticking with the Specialized Armadillo’s. May I ask why? Seems to be the messenger tire of choice.
Hutchinson Fusion 2 lined tires work very well for me. I’m confident riding over broken glass on these tires.
Panaracer T-Serv for Messenger.
I’ve put about 500 miles on a pair of 700x25s (they make them in a variety of widths) with virtually no trouble, they ride quick enough and stay grippy in the wet. I think they’re like $30-40 each, but totally worth it.
BTW, the Vittoria Randonneurs are cushy, but heavy as hell. The pair is nearly 600g, more than twice the weight of the Panaracers.