ben4345

I know, I know... yet another tire thread.

So, I made the mistake of traveling HWY 101 bike route this last weekend. Got a good sized slash from the center of the tire down the side wall, probably 2-3 mm wide and 20-30mm long and deep enough to see the tire threads. I am not sure what it was I ran over, it didn't make it through (didn't puncture), but I am assuming it may need to be replaced sooner than later. I not going to bother posting photos, it is already patched with shoe goo to make sure it lasts until I can replace it.
The current tire is the Maxxis re-fuse, I am very happy with it, but would love to try another tire. (I like trying different stuff and eventually settle on one). My budget is $45 max, my priorities are: Puncture resistance, wet weather traction, somewhat fast feeling, and I am most comfortable with either 24,25,26 widths. Since I have a 15% discount offer from universalcycles, I want to purchase from there. (they are also local to me)

Some tires I have already tried so do not bother recommending them.
Conti. 4-seasons
conti. gaterskin
Vit diamente pro
vit. rubino
maxxis hyper???
Kenda kontender

ben4345

anyone?

Panaracer t-serv?
Vittoria Randonneur?
Shwalbe marathon?

ratell

I've used Panaracer Pasela TG's, Schwalbe Marathons, and currently Vittoria Hypers. I've been pretty happy with all of them. Given you've never tried schwalbe's it seems like a good option, but they maybe more than your price range. Why not the Pasela TG's?

ben4345

Shwalbes marathons are in my price range just not the marathon plus.

I will consider the Pasela TG's.

rekmeyata

I actually liked the Kenda Konstrictor tires, I guess you didn't. Mine have lasted over 4,000 miles with only 1 flat and still rolling on them compared with the Conti Gaterskin and 4 Seasons where I got flats too many to count and they only lasted 3200 miles.

Sounds like from the tires you listed your looking for something more robust then normal street tires. The best one you mentioned would be the Schwalbe Marathon; the Vitts you didn't mention which Randonneur, they have 3 or 4 different Randonneur's! The Vittoria is the least toughest tire you mentioned of the three. The Panaracer does have another tire that is superior to the T-Serv called the Pasela Tour Guard (TG), this tire will last more miles then the T-Serv because the T-Serv has a softer rubber compound design to be gripper in cold wet conditions thus will last about 2,000 miles vs over 4,000 for the Pasela TG. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire you mentioned last is your toughest tire of the three and probably one of the two or maybe three toughest tires on the market, but that toughness comes with a severe weight penalty making them at least twice as heavy as any other three tires you mentioned.

ben4345

If the t-serv does offer better wet weather grip, then it would be more suitable for me. I seem to destroy my tires before they even come close to their tread life expectancy. I cannot afford the marathon plus and the only randonneur that comes in <26c is the basic randonneur. (I do not have clearance for anything above 28)

ben4345

bump one last time.

rekmeyata

If your riding in questionable weather then go with the T-serv. Keep in mind that all 3 of the tires you mentioned are touring tires, it would take a lot to destroy one of those before one wore out.

I have a set of the Pasela Tour Guard on my touring bike, this tire is quite a bit lighter then the Marathon and I know the Marathon would last longer but I only do light touring for now with only rear panniers no front except for handlebar bag, so my weight is almost half of what a fully loaded touring bike would normally carry. The Marathon is designed to last an average of 6,000 miles on a fully loaded bike and about 8,000 unloaded! The Pasela won't do that fully loaded, probably around 3,000 miles loaded and 5,000 unloaded. The T-serv on a fully loaded bike would have dismal mileage, around 1,500 miles. But if your not touring on them then they will be fine for about 2000 miles. I only mention all of that crap so you can see the differences of each tire.

Some people rotate their tires to extend mileage, I do, when the rear wears out I put the front to the rear and install a new tire on the front. The rear wears about 1/3 faster then the front. Those that don't like this idea say the front tire will suffer environmental damage and should be replaced when the back goes bad...that's pure marketing BS. I have a set of tires that came with a 84 Fuji I bought, they were the original tires and they don't have one crack on them. I have a MTB my wife leaves outside because she doesn't want to haul it out of the basement, the rear tire is 10 years old, after sitting outside for 10 years (not in the winter due to snow) the tire is just now beginning to show minor cracking. I've never had a road bike tire crack, of course I usually wear them out in 2 years, but I have road bikes I haven't ridden much that the tires are over 5 years old and they too are fine. Also because a front blowout can have adverse effects that can lead to a crash it's advisable to keep a newer one on the front...thus rotate.

nashcommguy

Totally true. I've got a 4+ year old Schwalbe Marathon Plus w/23,000 miles+ on it. I've just replaced the 2nd rear tire both have which did better than 10,000 each. The front tire has moderate tread wear and no cracking on the sidewalls. Armour All, brake fluid, rubber restorer have all been used as well as good ol' dishsoap and water. The reflective strip is still visible @ night. I'd save up for the SMPs, but then I'm biased.

Btw, the 25mm SMPs don't last nearly as long as the 28s, so that's a consideration as well.

rekmeyata

23,000 miles??!! I've never heard of any tire getting remotely that many miles before, are you sure?

I don't put any chemicals or preservatives on my tires, I do wash them when I wash the bike but that's it, sometimes if the tires get dirty I'll wipe them down with a rag and 409. But Armour All and other similar type of products if they get on the rims will make it difficult to stop, and the Armour All getting on the rubber that contacts the road can make it very slippery on the street till it wears off, but then on a turn and you're leaning into it you could slide out due to the sidewalls being oiled up and not wearing off like the center of the tread. I wouldn't and don't treat my tires with anything.

ben4345

I doubt you got 23,000 miles on any set of tires. Even if you are a lightweight, you bike is super light and no load riding on immaculate roads. Unless you are just joking with us, then lol.

rekmeyata, I mostly just commute around town and sometimes go on short tours with some load (10-50 LBs). I ride all year long, rain or shine, wet weather traction is a must. It can get pretty wet most of the time here in the NW. Good puncture resistance is an obvious need, it rains just enough that debris sticks to your tire and digs in. The maxxis re-fuse was able to meet these needs so far, it isn't a high mileage tire either.

Face Palm

+1 on the Pasela TG. Fits all your requirements. I just got some, and they are my new favorite tires.

demoncyclist

+ infinity on the T-serv.

rekmeyata

Like you I ride on small weekend tours with about 40 pounds of gear on the rear, I too ride in wet weather here in Fort Wayne Indiana, but I won't ride in snow! I haven't had any slippery moments with the Panaracer Pasela TG tire. Because the tire is not as beefy as the Schwalbe Marathon I did put a Pararacer FlatAway liner only in the rear tire since that's where most flats occur. So far neither the front nor the rear has had any flats but I've only been on two tours with those tires and it only rain once while riding home from a tour. I always check my tires after riding and there were no cuts or stuff stuck in the tires either.

I've heard the Maxxis was a good tire but after doing quite a bit of research on the Gore's internet, I found the Pasela TG were the most highly rated lightweight touring tire on the market. The tire only weighs 380 grms for a 27 1 1/4 size with wire bead and their cheap, I paid $32 at my LBS for each, I wanted the folding bead but couldn't find one stocked anywhere on the internet nor could my LBS find one, so I saved $20 each and got the wire bead.

Yes I'm touring on an old bike thus the 27" wheels and thus the reason I couldn't use Maxxis since they don't make that size. I have two touring bikes, but I'm using the oldest one, a bone stock low mileage mint condition Schwinn Le Tour Luxe. These bikes ride great, it looks like this one but it's not mine in the pic: https://www.flickr.com/photos/swoosh/4494244605/ Really the only difference is between that one and mine is that I removed the original Advocet seat and put a Brooks B17 brown ti saddle on, and then Cinelli Imperal brown leather handlebar tape replaced the original black cotton tape, the pump is a Topeak Road Morph G, I have the original rack that came from the factory but I'm not using it due to it being a bit flimsy for my taste so I have the Tubus Cargo Classic, and I removed the stock kickstand.

Kojak

As for a tire that best meets all of your criteria (except price) the closest thing we make is the Durano Plus. It blows your budget though, so maybe it's not even a consideration.

https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_ti...es/durano_plus

We're out of stock on the 23s and 25s although more are due to arrive in the next couple of weeks. It's likely that they can be found somewhere with a bit of searching.

Face Palm

+1. I recommended the Pasela TG's above, but I had just switched from Durano Plus. The only reason I switched was because I wanted something that would not only be awesome on the road (which the DP's certainly are), but also let me be more comfortable on some light unpaved trails (which the DP's are not so great at). Even though I'm riding the Pasela TG's right now, I'm definitely going to occasionally rotate back and forth with the Durano Plus's. Roll great (better than gatorskins or armadillos, IMO) and bulletproof. I never had a flat with them, and that's riding over a lot of glass in cities.

Kojak

Universal Cycles price on this tire is $60. Factor in your 15% discount and it's down to $51. Still above your $45 ceiling, but getting close.

SteamingAlong

I'm still waiting for my Conti's to die so that I can mount my Schwalbe Ultremo's that I bought. I thought the Conti's were closer to done than they proved to be. That's why I have loved every pair of Conti's that I've rolled on though, they last forever. Looking forward to checking out the Ultremo's.

nashcommguy

One can doubt all one wants. Purchased a set of 700x28mm SMPs in late May of 2008 and have averaged 5000+ mpy in commuting/utility mileage. Have gotten the mileage on the front. Am on my 3d rear in the same timeframe. Have a fg w/25mm SMPs. 4000+ miles. They need to be changed out...the 25mm don't last nearly as long as the 28s for some reason. My total mileage usually totals 7-8500 for the year. Sounds like alot until it's broken down. A little more than 20 miles per day. The roads ridden on are mostly asphalt/blacktop. No stones or chips. Next time I get a new front tire I'll hook up a computer to track my mileage...but it's going to be a while.

rekmeyata

Look, there are a lot of very long term experience riders here, I myself have been riding over 40 years and 10 of those were racing/training years, in all of those years you get to know lots of cyclists, then being on forums such as this one you hear from lots and lots of other cyclists, and not one I've ever knew of, heard of, or read of, has ever reported more then 8,000 miles on a tire that I can recall. So you can see if some one comes along and claims they got 23,000 miles on a bicycle tire there is going to be disbelief. Even if you weighed only 75 pounds and rode a 12 pound bike on super smooth concrete I doubt you could get more then 12,000 miles. I use to ride on the longest wearing tire on the market at the time (just over 10 years ago, the touring line of Schwalbe should last a bit longer with no load), the Specialized Armadillo All Condition tire and those averaged about 5,500 miles...some people did get as much as 7,000 on those but I did a lot of mountain road riding and the roads in the area were rougher then where I live now.

Don't take my word for it, search the forum here, search the internet, and you'll see (actually you'll read) what others say. Either you have your miles set up as kilometers on your computer, or your tire setting on the computer is set for the smallest tire, or maybe both. Even if you have it set on clicks that would still be 14,000 miles which is again real high.

I don't have a problem with you doing 5,000 miles a year, that's more then doable, last year I myself did 6,800 miles do to getting lots of time off to heal and work was slow. When I use to race I averaged about 12,000 miles a year. Point is 5,000 miles is more then doable so that's a not an issue here, it's the tire mileage that people are very seriously doubting.

Kojak

I'm not quite so skeptical on the 23,000 claim, considering that it's stated in NashComm's post that it was a front tire (not a rear), and that in the same period of time he's gone through 3 rear tires, which stacks up pretty well with the feedback that we get from our customers who often claim that at 10k+ miles, their SMPs are still going strong. 23,000 would certainly be on the extreme end of the expected useful life but quite possible under ideal circumstances. I would expect that by this point that some of the blue puncture protection belt rubber (Smart Guard) would be starting to show.

If this were my bike, I'd be inclined to move the front to the rear when the rear wears out and put the fresh one on the front, but given how difficult these tires can be to mount I could certainly understand passing on this protocol and just replacing the worn out tire.

I do understand that my chiming in on this aspect may seem biased. One can believe what they want to believe.

ben4345

I'd love to try the Durano Plus, but my budget is pretty strict ATM. Unless you can hook me up with some kind of discount.
FWIW, having a company rep on the boards is big bonus, I really do want to try a shwalbe tire in the future.

rekmeyata

How's that being bias? Your just stating an opinion.

I understand this business about replacing 3 tires to one front, problem is your still 7,666 miles, on average, on the rear, and even for a rear tire that's a lot. I've never heard of anyone going that long on a single tire on the rear. I knew a guy who did tour on those Marathons but he only got 5,000 mile on them (only? that's better then other touring tires!), but he was hauling 75 pounds of gear plus his 200 pound body weight, he did tell me they lasted longer then the Continental Touring Plus tire he had before that only lasted 2,000 miles with the same load factors. He does rotate the tires so he always has a newer tire on the front, but even if he hadn't and you use the 1/3rd rule he would have gotten about 3,334 miles on the rear and about 8,334 on the front (I hope I did the math right); take off the 75 pounds of touring weight and drop 50 pounds of body weight still will not push that tire to almost 3 times that mileage, you might get an additional 2,000 miles and that's being more then very generous.

But, just to make peace on this subject, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. But I hope you understand others and my reasoning for doubting this.

nashcommguy

Very big of you. Thanks. but no thanks. Condescension isn't required or appreciated.

I'm on my 3d rear which was replaced about one month ago. Each of the previous 2 had over 10,000+ miles on them. Yes, they were worn to a nub, the blue was showing in long streaks and they were 2,000 miles beyond safe limits. That being said I've been trying to see how much they can take in preparation of a circumnavigtion when I retire. My regular commuting/utility routes are all rural blacktop/asphalt for the most part as previously stated. My weight is usually 30 lbs max load as I use my main commuter to haul a week's worth of clothes into work on Mondays then the load is much lighter the rest of the week. My fg is used 1 or 2 times per week as well. Otherwise, my mileage on my main commuter would be much higher.

Btw, I've been cycling well over 40 years myself and commuting slightly more than 25. Many mini-tours and 2 extended, multi-month non-supported. My mechanical skills have been developed over time by trial, error and listening to world-class techs. A friend of mine was a tech on the '80 & '84 US Olympic cycling teams. Well, what would've been the '80 team. Was taught wheel-building, etc. by him again in preparation for circumnavigation and any mechanicals I would face.

I can fully understand and appreciate your doubt. However, many SMP users report mileage of 10,000 or more w/consistancy and the tires are still going strong. So, who knows how many more miles were racked up by those same people who didn't report the final talley. I'll quote here: "The SMP while not being the tire for everyone is the best on the market for which it was designed".

Here are pics of the aforementioned commter rigs:

cccorlew

I have a 26" Marathon Plus on a commuter bike that has over 10,000 on it, and I can't see any wear.
I usually end up with tires all cut up and trashed before they wear out. The Ultremas and Duranos I love on my road bike usually die a premature death. (I love in te land of broken glass.) But I think that Marathon Plus will last forever.

I just got a new commuter that takes 700c and put 28 Schwalbe Marathon Supremes on it. I am impressed with the ride (if not the degree of mounting difficulty) and hope they are as tough as the 26" Plus. The price is a bit high, but darn they feel good. If the can survive the roads around here I'll be thrilled and consider it money well spent.