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?
