downwinded

I have around 7000 miles on a set of 700 x 28 Mararhon Supremes. I will replace them this year with 32's. They no longer make the folding version in 28mm. I wanted to try the 32's anyway. I ran the same tire in 35mm for a year, but came to prefer the 28's. I'm not even going to mention punctures. (Care to guess why?)

Eric S.

This thread is already long and I admit I didn't read every post but - Continental RIDE Tour tires are my recommendation. I have one set on a road bike and 2 pairs on MTB commuters. Never had a flat, and the road bike set is ~4 years old. They're available for about US$25 online.

trailmix

noglider 

@downwinded, 7,000 miles is extremely impressive. That would justify their price. And I hear that they have a good ride compared with the other Marathons.

greatscott

• That mileage is indeed typical of a loaded touring bike for those tires, so one could get more miles if on a bike that isn't heavily ladened. The other great thing is that those tires are virtually flat proof, they are the tank of tires for a bike, something you need when touring.

noglider 

I thought Marathon Supremes sacrifice a bit of puncture protection in order to provide better performance. Now you're telling us they're virtually flat proof. Damn. I'll consider them next time. They're only $35 on sale now, but I don't need them now. They look really heavy. Do I have them confused with something else?

greatscott

You can read the graphic on their website, and it shows them real high on flat protection: https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_t...rathon_supreme They are sort of heavy at 380 grams but what you gain in flat protection you always gain in weight, and that's true with any tire. Note the availability of sizes too before you buy.

HOWEVER this is not the tire I thought it was either! I'm not sure what the mileage is on these, I was thinking of the Marathon Plus Greenguard which I think is their most durable and flat resistant they make, while this tire is heavy at 840 grams it's design for touring and not getting flats, or having a tire self destruct, something you don't want while touring, and it's rated the best touring tire available in the world as well as the lowest rolling resistance of any touring tire, even those that weigh half as much! https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_t...hon_Plus_HS440

Also see this one: https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_t...s/marathon_420

noglider 

The motor is in the front hub. It's not crazy. Some ebikes have a front hub motor, some have a rear hub motor, and some have a motor that drives the cranks. So yeah, if you have a front hub motor and it seizes, you're going over the bars. Maybe that is crazy. So they say they're replacing the bikes. Maybe they'll put in rear hub motors or crank motors.

wphamilton

$16 and it's a decent tire? That's outstanding, maybe time to stock up.

Phil_gretz

I just had a sidewall gash yesterday on a Conti 4000 s II rear tire. How? probably caught a bit of debris in the dark. You can't see everything, especially if it isn't shiny metallic. Anyway, the tire is trashed.

Lemond1985

Sidewalls on those tires are paper-thin, and very fragile if you hit a sharp rock with the side of the tire at just the right angle. I tried using the over-sized GP 4000 28's on some unpaved roads and they flatted every single time. I discovered the hard way that these are racing tires designed for immaculate pavement that's swept of debris regularly.

wphamilton

Recently I put on a Continental Sport Contact II (700-28), and while it's twice the weight of the Rubino Pro tires that I've been using it has surprisingly low resistance. It should be a top choice for city commuting especially if you're considering touring tires.

Ged117 

I've got Schwalbe Marathon (note: not Marathon Plus) with "GreenGuard" protection. They are lighter than the Marathon Plus tires, and are real tough for our winter-damaged asphalt roads and paths, never ending construction debris zones, etc. I've got them squirreled away for my Peugeot commuter project. They ride reasonably well, but naturally I can feel the difference between them and my Panaracer tires.

To be honest though, I think a lot of noise is made about different tires. I run my Panaracer Pasela (regular wire bead, non-TourGuard version) on my steel Voyageur touring bike, which is filling in for commuting duty right now so I can break in the new B17 saddle. The Pasela tires have been excellent, and I run them at 95 pounds. Apart from the crap roads, it has been a treat to ride the Voyageur to work on those reasonably priced, nice riding tires. I carry patch kits and tire levers in my pannier just in case, and an attached frame pump, but knock on wood I haven't needed them yet.
Pick a common, well-regarded brand, the right size to get you over the humps in the road (32mm seems to be a good spot, mine are 35 since I also enjoy gravel and dirt paths and my commuter doubles as a rural / island rough road explorer). Have fun!

FlMTNdude

I am wondering how many of you who commute with your bike also do regular rides? I commute about 60 miles a week, and do another 100 road riding. I currently have been running Bontrager AW1 with a Mr Tuffy liner, which has been overall a good tire. However, I moved since I bought them and now have in my commute about 1/3 of the commute on gravel covered asphalt. My concern is the increased wear I am seeing. I have seen a few tires on this thread and in my shopping. I am looking for lowest rolling resistance possible with the heavier tread.

noglider 

I do rides for fun, too. As I said before, I don't look for any puncture resistance at all, as I don't want to compromise the quality of the ride.

WMBIGS

I have those Bontrager AW1 700-28c on my commuter. Man those are draggy tires, I hate them. I have Scwalbe Big Apple 29x2.35 on another bike and they roll much better than the AW1's once up to speed. I think a supple side wall has a huge influence on how well a tire rolls.

greatscott

I have several bikes, I commute on my touring bike, but ride a different bike on the weekends. The lowest rolling resistance with a thick thread will be the Schwalbe Marathon series of tires, these roll surprisingly well for a heavy tire, not as well as my regular road bike with Specialized Roubaix Pro tires but better then my previous touring tires; also the Schwalbe wear like iron and have great traction on dry and wet pavement. The rolling resistance thing was proven in a lab that's been testing tires for that in the last 5 or more years. I did put liners in my Schwalbe tires, not really sure if I needed those however, I guess better safe than sorry, but it's a bit of hassle to fix a flat on the rear with loaded panniers, stuff strapped onto the top of the rack and fenders. I don't foresee ever using a different brand of tire for my touring bike, I think I found the holy grail of tire for that purpose unless someone comes out with something a lot better.

FlMTNdude

700-28 is about my max, I doubt a 32 would get in without a little rub. I am definitely going to have to check out the Schwalbe tires. With max load for work, it is 20-30 lbs max, plus my 170 lbs. so not a lot of weight to worry about. Anything other than work or the store is just a water bottle or two. Thanks folks!

SylvainG

I added Mr Tuffy to my Continental GP4000 II tires after getting two punctures in a month 2 years ago on these tires (had the tires for less than two months!). Didn't get a puncture since then. From what I read online, it only add a few watt of resistance to the ride. Some say the edge of the Mr Tuffy will wear the tubes and cause flats. Since I replace my Conti for Schwalbe when it gets colder (just in case I do get a puncture, replacing a tire when it's cold is much worse than during fair weather), the Mr Tuffy is never at the same place so this problem is moot.